I feel your pain. We suffered through the first year that Trace took over. It seems the previous owner Steve is now bitter that he sold to an unprofessional person and treating the clients much more poorly than several years ago. Our hunt was epic, 4 for 4. What people need to understand is that they are there to put as many people in the woods during the season as they can, it's quantity not quality. We had people in adjacent camps that never saw moose. We were told not to leave the river to find moose. If we'd have listened we would have been 0 for 4. We had to go find them. We called 2 in but the largest bulls, 64 inches each, hardly made a sound and wouldn't leave their cows. All 4 were in the trees at least 1/4 mile from the river Bank. Once the mature bull was killed in the oxbow, that area was done. No wonder the previous guys in another review who tried to hunt the same camp never saw anything. We were also dumped on a mud bank with no guidance on where to find the high ground camp, 2 days later and after getting flooded out by the rising river, we moved camp. Trace was under gunned with aircraft. He was trying to transport 60 hunters and half that many moose with cessnas and 2 pilots. Our 10 day hunt turned into 16 due to a combination of weather and poor logistics planning. Without the moose to eat, we'd have been in trouble. 2 of our 4 moose were spoiled or mostly spoiled due to warm weather and willow air failing to get to us in a timely manner and transporting to the cooler in McGrath. One of the 4 guys had disclosed before the hunt that he wanted a euro mount with his head. The contract read that this is due to the great difficulty fitting the entire skulls and horns inside the plane. All the heads were tied outside to the struts for transport, never inside. But the euro mount guy had to pay 500 bucks for no apparent good reason. The communication was certainly poor all around. Very sad to see a great operation go to the dumps. There are many bad reviews about willow air in the last couple years, proceed with caution, it's a lot of money and time spent to end in grand disappointment. read more

New Owner Trace seems Like an exception guy. My hunting party and I booked 2021 and then Trace bought Willow Air sometime in between 2021 our Sept 2023 moose Hunt. We ended up flying out with Steve white the old Owner and were contracted though him. Steve was not very professional- We ended up going out a day early and were very excited about but needed more time to cut our weight down to 150lbs a person. We had a little time but come weigh in time it was a mad rush to get the plane loaded so Steve could double dip, drop off one party and pick up the other party which I get everyone's got to make money. At weigh in I suggest that maybe we just head out the next day our contract hunting day- Steve looked at all of us and said you " you ethier going today or your fucking not going at all" We were alittle taken back by his attitude and then him rushing us on weigh in, but what do you do when the guys already got your Money. Noone in our group got a moose, the party before us killed 3 out of the same camp we were in. read more

Willow Air May 2015 After having just completed an 8 day bear with Steve, Peggy and their staff I have to say I can't imagine any group that could try harder to assure a hunter a safe, enjoyable and successful trip. I hope to use their services again. Bob B. read more

Steve selling business to Trace, appears to not be much continuing cooperation between them. WillowAir or Alaska Guide & Outfitting Service, LLC, does not matter-same operation. Weather does dictate everything on this hunt so plan on adjustments. Do not use MSR or ceramic filters, worthless on the Innoko River. Went on the DIY Moose Hunt in 2022. Steve would not allow his metal boats and bigger motors to be touched by any of the hunters. Pontoon Boats (tiny) provided by Trace would not fit all gear & barely two guys, and motors (3.5 hp-max speed was trolling) provided did not allow you to hunt the area they directed you to hunt. 1 mile on river=1 1/2 hours in boat, one way. 2 miles=3 hours, one way, could not even go 3-5 miles away as not enough gas to carry. Boats limited areas to hunt-Very disappointed in this hunt/operation. One group even had bear bite into boat when parked on bank & need to await a few days for replacement. Save your time & money & go with another outfit. Alaska was otherwise amazing and country was something to see. read more

Bottom Line Up Front: Willow Air is an exceptional business that will make your once in a lifetime Alaska fishing or hunting trip a reality, at a great price! First of all, we showed up about 30 minutes late on a Saturday morning to begin our trip. Bad form by my group, but Peggy and Steve handled us in a friendly manner. We bought our three day fishing licenses, right there on site, weighed our gear, and ourselves, and boarded the classic Beaver float plane. We had five in our party, and plenty of room for the flight out. We flew to Schulin Lake, without incident. It was a great flight out! Incredible, really. Steve is a great pilot, and I would fly with him in any weather conditions. We landed on the lake and taxied up to the dock at their fully stocked cabin. We unloaded the gear, got our fishing kit together and headed on the atv's to Peter's Creek for some outstanding fishing. The Silver's were running, and it did not take us long to limit out. We spent the night in the cabin, which was well heated and very comfortable. We even watched a classic movie on the television from our comfy lazy-boy seating. We gorged ourselves on surf and turf (steaks we brought and salmon we caught) followed by a great night's sleep. On Sunday morning, we got up early, ate a quick breakfast, and headed back to the Creek for some more Silver's. Our spot the day earlier was taken by another group of fishermen, so we set up on the other side of the creek. This fishing was a little more varsity, because of the steepness of the hillside. It definitely paid off, because we limited out in only a few hours. We went back to the cabin, tidied up, and Steve was right on time in picking us up in the Beaver. This was a once in a lifetime trip for me! I would like to personally thank Peggy and Steve for making that happen. Their contact info is going to all my friends. read more

Willow Air - After a Weekend fishing trip at Shulin Lake - Wildlife Hunting Ranges Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

I called these guys to see about flying into run a river with a few friends and all I got was attitude. The woman on the phone was completely unhelpful. It was the worst service I've ever received from a business in Alaska. If I could give them no stars I would. read more

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful hunting trip with Willow Air. It was fantastic! Steve was so friendly and very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. He got a moose! Unbelievable and definitely recommend. read more

In early June '09 my dad, grandpa, and I had the pleasure of flying Willow Air to Alexander Lake to do some pike fishing. The staff was accommodating and we had a good time. We would certainly use their service again. To me anyway, a pilot's flying skill is far more important to an air service than the office staff's ability to communicate. As a recreational pilot myself, this guy was good and we had no issue with the office staff. read more

This review is from sept 2014, I have to say Peggy one of the owners was not very professional, Steve on the other hand (other owner) was on par the pilots were good not very talkative but did their job, prices were fair, air craft was in good working order but the bad taste From Peggy was more than anyone could handle that alone would make anyone not come back. read more

Just off an 8 day fly in hunt with Willow Air for spring brown bear & black bear. Good/honest/hard working people. They run a quality operation with guides, air taxi, cabin, hot/cold water, cook, sleeping accommodations, etc. they are definitely old school, & live by their word & actions. Four hunters in camp. 100% on black bear, 75% on brown bear. Pricing is reasonable. They work hard to assure a successful hunt. Call, or, email me for more detail. read more

Willow air treated us like dirt from the start. Willow air dropped us on a remote stretch of river on a self-guided hunt. We were supposed to have 5 miles of river to ourselves. Every day however,guided hunters from downriver blasted past us in their high powered boat and hunted where we were supposed to hunt. We were completely dissapointed at having the hunt ruined by the people who were supposed to be helping us read more

I've been using Willow air services for many years. Let's say that politeness has never been their major strength, but until this year the quality of the service (i.e. punctuality, security and the very convenient locality) has given me good reasons to stick with them. However, this year the rudeness of the lady I spoke with at the phone (after a previous not very helpful e-mail exchange) has prompted me to find a new air company located in Anchorage and to forget about Willow Air for all next seasons in Alaska. read more