unmatched alaskan adventure

Discover the wildest parts of Southeast Alaska with our yacht-based guided hunts. Led by experienced guides, you'll explore rugged mountains, dense forests, and pristine waterways in pursuit of your trophy harvest. An expedition with Alaska Raven Guides promises an unmatched, unforgettable, Alaskan adventure.

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The Isla Dawn — Your Home Away from Home

The Isla Dawn joined our operation in the fall of 2025, beginning an exciting new chapter for our family and our guests. She is a 62-foot Northern Marine, custom built in Anacortes, Washington, and designed for comfortable, extended cruising in remote waters.

Originally named Spirit of Zopilote, she was custom built in 1995 for her original owners, Bruce Kessler and Joan Freeman. Before building her, Bruce and Joan owned an 85-foot custom Delta Marine yacht named Zopilote. When the time came to downsize, they carried many of the features and character they loved about their larger vessel into the design of the Spirit of Zopilote, creating a smaller, exceptionally capable cruising yacht. She spent the last decade based in Maine before we purchased her from Bruce and Joan and brought her north to her new home in Alaska.

Her new name, Isla Dawn, carries a special connection to our family's long history on the water. The name was inspired by two iconic commercial fishing vessels owned by my wife's father and aboard which she spent much of her childhood: the F/V Chelsea Dawn, named after her, and the F/V Island Queen. Combining those two names gave us Isla Dawn—a tribute to her family's commercial fishing heritage and the many years they have spent working and living on the waters of Southeast Alaska.

Today, the Isla Dawn serves as our home on the water and, during your adventure, we hope she becomes yours as well. Her spacious accommodations, comfortable living areas, and thoughtful amenities provide a warm and welcoming place to return to after a full day exploring Alaska.

We are incredibly excited to have the Isla Dawn as part of our operation and look forward to welcoming you aboard.

THE HUNT OF A LIFETIME

Part of what makes a hunt with Alaska Raven Guides so unique, is our location. Based in Southeast Alaska, we have been blessed with a geography and climate that creates a habitat not just suitable to a variety of big game - but one where many species thrive.

Sitka blacktail deer are abundant throughout the region. Brown bear concentrations are some of the largest in the world. Black bears are particularly abundant on Prince of Wales Island and the islands in the central portion of the region. Mountain Goats, indigenous to the coastal mountains of Southeast Alaska, were transplanted to Baranof Island where they have continued to flourish thanks to science-based, sustainable management by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Wolves, and even moose, which are are not known for their range in Southeast Alaska, can be spotted at times while black bear hunting in certain areas. Southeast Alaska is truly a big game hunter’s paradise.