Outfitter Review - Halliday Air

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: Halliday Air

Outfitter / Contact: Terry Halliday

Location: Alaska, USA

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: Caribou

Game Quality: 2 nice bulls, no big ones

Game Quantity: Poor

Accomodations: N/A

Camp Condition: N/A

Food Quality: N/A

Guide Experience: N/A

Other Personal Experience: Cub Pilots-10 Others-2

Review Information

Hunter: Robert Jacks

Phone:

Email:

Would Recommend: No

Overall Impression: OK--hunting is hunting!!

After flying out of Anchorage to Iliamna Airport, we stood on the runway for 30-40 mins. before someone finally drove up and asked "anyone here with Halliday?" After loading our gear onto the truck, we were hauled to and dumped off at the Iliamna Airport Hotel, where we were told "break down your gear, pack your extra bags and cases under the hotel", which was not secured, and where two hard-side gun cases and an extra stove disappeared from. After another 3 or 4 hours--we didn't get the "early flight" out--the cafe opened and we were able to get a bite to eat. After eating, there was another wait of 2+ hours before "our" plane arrived. After dealing with a rude/surly Cessna pilot, we were finally loaded and on our way, the two in the back seat with full 5 gallon gas cans for the Super Cubs on their laps--(and they don't allow propane on comm. fights--hah!) When we reached the drop/jump off area, we unloaded, then reloaded into the Cubs. To be honest, the Cub pilots,Mitch and Tom were the best..friendly, helpful and all-around great guys. We were asked what we were looking for (caribou,shelter,solitude) and flew quite a while before Mitch spotted a likely looking landing area, and after a couple of low speed, low level passes put us down, soft as could be. Mike, the early riser on day two, woke my brother and I with 2 quick (loud!) shots from his .338--a herd of small bulls and cows passed our camp at 100-125 yds., and Mike was done; 30 secs. into the hunt--1 cow, 1 bull, all while in his long-johns!! I was able to tag a bull later that day, thanx to my brother making a 3-4 mile hike and heading a herd my direction, my bull was shot about 3 pm....and that was the end of the Caribou, day 2. We saw one other small herd, a bull and 6 cows, about a mile to the east, but they drifted away without a shot at them. Finally, after 3 days had gone by (what-ever happened to the promised daily fly-by check and move, if needed??) Mitch & Tom dropped in to see how we were--they had been weathered in. (If you're planning your first trip, pay attention when you're told to "expect the unexpected"). We loaded the meat onto the cubs, Mitch returning later to take my brother out-solo-to another drop site in search of his 'bou. Mike and I then spent the longest 4 days of my life-stuck in camp, rained in, low on food-(I went hunting day 5, came back with two ptarmigan and a hatful of blueberries-delicious!!) We received no word how my brother was faring, nothing...it was like we had been abandoned. Other charters were flying, ours wasn't. Finally, day 6, Tom and Mitch flew in, and after a hurried how ya doin', camp was broke and Mike and I were flown to a remote, deserted runway, can't remember the name of it, it's near a Native village and left there with word another plane would be by "soon" to pick us up. "Soon" turned into another 2 or 3 hours, but the plane did show and we were flown to Iliamna, where me met up with my brother--who had some "hella" stories of his own to tell. What put a real crusher on the trip was while we were waiting at the Iliamna Hotel for our return flight to Anchorage, one of Halliday's rep's came up to us and insisted one of us hadn't paid for our trip..unbelievable!! We were able to come up with receipts, etc.(glad they weren't in the gun cases that were stolen!) showing we all had indeed paid, but what a rotten way to end the trip! All in all, hunting is hunting and no one can guarantee you will see, let alone harvest, the animal(s) you're after...but what can be-or should be guaranteed-is that you and your partners be treated with professional,if not polite, and not surly, "show me the money" types.

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