TBinKodiak
Member
I got a call Wednesday night from my friend and he said he wanted to fly down for a quick goat hunt. I got the OK from my wife and rearranged my schedule at work so I was ready to go Thursday afternoon. Weather wasn't promising, but we had a couple day window with fair weather. We knew we had to be out by Saturday night or we'd be sitting for 2 or 3 days because of a large storm rolling in. We wanted to go to the same spot I went to two weeks ago for goats, but there were two camps there. Checked another spot but only nannies and kids within a few hours hike and a couple billies we might be able to reach the following afternoon if we really pushed. My friend is a fisherman and had seen 5 or 6 goats on the cliffs this summer down on the Southwest side. We had caribou tags too so we figured lets take a look. Our plans changed as we flew up the Ayakulik valley and spotted bou within a mile and a half of salt water. There are about 600 caribou (actually feral reindeer that were brought in back in the 1920's) on the southend and they aren't hunted very hard. They used to harvest around 30 a year when it was unlimited tags so I assume its less than that now that you you can only shoot one a year. Anyway they are notorious for hanging out it the swamp infested Ayakulik valley at least 5 miles from salt.
We had camp set up and were glassing for goats and deer by 7pm.
With no goats spotted we were on the trail at daybreak with hopes that the three bands of bou would still be in the area. Good news, a band of about 15 were within a mile of our camp. We got to within 250 yards and set up for a shot trying to pick out a bull. Figured the biggest one had to be the bull my friend took the shot dumping that bou. At the shot they ran to the ridgeline in one big group, making it impossible to pick out a single animal without hitting another one. They stopped on the ridge line and I found a decent animal outside the group with the top 2/3 of its body above the ridgeline. I held to high and shot over, and away went the herd. I hoofed it up the hill and out into the flats to see if I could find them. I did, but now they were a little over 400 I tried another shot and with my friend watching for a hit I shot over again. Instead of following them over the ridge they went we decided to cut up his animal and try another group we spotted another 3/4 of a mile up valley. We were surprised his was a cow since it had the largest horns in the group. Me with his cow.
After I cut the quarters off his animal my back was getting sore so I decided to walk up hill 20 or so feet to check on the other herd. I didn't make it because after about 10 steps I caught the movement of an animal off a side valley to the north. A lot of deer down there but the binocs showed it to be a caribou. In less than a minute he bedded behind an alder bush so we planned to go after him once we were done. It was a great 1/2 mile stalk with the wind in our favor and most of his view blocked by the alder bush. I got to within 75 yards (not taking any chances on my poor shooting ability) and gave a couple grunts. I was expecting him to stand and look but I think he may have mistaken the grunts for a bear. He bolted and I took him through the liver with the first shot, but got my lead down with the second and sent his hind quarters up over his horns. I was pretty amazed when I walked up to him, because I've only seen a dozen or so of caribou from the southend and they were fairly thin horned and not too tall. Not so with this guy.
It wasn't a pleasant hike back to camp with that weight but we made it with both bou in one trip. Called the pilot and he said he'd be in the next morning to get us. Well as it goes he didn't make the morning but did get us a little after noon. We didn't get a goat, but we both finished the "Kodiak Slam" (deer, elk, brown bear, mt goat, and caribou). After seeing the country they live in and humping packs over that humpy, swampy land I'm perfectly content if this is my first and last southend caribou. Of course I said I was done sheep hunting after my first one too.
Waiting for the plane, a popular Kodiak pastime...
We had camp set up and were glassing for goats and deer by 7pm.
With no goats spotted we were on the trail at daybreak with hopes that the three bands of bou would still be in the area. Good news, a band of about 15 were within a mile of our camp. We got to within 250 yards and set up for a shot trying to pick out a bull. Figured the biggest one had to be the bull my friend took the shot dumping that bou. At the shot they ran to the ridgeline in one big group, making it impossible to pick out a single animal without hitting another one. They stopped on the ridge line and I found a decent animal outside the group with the top 2/3 of its body above the ridgeline. I held to high and shot over, and away went the herd. I hoofed it up the hill and out into the flats to see if I could find them. I did, but now they were a little over 400 I tried another shot and with my friend watching for a hit I shot over again. Instead of following them over the ridge they went we decided to cut up his animal and try another group we spotted another 3/4 of a mile up valley. We were surprised his was a cow since it had the largest horns in the group. Me with his cow.
After I cut the quarters off his animal my back was getting sore so I decided to walk up hill 20 or so feet to check on the other herd. I didn't make it because after about 10 steps I caught the movement of an animal off a side valley to the north. A lot of deer down there but the binocs showed it to be a caribou. In less than a minute he bedded behind an alder bush so we planned to go after him once we were done. It was a great 1/2 mile stalk with the wind in our favor and most of his view blocked by the alder bush. I got to within 75 yards (not taking any chances on my poor shooting ability) and gave a couple grunts. I was expecting him to stand and look but I think he may have mistaken the grunts for a bear. He bolted and I took him through the liver with the first shot, but got my lead down with the second and sent his hind quarters up over his horns. I was pretty amazed when I walked up to him, because I've only seen a dozen or so of caribou from the southend and they were fairly thin horned and not too tall. Not so with this guy.
It wasn't a pleasant hike back to camp with that weight but we made it with both bou in one trip. Called the pilot and he said he'd be in the next morning to get us. Well as it goes he didn't make the morning but did get us a little after noon. We didn't get a goat, but we both finished the "Kodiak Slam" (deer, elk, brown bear, mt goat, and caribou). After seeing the country they live in and humping packs over that humpy, swampy land I'm perfectly content if this is my first and last southend caribou. Of course I said I was done sheep hunting after my first one too.
Waiting for the plane, a popular Kodiak pastime...
