I hunted with Gabe this past 2 weeks and I think every persons experience is unique. We did spring bear and my buddy and I both killed 9'+ bears and that's what I can speak about. From what I hear his fall hunts are much busier with more people doing DIY moose and multiple drop camps. We hunted off snowmachines and covered 80+ miles per day. He is a very good pilot, knows his stuff and spotted bears that I thought were just a pile of sticks from a long way away. We had 1 guide and 1 packer and Gabe so it was just the 5 of us. Gabe went out with us multiple times and we always had our guide with us. Gabe and our packer would peel off at times so we could cover more ground. We saw fox, wolverine, bears, moose and wolf tracks. For bears you are looking for tracks or a den. They are not like deer and just pop up out of nowhere so you don't glass a hillside for hours like mule deer and you are not calling for them like elk/moose. Dens/tracks are there or they aren't.
After arriving at camp we got out rifles and verified shooting capabilities out to 400yds. There are a lot of people who say they can shoot because the are 3" high at 100. You have to proof out your shots and your dope chart. We were ready and based on his reactions seems like he has had some big talkers who failed to perform.
We did a ptarmigan hunt and cooked them up for dinner when we got fogged in for a 1.5 days. We typically left around 9 - 10am waiting for fog to burn off and not get back until before dark. There were only a couple early mornings due to a lack of weather. Light around 7 am and dark dark by 10:30/11pm.
I would 100% hunt with Gabe again for Spring Bear. Its a patience game waiting for the bears to come out of hibernation, and his timing was spot on this year. We killed on day 7 and day 9 of the hunt. You have to be proficient at actually riding a snow machine if you are coming from the mid-west in the lower 48 its not the same. Its not trail riding either. Yes a trail is made by the guide in front of you but a lot of it is what would be considered off-trail riding. Camp is basic like what is shown on the website. Its not a fancy lodge and it was warm and each cabin had a good cast iron stove. The steam house was great after riding all day, it doesn't seem like much but being able to get good and hot and remove the chill from the bones is a game changer. It also allowed for a "bucket shower". There is a hot water pot on a cast iron barrel stove and a cold water bucket and a mixing tub to your temperature liking. I would bring your own pac towel otherwise you are sharing towels.
Food is good and there is no refrigeration (winter takes care of that) so its anything that can be made with water. Eggs and bacon or sausage gravy, pancake mix and oatmeal for breakfast options. Lunches were sandwiches (bread, meat & cheese) some condiments packets. Dinners were good. We had tacos and burgers and had a lot of dried goods that could be converted with water (hash browns, rice, cup of noodles). Mtn House if you wanted. Tuna helper, Hamburger Helper, Japanese Curry etc, sausage links, meat sticks, plenty of nutrition bars, chips and snacks (candy bars, fruits snacks, cheese cracker packets). There were tortillas to make wraps and lettuce & onions to pair with foods. No fruits so if you want it, then plan for it.
A good rule of thumb is bring the gear you know you are comfortable with if you can keep it under the weight limit. The only efficient way to get anything to the area is to fly it in and most supplies come from Anchorage to Dillingham and then to the bush. So you best shopping point is in Anchorage for anything and communicate if you are expecting something. Its bring your own beverage if it cant be made with water. There was plenty of coffee, tea, hot cocoa, electrolyte mix etc.
Our group personalities got along very well and we had a great time and good team comradery. Gabe is the pilot and outfitter, Menno was our Guide and Braiden was our Packer. Gabe handles all the logistics and is not your one on one in the field, he can be and is good at it, but that was not his role for us. After the trip it took a day for us to coordinate flights out, stop by Fish and Game to seal the hide and skulls and he opened up his home/bunkhouse to us for the night. I don't know if he does this for everyone and it was super helpful to be able to re-organize and pack gear for commercial flights.
I went with 0 expectations and had a great experience. That's where I think people get disappointed. Saving a pile of money for a trip and having high expectations for their experience and not communicating those expectations or asking questions. Gabe doesn't sugar coat things and based on my experience was very accurate in his communications. This was also my first guided hunt, so I have nothing to compare it to and it was better than my DIY western hunts.
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