About your Alaska Hunting Guide
Joey Klutsch (Master Guide #228215 – Katmai/Aniakchak Guide Service)
Joey Klutsch
Master Guide #228215
My name is Joey Klutsch. I am the owner of Katmai/Aniakchak Guide Service and live in King Salmon with my wife Crystale and our two kids, Joey and Stormy. I have been guiding my entire life. I am a second generation guide and grew up in the big game guiding profession working alongside my dad, Joe Klutsch who began his Alaska guiding career in the early 1970s. I was extremely fortunate to learn so much from him, and my mom, over the years, and they are a big reason why I have had so much success. My dad didn’t just teach me about hunting and guiding – he taught me work ethic and relentless determination. These traits carry over well into guiding.
I have lived my entire life in bush Alaska, in remote Bristol Bay where I hunt, fish, trap, and guide fishermen and hunters. At age 10, I took my first caribou and by age 16 I had harvested my first Brown Bear – a life changing event for me. After that, I was hooked on hunting bears and guiding in general, where I could really challenge myself by helping others hunt. Upon turning 18, I qualified for my Assistant Guide License
I attended college in Fairbanks but always knew I was meant to be a guide, and that is exactly what I did each spring and fall before and after school started – guide spring brown bear and caribou or sheep in the fall, as well as fall bear when I could take the fall semester off college. In 2009 I earned my Registered guide license, which I would have gotten far sooner had I not been enrolled in college. By that point, I was guiding for over half the year, between Kodiak, the AK Peninsula, and the Brooks Range.
In 2012 I founded Aniakchak Guide Service and shortly thereafter won through a competitive prospectus bid a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Use Permit in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and one in Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, where I operate in sole guide use areas. In 2017 I was fortunate enough to earn yet another sole guide use area on the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge. In addition to running my own areas and business, I continued working with my dad full time in his business, and being his lead guide on Kodiak, up until his death in 2024, when I took on his Aniakchak Preserve, AK Peninsula NWR, and Kodiak NWR areas.
Guiding has given me a great appreciation and respect for wild places and the fish and game species that inhabit them. My business motto of “Wilderness Fair Chase Hunts” reflects this. All of my hunts are conducted 100% fair chase, using the highest ethical standards – and always with respect to the wildlife. It is my goal to lead you on a true adventure hunt, the way hunters used to experience Alaska, teaching you along the way about the land, the fish and wildlife species, and the mission/ goals of the National Wildlife Refuges & Park Preserves in Alaska.
I make 3 guarantees to my hunters:
- You will be hunting in some of the best areas in the state for your respective species.
- You will have extremely experienced, dedicated, professional and safe lead guides who are highly driven to see to your success.
- We will always work hard and do everything we can to ensure your success.
I look forward to hunting with you and showing you Alaska the way it was meant to be experienced.
Joe Klutsch – 1947 to 2024
Master Guide #91
Founder of Katmai Guide Service
Joe was born and raised in the small town of Wheatridge, Colorado, where he grew up hunting, fishing, playing sports, and doing other outdoor activities. He first came to Alaska, from Colorado, back in 1972 with his wife Carol, my mom. He initially worked construction on pipeline housing. He was drawn to Alaska because many of the places in Colorado he grew up hunting and fishing were being developed, and he wanted to escape the influx of people that was happening at that time. Within a couple of years of coming to Alaska, my mom and dad had relocated from Palmer to King Salmon, where he had accepted a job as a packer for a guide out there. He quickly began working his way up, and was hired by other outfitters as well. Gary LaRose Sr. and Jack Lewis were the two outfitters who mentored my dad the most, and to whom he worked for primarily and earned his assistant guide license in short order. These individuals taught my dad more than any others about the guiding business, and he spoke very highly of both of them, often recalling stories from the old days.
Guiding was a perfect fit: After all, he came to Alaska out of his love for the outdoors. His guiding schedule quickly filled up and he began to hunt and fish guide full time, starting with Dall sheep in the Wrangle Mountains in August, moose on the Alaska Peninsula in September, followed by Brown Bear and caribou, and then onto Kodiak for brown bear and Sitka blacktail deer. For many years, he would spend winters in his hunt area on the Alaska Peninsula, living in a small cabin, trapping wolves, beaver, fox, otter, and wolverine on the Meshik. In those days fur prices were very high. It was a difficult but rewarding way to earn a living, in addition to his hunting and sport fish guiding.
My dad founded his business, Katmai Guide Service in 1976, and starting out taking fishermen on the Naknek River. After earning his Registered Guide license, he gradually took on several guide areas of his own on the Alaska Peninsula in 1982, as his mentor Jack Lewis that he had worked for retired. Eventually, he acquired an area on Kodiak Island as well in 2007, after another good friend and fellow outfitter Rob Holt, retired from guiding.
In 1995 my dad earned his Master Guide license. Over the years he received several awards, including the Safari Club International Outstanding North American Professional Hunter in 1996, the Dallas Safari Club Outstanding International Professional Hunters Award in 1998, Wild Sheep Foundation Frank Golata Outstanding Outfitter Award in 2000, and was honored to receive the Alaska Professional Hunters Association’s Simon-Waugh Award in 2017, and finally the Governor’s Conservationist of the Year Award in 2023.
My dad saw many changes in the guiding industry over his career, and had an instrumental part in making many of the positive ones happen, far too lengthy to go into for the sake of this biography. He worked tirelessly advocating for the guiding profession up until he died. He had the honor of serving as the president of the Alaska Professional Hunters Association (APHA) for many years. APHA was a huge part of his life. His contributions to the organization and to the guiding profession will not be forgotten.
Through the years he always remembered how none of his guiding career would have been possible without my mom, and how important she was to his success. My dad loved the guide profession more than anything. As he got older, people would often ask him when he would retire, and he would always joke that he would never retire. He never did, and died just shy of 77 years old, still doing what he loved. I am honored to have learned from a true legend in the guiding industry, to now hold his guide areas, and to carry on the tradition.
What really sets us apart
Experience & Longevity, Top-Notch Hunt Areas, Professional-Grade Gear, and Exceptional People Are the Foundation of Our Alaska Hunts
World-Class Hunting Areas with Proven Longevity
Many things go into a great hunt, and of course, the first that comes to mind for most people is the area you are hunting. That is extremely important. Not all areas are the same. Some are great, others are just ok. What is true for some areas may not be for others. Each area has its nuances. Some areas are exclusive federal concessions (1 guide per area), others are not.
All of the areas I operate in are exclusive federal guide concessions (1 guide areas), where I hold refuge special use permits (Kodiak, Arctic, and AK Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge) or a park concession contract (Aniakchak National Preserve).
Longevity in those areas is also critical, and the knowledge and experience conducting operations in them. We have been operating in all of our respective areas for many years, whether it is the Brooks Range, where we have been outfitting for over a decade and guiding for over 15 years, Kodiak, where we have been for over 2 decades, or the Alaska Peninsula, where we have been operating in the same areas for 5 decades.
The areas have and do consistently produce top quality animals and sustain healthy populations with harvestable surpluses. To be sure, there are other great areas to hunt, but we know ours are top-notch, and we have the knowledge, experience, and longevity in those areas to get the job done.
Professional-Grade Gear & Equipment — No Compromises
Gear and equipment used by a guide operation are an important variable in a hunt. You spend a lot of money on your gear and equipment, and so should your outfitter and guides. Having the best quality new and well-maintained gear and equipment not only makes your hunt more comfortable and leads to greater success, but more importantly, it helps ensure greater levels of safety.
We have only the best gear & equipment, whether it is our brand new meticulously maintained Super Cub on the Alaska Peninsula, our numerous extremely sea-worthy custom-built ocean skiffs on Kodiak Island, or any of the other countless pieces of gear and equipment, from tents and cots, to generators and stoves.
Each piece of gear and equipment is gone through yearly, replaced as needed, and maintained throughout the season. The motors on the boats and aircraft are especially given careful maintenance. There are backups for nearly everything to ensure the hunts can continue should an unexpected issue arise, from tents to boats, generators to optics.
Guides have top-notch equipment in their kits, especially optics, usually Swarovski or Leica. Guides replace gear regularly instead of trying to nurse junk through another season. We are all professionals and take great pride in having the best of the best, doing all we can to ensure you have the best hunt possible. There is no excuse for anything less.
An Elite Crew — The Single Greatest Factor in Success
After doing this for as long as I have, I can say without question that the biggest factor in our success is the quality of the people working with me. I can’t say enough good things about these guys—from the guides to the packers, pilot, and cook… Especially the lead guides in the operation. I get countless questions from prospective clients about this caliber vs that, gear company X vs gear company Y, spring vs fall, Kodiak vs the AK Peninsula, these dates vs those dates, etc. etc. etc. These are all good questions to ask, but the most important thing anyone can ask about is the skill, experience and dedication of the guides working with me.
After all, your guide is the single most determining factor in the success and outcome of a hunt, aside from your mental and physical preparation. That is for you to control, and is up to you alone, but you count on us to ensure that you will be hunting with the best of the best.
True, I guide hunts myself, as many as I can, which is a significant percentage of the overall hunts I book. It is what I love to do, and of all the aspects of this business, it is what I am best at. After growing up in the guiding business and learning from some of the best, and having guided for over 2 decades, I am extremely good at guiding and am passionate about it. But I am one person, and I have numerous clients, so there is a decent chance that you, as the client, won’t be hunting with me as your personal guide. That is why I go through such lengths to ensure that the lead guides in my operation are the best possible, on par with me.
The people who work alongside me are truly Tier 1 and have that certain intangible factor, which I just call “the killer instinct.” They are the best of the best and are highly driven to succeed. I am very proud to have such an elite team of people who are as dedicated to the mission as I am, and whom I never need to question their judgment, decisions, or skill.
My dad always said, “Put the mission first.” That is these guys. He also said, “Come to me with solutions, not problems.” Again, that is this group of people.
Many of the individuals working with me are people I spent years in the field with, helping hone their hunting skills, teaching them what I know, and personally signing off on their guide licenses. Other guides in my operation are people who I literally grew up with, hunting together since we were kids. Others go back many years and have been with me since I started my operation, or even farther back, having worked for my dad before working for me. All of them have the same passion and drive to see you succeed that I do, and all of them have the skill and killer instinct to back it up.
Meet the Team
Brennen Bogardus
Class A Assistant Guide
He started packing for my dad right out of high school, and proved himself a fast learner, picking up on everything in a hurry, and showing an incredible work ethic. I took him on as my assistant on all of the hunts I personally guided after his first season, and began teaching him everything I know. He hunts like I do, due in no small part to the amount of time we have spent together in the field. His rise through the ranks has been nothing less than meteoric due to his incredible work ethic and ability to learn fast, and he has proven himself one of my top guides, at the young age of 26. Brennen is tremendous in the mountains, and is my lead sheep guide in the Brooks Range, and lead goat guide on Kodiak. He is also a lead brown bear and moose guide on the AK Peninsula. Brennen guides with me during each and every hunting season, every year, and is a key person in my business. Despite his young age, there is no more capable guide than him. He very much reminds me of myself at that age, young and hungry, and willing to push as hard as possible to get the job done. I call him my Chief of Staff for a reason, because he is my right hand man, and a immeasurably important individual in my overall operation.
Graham Morrison
Registered Guide
This guy is as good as they come. I have known him since we were in pre-school. We grew up together hunting, fishing and trapping, and have been best friends our entire lives. After joining the Marines and serving in Afghanistan, he moved back to Alaska and started working with me (2016) on the AK Peninsula guiding moose and brown bear, and then also guiding brown bear on Kodiak, first for my dad and now for me. In the summer he commercial fishes, and I fish with him. He has a talent like no one I have met for finding and getting big bears and moose. He is also the best skiff driver I have ever met, which is key on Kodiak. He knows how to make bold maneuvers that most people would not consider in order to get the job done and is not timid or afraid to try new things to that end. Graham now runs his own operation on the AK Peninsula for moose and brown bear, and is a lead brown bear guide on Kodiak in my operation. Graham is really a top tier hunter, and knows how to get the big ones. He is a hell of a people person. Graham has a natural leadership quality that is uncommon, which stems in part from his personality and his time in the Marines.
Wesley Christiansen
Class A Assistant Guide
Wesley grew up and lives in the village of Old Harbor, right in the center of our guide area on Kodiak. Needless to say, he knows it like the back of his hand; better than anyone. He is a third-generation brown bear guide. He is also the most humble of guides, despite the fact that he is one of the most consistent people I know for bringing in really big bears. He started working with my dad back in 2012 and has been with us ever since. Wesley is a lead bear and goat guide on Kodiak but also does bear on the AK Peninsula occasionally. Wesley is as smooth and steady as they come, and he knows how to find and get big bears. He may be a man of few words, and as humble as they come, but when he speaks its important, and it matters. He is a tremendous boat driver and just knows bears in a way that is just different. I can’t think of anyone who is a more capable bear guide.
Billy Kays
Registered Guide
Billy is another vet of Afghanistan and Iraq, having served in the Army for many years. He is as solid and steady as they come. He is a consistent producer and always comes back with big bears. I don’t know of any finer individual than Billy and I am proud to have such a man as a team member. Billy has been a lead brown bear guide for my dad and now with me on the AK Peninsula since 2018. He also runs his own operation doing baited black and grizzly hunts in south central AK. Billy is a great hunter, wherever he is, for any species. He is a leader in the truest sense of the word and is respected by all. He was a lead sheep guide in my operation for many years, before giving that spot up so he could focus on personal hunting in August. He remains a top-notch lead bear guide in my operation on the AK Peninsula, but is one of those guys who could go anywhere and hunt anything and come back with what he was going after.
Luke Hammond
Assistant Guide
Luke started working for me and my dad back in 2018. I spent several seasons personally teaching Luke the ropes of moose hunting and he quickly became a lead moose guide first for my dad, and then for me, on the AK Peninsula. When not guiding sheep and moose, Luke guides fishermen in Bristol Bay, and also is a ski coach. Luke has worked for me in the Brooks Range, helping on dall sheep hunts, and in addition to being one of my lead moose guides, is currently a lead sheep guide for a good friend of mine, Thor Stacy, who holds a sheep area near mine. Luke is a great people person and works extremely hard for all of his clients, and is particulary good at keeping clients in the hunt when it gets down to the wire, and getting it done even if it is the end of the hunt. He is extremely reliable and a heck of a good moose guide that produces consistent results.
Sam Shelton
Assistant Guide
Sam started with me in 2022, as an assistant on dall sheep hunts. I brough Sam under my wing to train him up and get him licensed, but there really was not much to teach him that he didn’t already know, being an extremely competent hunter, excellent people person and already an experienced guide in Montana. Sam is my assistant on all of the sheep hunts I guide, where there are always 2 guides per hunter. He is than capable of leading the sheep hunts himself. The great thing about having Sam helping me on the sheep hunts that I personally guide is that if I send him scouting, I can count on him to find and accurately judge sheep and report back to me, because he can cover the ground fast and he is himself a very experienced sheep hunter. In addition to being my team mate on the sheep hunts, he is a lead guide on the AK Peninsula for brown bears. Sam and I are a hell of a team on our sheep hunts, and we have shared many great hunts together. He is truly exceptional in all aspects of guiding.
Hunter Garman
Assistant Guide
Hunter is the newest member of the operation and also the youngest at 25 but is no newcomer to guiding. Like Sam, Hunter started with me more recently, but despite being young was already a veteran guide in New Mexico and Arizona, guiding elk, mule deer, cous deer and dessert big horns. Guiding is a profession to him, and it is all he does. He is extremely savvy as a hunter and extremely motivated. He has a natural instinct that is hard to match. I have spent a great deal of time with Hunter in the field on brown bear and moose hunts teaching him as much as I can. Hunter is Brennen’s assistant on the sheep hunts, where as I mentioned, there are always two guides per hunter. – the two sheep teams being myself and Sam Shelton, Brennen Bogardus and Hunter Garman. Hunter is also lead moose guide on the AK Peninsula and lead bear guide on the AK Peninsula. He is Brennens or my Assistant on Kodiak on goat hunts, and also assistant on Kodiak bear hunts, where we also generally run 2 guides per hunter. Like Brennen, he guides with me for every season of the year, something that only those two can say.
Mason King
Class A Assistant Guide/Bush Pilot
Mason is bush pilot extraordinaire on the AK Peninsula, where he pilots my Super Cub, flying us from main camp to and from spike camps. He is the single most important individual in that part of my operation, as he gets us where we need to go, safely, in extremely challenging weather and very tricky, short technical landing locations. His is a very demanding job, but he does it with a smile on his face: bush flying in the Meshik is what he loves most. Mason was born and raised and lives in the same community which Graham and I grew up and live in (King Salmon/Naknek) and we all went to school together. Mason has been flying most of his life, since before he could legally drive a car. When not flying for my guide operation on the AK Peninsula, he flies full time for his family business, where he flies Cherokee Six’s, DeHavilland Beavers, Cessna 180s and Piper Supercubs. He is a truly skilled and talented aviator, but also a very skilled moose guide, having hunted moose his whole life, and guided them for many years. Besides me, no one has more time in my area on the AK Peninsula than Mason, having spent much of his life flying and guiding there. We are lucky to have him, and he is just an awesome bush pilot, in a way most pilots can’t come close to.
Todd Marder
Assistant Guide
Todd started working for my dad back in 2006 but began guiding even before that. Todd first made his way to Alaska back in his younger days, after building a canoe himself and solo paddling it from New York to Nome over the course of several seasons, portaging where needed and wintering in Canada along the way. Todd is an old school bushman and just great to be around. He is one of the most knowledgeable individuals I know when it comes to the outdoors. He is a fantastic guide, and someone I have worked with in one way or another for much of my career. Todd is one of my lead bear guides on the AK Peninsula, but also does moose on occasion.
Lyn Hoffman
Brown Bear Guide
Lyn came to Alaska after graduating highschool and has been guiding in the state for over 2 decades. He guides with another outfitter for sheep, grizz and caribou in the Brooks Range to the west of where I operate, and guides for me on the AK Peninsula as a lead brown bear guide. Lyn has guided all over the state during his career. He runs his own outfitting business for mule deer and elk in the lower 48 when he isn’t guiding in Alaska. Lyn and his wife run a youth outdoor education camp together, which is so important to getting the kids into the outdoors.
Scott Collins
Assistant Guide
Scott began guiding for my dad way back in 2004, which was only the second year I had a guide license. He has been guiding on the AK Peninsula off and on ever since, and he has consistently produced big brown bears. Scott is a tremendous hunter and always has a fantastic attitude in the field, no matter what the weather or how difficult things seem. Scott has hunted all over Alaska, from the Brooks Range to the Wrangle Mountains, and everywhere in between, mainly on yearly personal hunts, but he always finds time to come back to the AK Peninsula to chase big brown bears with me.
Jim Doran
Assistant Guide
This man is a Professional Hunter in the truest sense of the word, having guided all over the world for his entire life over the last 4 decades, from Tajikistan to NWT, from Montana to Alaska, and nearly everywhere else you can think of. Jim started guiding for my dad in the early 1990s and still guides spring bear on the AK Peninsula with me. He is the only one in the operation who has more bear guiding experience than even I do, and I remember learning much from him as a young packer and later as an assistant guide, many years ago. Jim has more on his guiding resume than could fit in a multi-volume book, and is nearing the end of his guiding career, but he is still as deadly as ever finding and getting big bears. Its truly an honor to have such a veteran guide on the team.