Northern Air Trophy

[mcseal2]

Anyone hunted with these guys out of Kotzebue and have a review? Owners are Matt and Julie Owen

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[realunlucky]

I flew with them several years ago. You can see my trip write up--one for Alaskan Bob. We had a good trip. Matty seemed like a great pliot but that was my only experience with a bush plane

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[chucko]

Anyone hunted with these guys out of Kotzebue and have a review? Owners are Matt and Julie Owen

Thanks for any help you can give.

If you are given the chance to go with these people jump on it.I have been hunting with them for over 15years Matt is probably the best off airport pilot in the state just remember he will get you there the rest is up to you the caribou and the weather

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks I will look it up.

 

[karaider00]

Send me a PM and I will give you a good report from this year.

 

[Waterboy21]

I had one of the worst trip I’ve ever heard of with Northern Air! They dropped us right next to three drilling platforms, gave us a broken tent and most of the food was expired!! We didn’t see a Caribou for 3 of the 5 days and the only ones we saw were 8 miles away moving away. We put in the work, walking 6-12 miles a day. They were very unorganized and for about $500 more you can find something better!

 

[Northwestalaska]

I had one of the worst trip I’ve ever heard of with Northern Air! They dropped us right next to three drilling platforms, gave us a broken tent and most of the food was expired!! We didn’t see a Caribou for 3 of the 5 days and the only ones we saw were 8 miles away moving away. We put in the work, walking 6-12 miles a day. They were very unorganized and for about $500 more you can find something better!

Ok...I have been working out of Kotz for 18 years so I know all of the flight services. There are a few bad eggs in Kotz and you need to do your homework or you will end up on a pricy camping trip. Its important to remember that NTA went belly up about 4-5 years ago because the Feds nailed them and sent the owner/Pilot to the big house. The year that followed was a gong show because there were lots of hunters booked, money taken and no pilot. NTA his wife worked hard to find flight services but lots of groups got dumped and did not hunt. Fast forward to the present. A new owner arrives and in the past 2 years has worked his ass off to do a good job. I have not run into any hunters who had anything major to complain about with the new owner..

I have a question about getting dumped next to 3 drilling rigs...How is that possible? There are NO Drilling Rigs in Unit 23 at all.....NO Rigs and no oil. Even if there were rigs it is against the law to get anywhere near a drilling operation for all of the common sense reasons. you can think of. Are you sure you were in Unit 23? The drilling rigs are all east of Barrow and all in unit 26-North Slope. There is no way in Hell BP or any of the other operators would allow any hunting anywhere near any drill site or near any pipelines period... This just does not pass the sniff test guys!

Last pont....Do your homework. There are 3 really good flight operations out of Kotz and I send almost all of my hunters to those flight operations . I have a hard NO with 2 others because I know how they operate and will not send guys to them. All of us in the Hunting Business are greatly affected by bad reviews. None of us are 100% perfect every time. Every few years I get a group who are just not satisfied with anything and I get the I have a brother who is a lawyer threat now and then. Hunters are very high maintenance and I flat out screen my potential groups all the time. I turn away a few groups every year because they have unrealistic expectations, they are high need people or they are not prepared what they are about to embark upon...The current owner of NTA appears to be a good guy trying very hard to do a good job and if you can book him do it!

 

[karaider00]

I was with waterboy on the trip. We were just West of Red dog not sure what types of platforms they were setting up but the owner of NAT didn't know they were there when he dropped us off which told me he hadn't been up there lately, they didn't go up over night. He also should have moved us when he saw them when he dropped us off. Lastly he should have moved us when we told them about them three days in and we asked to be moved and they didn't. Mistakes happen but every other part of the trip was crap.

This was our experience. I am sure if we went with them again we would have a different experience, I am not going to give them the chance.

 

[Northwestalaska]

I was with waterboy on the trip. We were just West of Red dog not sure what types of platforms they were setting up but the owner of NAT didn't know they were there when he dropped us off which told me he hadn't been up there lately, they didn't go up over night. He also should have moved us when he saw them when he dropped us off. Lastly he should have moved us when we told them about them three days in and we asked to be moved and they didn't. Mistakes happen but every other part of the trip was crap.

This was our experience. I am sure if we went with them again we would have a different experience, I am not going to give them the chance.

West of Red Dog is in the Ocean. That is State Land out that way and that would have been Red Dog/NANA land not oil rigs. What year was that? I have client who got dumped out there by the previous owner back in 2016 I think and the same story. Rule of thumb is the migration happens east of the Grand Canyon. We rarely see any movement of caribou other than some local critters east of the Kelly River area. You got suckered. IT is my hope that the new owner is doing a better job.

Walt

 

[Waterboy21]

Ok...I have been working out of Kotz for 18 years so I know all of the flight services. There are a few bad eggs in Kotz and you need to do your homework or you will end up on a pricy camping trip. Its important to remember that NTA went belly up about 4-5 years ago because the Feds nailed them and sent the owner/Pilot to the big house. The year that followed was a gong show because there were lots of hunters booked, money taken and no pilot. NTA his wife worked hard to find flight services but lots of groups got dumped and did not hunt. Fast forward to the present. A new owner arrives and in the past 2 years has worked his ass off to do a good job. I have not run into any hunters who had anything major to complain about with the new owner..

I have a question about getting dumped next to 3 drilling rigs...How is that possible? There are NO Drilling Rigs in Unit 23 at all.....NO Rigs and no oil. Even if there were rigs it is against the law to get anywhere near a drilling operation for all of the common sense reasons. you can think of. Are you sure you were in Unit 23? The drilling rigs are all east of Barrow and all in unit 26-North Slope. There is no way in Hell BP or any of the other operators would allow any hunting anywhere near any drill site or near any pipelines period... This just does not pass the sniff test guys!

Last pont....Do your homework. There are 3 really good flight operations out of Kotz and I send almost all of my hunters to those flight operations . I have a hard NO with 2 others because I know how they operate and will not send guys to them. All of us in the Hunting Business are greatly affected by bad reviews. None of us are 100% perfect every time. Every few years I get a group who are just not satisfied with anything and I get the I have a brother who is a lawyer threat now and then. Hunters are very high maintenance and I flat out screen my potential groups all the time. I turn away a few groups every year because they have unrealistic expectations, they are high need people or they are not prepared what they are about to embark upon...The current owner of NTA appears to be a good guy trying very hard to do a good job and if you can book him do it!

so this is from our camp site where we were dropped and this is one two of the few plus there was helicopters moving the equipment back and forth. I’m not trying to be the bad guy here just don’t want anyone to have the experience we had! We are working class people with families and don’t get to do these kinds of trips often, so spending $3700 plus airfare, lodging taking time off work to be put in a construction area to be honest was bad! I was a fishing guide and captain for about 10 years and did some guiding in high school and part of college and I would be ashamed of myself if I put a customer in a situation like I was put in and I think that if I didn’t share what honestly happened to me and someone else had the same thing happen I would feel guilty! I was not going to post anything at all but my friend sent me this thread.

 

[karaider00]

West of Red Dog is in the Ocean. That is State Land out that way and that would have been Red Dog/NANA land not oil rigs. What year was that? I have client who got dumped out there by the previous owner back in 2016 I think and the same story. Rule of thumb is the migration happens east of the Grand Canyon. We rarely see any movement of caribou other than some local critters east of the Kelly River area. You got suckered. IT is my hope that the new owner is doing a better job.

Walt

This was last year(2019). i don't think anyone said they were oil. They were doing something but don't know. We were just a few miles West of the mine max of 15-20.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks everyone for the help. I ended up booking with another transporter for this fall. I did not have any issue with NAT we just went another route. The other transporter got back with us faster more than anything. I am very much looking forward to the hunt this fall as my many questions on here probably show.

 

[Northwestalaska]

View attachment 157418View attachment 157420
so this is from our camp site where we were dropped and this is one two of the few plus there was helicopters moving the equipment back and forth. I’m not trying to be the bad guy here just don’t want anyone to have the experience we had! We are working class people with families and don’t get to do these kinds of trips often, so spending $3700 plus airfare, lodging taking time off work to be put in a construction area to be honest was bad! I was a fishing guide and captain for about 10 years and did some guiding in high school and part of college and I would be ashamed of myself if I put a customer in a situation like I was put in and I think that if I didn’t share what honestly happened to me and someone else had the same thing happen I would feel guilty! I was not going to post anything at all but my friend sent me this thread.

 

[Northwestalaska]

That looks like the Bottom of the Kivilina River and I would agree 100% with your assessment. You got crapped on my friend and I am sorry for that. Unit 23 is larger than Indiana so no reason to get dumped...What year was that? Please tell me that was the previous oner that put you there and not the new owners? If that was last year than I agree with you 100%. What was the pilots response to getting dumped in a industrial area?

 

[karaider00]

It was last year. Same owners. Not apologetic at all. You learn from experience. You also learn you get what you pay for.

 

[Northwestalaska]

That looks like the Bottom of the Kivilina River and I would agree 100% with your assessment. You got crapped on my friend and I am sorry for that. Unit 23 is larger than Indiana so no reason to get dumped...What year was that? Please tell me that was the previous oner that put you there and not the new owners? If that was last year than I agree with you 100%. What was the pilots response to getting dumped in a industrial area?

Guys: I mixed up NTA and RAM....Your spot on...The Owen's are a bit unapologetic in their business model

 

[mooster]

Artic Air is the new entity operated by the previous Ram owners. I hunted with them last fall (2019). Communication and everything else was great. But they dumped us on a lake across from another set of their hunters. The party coming out that we relieved saw little amount of bou and took small animals. We had same experience. The crew across the lake from us that they pulled next day had no large antlers we could see with our spotter. The across the lake crew that came in next had no success while we were there. So service was as promised. Location they dropped us, horrible as to game. We were last out for their season so they had time to figure out where game was. We advised them of heavy winds one day thinking their pilot would want to be aware, and they replied they just flew over us and big band of animals was a mile from our camp. Crazy lie as both of us were a mile in opposite directions from camp and no bou in site. I wouldn’t use them again.

 

[HuntHarder]

Pretty sure that it is illegal to fly over your guys and tell you where the animals are...

 

[mooster]

Pretty sure that it is illegal to fly over your guys and tell you where the animals are...

Well didn’t fly over us and there was no bou. We did see them fly to an adjoining area the day previous, and at that time there was a large herd miles from us, and angling away from us. So not sure if they were confused about their own intel, or just a lie. Was wrong regardless.

 

[chucko]

Just a heads up I have hunted the Kivalina drainages on 3 different occasions with NAT and probably only saw 3000 animals