Alaska Challenge Guide Service

[Skidoo850]

Please contact me before booking this outfit,

 

[FAAFO]

Let’s hear it!

 

[Geewhiz]

Spill it, chief

 

[CorbLand]

Why do people take the time to create accounts but not the time to just put the problems they had out there?

 

[Skidoo850]

I want to tell my story so that maybe I can get the word out about this guy and save someone the time and money that he cost me. His name is Craig Hill, Alaska Challenge Guide Service.
Before I booked with him, I did plenty of research. Web searches and calling many of the references on his web site. Web searches yielded very little information but the calls to references were all positive. The stories from them are all consistent and told of a hard-working conscientious outfitter. The one thing that bothered me was that all references are from 2018 or earlier. After many conversations with Craig Hill and countless text messages/emails I felt comfortable and booked a 14-day brown bear hunt.
The hunt started on 9/25/24. I actually started to feel a little uncomfortable shortly after meeting up with Craig in Anchorage, he seemed disorganized and chaotic. Weather delayed us a day getting to camp for one day. The camp we flew into was at Cape Yakataga, about 100 miles east of Cordova. This is when I knew it wasn't going to go well. Upon landing we opened a storage container that contained an Argo and a 4 wheeler. Both were in horrible condition and would not start. After working on the Argo we traveled about a mile to camp. Upon arriving at the "cabin" (actually a 12x16 garden shed) I entered to find it full of rotten food and piles of dirty dishes from the spring hunt. It stunk bad. My first job as a paying hunter was to clean frying pans full of rotten grease, not what I expected. At this point it is obvious that no one had been there since spring. Craig is now cursing and yelling as he tries to get one of three generators running.
I could have lived with all of that if he had made reasonable effort to hunt but instead him and my guide slept late. I approached him and told him my concerns and was met with indifference. Then when I did get my guide to leave camp, I realized that he had no idea where to go. I ask him what was going on and he informed me that he had never been there before. 4 out of the 5 guides had never been there. I never did get him up early to hunt. There were 4 other hunters in camp that will tell you similar stories.
Back to the equipment issues, we were promised top notch Argos,4 wheelers and jet boats. It was all junk and most inoperable. A couple of the other hunters spent the first two days trying to get a couple machines running. They installed a starter on an Argo and mounted a boat motor with hopes of using them.
This is already too long but does not cover anywhere near all the problems we had. I will list a few more.
Drug and Alcohol use by several of the guides, with one guide having really crazy behavior one night.
Two hunters and a guide stranded in the bush 20 miles from camp for 4 nights due to equipment breakdown.
A 4-wheeler lost to the tide after a failed rescue attempt.
Jet boat left by Craig to close to the ocean was upside down and damaged after tide came in.
I could go on and on. I really never hunted and the trip was absolutely miserable.
I am realistic about these hunts, if I don't kill an animal or even see one I would be ok as long as there is reasonable effort made. It was not

 

[Geewhiz]

Seams like you got hosed man.

Really sad to hear they took advantage of you.

 

[Q child]

Oh my goodness. Thanks for the PSA. That sounds awful. Not sure what recourse you have, but hopefully the universe will reward you somehow for your troubles.

 

[Skidoo850]

Honestly, I see no recourse and don't really care. I just want some info out there so maybe someone else can avoid this guy.
The really sad part is that if you talk to anyone that hunted with him pre 2020 it sounds like he was awesome.

 

[QBTurner7]

Dang, that sounds like a nightmare experience. Definitely makes me cautious about doing a outfitted hunt sometime in the future when I can afford it.


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[Yukon Cornelius]

Drugs…we talking cannabis? Or others?
That sounds like a shitty situation. Did you take pics?

Thank you for the head’s up!!

 

[Skidoo850]

It was a very shitty situation. It was routine to smell alcohol and cannabis in the mornings. I am not a drug expert to say the least but there was one guide who exhibited some incredibly bizarre behavior one night. Even the other guides thought he had ingested some other drug.
I am disappointed in myself for not documenting with pictures, but I have never been in a more tense,uncomfortable,scary and angry situation. I had never met the other 4 hunters but without a doubt they will confirm anything I have said here.

 

[Legend]

It was a very shitty situation. It was routine to smell alcohol and cannabis in the mornings. I am not a drug expert to say the least but there was one guide who exhibited some incredibly bizarre behavior one night. Even the other guides thought he had ingested some other drug.
I am disappointed in myself for not documenting with pictures, but I have never been in a more tense,uncomfortable,scary and angry situation. I had never met the other 4 hunters but without a doubt they will confirm anything I have said here.

I would contact the Alaska Big Game Commercial Sevices Board. They are the oversight for all guide licensing. At some point you have a responsibility to report stuff that has the potential to create a dangerous outcome for future hunters.

Sorry you got stuffed.

 

[Skidoo850]

I have already contacted them and will file a formal complaint. This guy needs to be held accountable.

 

[FAAFO]

What a terrible situation to have to go through. Please keep us updated.

 

[Skidoo850]

So far, I have called all the references on his website. I informed them of the situation. The sad part is that it seems like this guy was good until a few years ago. I had great conversations with all of them. I started this thread and will be filing a formal complaint with the Alaska Guide Board.
Is there anything else that I should do?

 

[medvedyt]

lesson of the day: get the latest feedback from previous hunters not the one from 5 years ago.

 

[adventure907]

Last year a video was posted on another forum of this outfitter directing clients to shoot moose from boats while the boats were under power. Highly illegal. This outfitter gives all honest outfitters a bad name and he should not be allowed to hold an outiffter/guide license.

I am not sure if he is a member of APHA, but please report him to the APHA as well as the Big Game Commercial Services Board, and the Alaska State Troopers.

 

[Skidoo850]

Thank you for the info. I had heard about this incident during our hunt. I considered it hearsay and didn't think I should bring it up.

 

[ladogg411]

Wow, now THAT is a story. Good call on contacting his glowing references to update them on your experience.

 

[Skidoo850]

I was very nervous about contacting the references, but I had nothing but good conversations with them. All of them thanked me for informing them of the situation. Some were blown away by my account, others said that they were not surprised