PEAX Equipment

Kodiak Blacktail Hunt

Ryan91027

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Im interested in doing a rifle blacktail hunt on Kodiak next year, but I am looking for some tips. To give a little background, I live in South Florida and will be 19 at the time of the hunt I am also pretty athletic, so rough terrain would not be a huge issue for me. I am looking to book with Driftwood Wilderness Lodge, mainly to save on the cost of having to buy a lot of gear and having to ship it to kodiak. I am looking at a mid november hunt to try to get the peak of the rut. I am unsure how many days, but right now I am thinking 5-6 days
Clothing: Being from florida, I havent experienced cold weather very often so it is hard for me to estimate how much clothing I need. For the hunt, I plan on wearing A sweat wicking undershirt, then long johns, then a fleece pullover, and probably a soft shelled hooded jacket from Kings camo which I havent bought yet. Is that enough for my upper body? ill also throw a set of hh rain gear in my pack aswell. For my lower body, I am a little lost, Sweat wicking underwear with long johns, but after that I am unsure. For boots, I am looking at Rocky boots with 800g of insulation and Ill wear wool socks. Ill have some thick gloves and glove liners as well as some kind of beanie
I have asked the lodge some questions and they have said that they have optics, a pack and bear spray I can use. Ill probably bring my own binos and range finder, but use a spotting scope if they have one. Where should I glass for deer during november?
For bears, Is the spray enough? I have to see closer to the hunt, but I might buy a glock 20 or 29 to carry as well, or ask to borrow a 44 revolver from one of my uncles.
I know that it depends on the situation, but is it possible to take out deer without quartering them? I have gamebags just in case, but If I could, Id rather drag or carry the deer on my back to decrease the amount of hiking I have to do.
Do deer respond well to grunts and rattling?
I will be flying into anchorage and then into kodiak, from there I will take a plane to larsen bay, Is there a cheaper way? Also I wont have very much gear, so the flight in I definitely wont have to worry about weight, but hopefully ill have to worry about it on the way back!
Thanks for any comments, feel free to give any tips or gear suggestions aswell

-Ryan
 
I too am planning a hunt there for next year. Never been to Kodiak but I have done several DIY hunts in Alaska. I've never used an outfitter but I have all the gear.
I just bought a bear fence for my trip to Cold Bay in December where I'll be camping wherever my kayak takes me.

kodiak deer herds were hit hard this winter, big die off but the south side fares better. Larsen Bay might not be a good choice.
 
Most people take far too much clothes IMO. Ask the lodge if they have a washer and dryer that you can use. You can only wear 1 change of clothes at a time. I always take just 1 change of clothes with the exception of extra socks and gloves.
 
I too am planning a hunt there for next year. Never been to Kodiak but I have done several DIY hunts in Alaska. I've never used an outfitter but I have all the gear.
I just bought a bear fence for my trip to Cold Bay in December where I'll be camping wherever my kayak takes me.

kodiak deer herds were hit hard this winter, big die off but the south side fares better. Larsen Bay might not be a good choice.
Kayaking seems like a cool plan, do you ship it before the hunt? The lodge in Larsen bay was really the only viable hunt cost wise, and while it is not guided, it is transported so I am not limited to larsen bay alone
 
Kayaking seems like a cool plan, do you ship it before the hunt? The lodge in Larsen bay was really the only viable hunt cost wise, and while it is not guided, it is transported so I am not limited to larsen bay alone
I have several different size inflatable kayaks that I use depending on my destination. I've taken an inflatable to Florida, Adak, Cold Bay, POW.
I take them as checked baggage.
 
My first out of state DIY hunt was to Kodiak back in September of 2014. A couple thoughts based on your post:

- 5 or 6 days seems kind of short with the uncertainty of your Anchorage-to-Kodiak flight. We have about 6 flights cancelled on us before we got to the island. The local hotels knows this - $300+ per night for a holiday inn(?) can add up.

- we hiked from "town" over a few mountains to get out of the "road system" portion of the unit. Never saw another hunter our whole trip. This cut way down on costs for flying somewhere else on the island.

- I wont mention clothing since the time of year is different

- I never carried bear spray (partner did), just my rifle. In hindsight I would have just for piece of mind, as the bears were living rent free in my head the whole trip.

- unless you shoot your deer next to water or road, I'm not sure you'd want to carry a whole deer vs. quartering it. I cant imagine dragging a deer or carrying a whole deer is any more pleasant that a quartered deer in a pack (am I misinterpreting what you're saying?).

- aside from cancelled flights (and luggage from Anchorage coming the next day) traveling with hunting items/firearms is pretty easy. For the way back I bought a cooler at the local walmart, put the frozen deer in there, taped it up and shipped it no problem.

- Gear tips: get good rain gear. I found trekking poles to be very helpful
 
What ChrisC said about cancelled flights. I always book for 10 days knowing that my hunt can be cut in half from cancelled flights. One time a friend booked our hunt to Adak for only 7 days total including travel to and from. I didn't like it but I rolled with it. Flights got cancelled from a volcano eruption and then again from fog. Ended up with a 1 day caribou hunt. Passed on some small bulls and only brought home some ptarmigan.
 
A couple thoughts:

The parts I hunted were incredibly steep. You will not want to get a whole deer down that steep-ass terrain or through that alder jungleQuartered and packed will be much easier. Take trekking poles.

Think layers and waterproof on clothes. We had a lot of heavy wet snow. Waterproof boots and gaiters, and wool. We stayed pretty toasty. Again, it was steep and we didn’t have trouble staying warm.

We planned a 5 day hunt and lost 2.5 due to weather. Go for 10 if you can.
 
Looks like a pretty decent outfit. I went in 2016 on the other side of the island. One think for sure is you will have a heck of an adventure. First off regarding bears, take whatever makes you feel comfortable but I'd not bother with a handgun. I hunted over Thanksgiving and didn't carry bear spray either. Never saw a bear but did see plenty of sign.
When i was there the weather was cold but not frigid, highs were upper 30's to low 40's and lows were about 10 degrees cooler. Expect rain, snow, wind. Perhaps it was the moisture but it felt colder than what it was. You may want to add a light weight puffy jacket or vest to your list.
Sounds like you have thought out your gear pretty well. Any decent hunting pant will suffice as long as you have good rain gear. Those Rocky's may be ok, but if you can, look for something with better ankle support. Take extra boot dressing if you go with an all leather boot.
I found that letting the spotter do the work is smarter than still hunting and anywhere is good to glass, they were all over the place. The deer were deceptively larger than what I thought they'd be, shorter than a regular whitetail but stocky. I was a long way from the pick up point where i got my deer so I quartered it and packed it out. You could drag if the distance was not that far and/or down hill.
The flights you laid out is about the only way to do it. If you get a Delta skymiles gold card, first check bag is free. I'm pretty sure an Alaska Airline card is similar as well as American. Check them out an see which would work best for you.
 
Who froze the deer for you ?

I feel like an idiot that I forgot to mention the "minor" caveat that a friend of mine is stationed there with the USCG so I had access to his freezer. Should have mentioned that up front!

Like huntingwife said, it is very steep. I didnt expect it to be as steep as it was. I didnt have very stiff soles and I struggled to get up some of the wet inclines.

My rain gear was awful and I was miserable when it was raining. Dont be like me.

Here are a few pics. From the trip
 

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The most days Ill probably be able to do would be 7, without including travel time.
I was considering trekking poles, but after seeing your pictures, they have moved higher up the list of stuff to buy.
Are Gaiters that important? or would the waterproofing on boots keep out enough moisture?
A lot of my expectation of terrain was based off a video by Whitebone Creation on youtube and it did not seem as steep as these pictures.
Ill also be sleeping indoors, so I can fully dry out gear overnight.
 
Im interested in doing a rifle blacktail hunt on Kodiak next year, but I am looking for some tips. To give a little background, I live in South Florida and will be 19 at the time of the hunt I am also pretty athletic, so rough terrain would not be a huge issue for me. I am looking to book with Driftwood Wilderness Lodge, mainly to save on the cost of having to buy a lot of gear and having to ship it to kodiak. I am looking at a mid november hunt to try to get the peak of the rut. I am unsure how many days, but right now I am thinking 5-6 days
Clothing: Being from florida, I havent experienced cold weather very often so it is hard for me to estimate how much clothing I need. For the hunt, I plan on wearing A sweat wicking undershirt, then long johns, then a fleece pullover, and probably a soft shelled hooded jacket from Kings camo which I havent bought yet. Is that enough for my upper body? ill also throw a set of hh rain gear in my pack aswell. For my lower body, I am a little lost, Sweat wicking underwear with long johns, but after that I am unsure. For boots, I am looking at Rocky boots with 800g of insulation and Ill wear wool socks. Ill have some thick gloves and glove liners as well as some kind of beanie
I have asked the lodge some questions and they have said that they have optics, a pack and bear spray I can use. Ill probably bring my own binos and range finder, but use a spotting scope if they have one. Where should I glass for deer during november?
For bears, Is the spray enough? I have to see closer to the hunt, but I might buy a glock 20 or 29 to carry as well, or ask to borrow a 44 revolver from one of my uncles.
I know that it depends on the situation, but is it possible to take out deer without quartering them? I have gamebags just in case, but If I could, Id rather drag or carry the deer on my back to decrease the amount of hiking I have to do.
Do deer respond well to grunts and rattling?
I will be flying into anchorage and then into kodiak, from there I will take a plane to larsen bay, Is there a cheaper way? Also I wont have very much gear, so the flight in I definitely wont have to worry about weight, but hopefully ill have to worry about it on the way back!
Thanks for any comments, feel free to give any tips or gear suggestions aswell

-Ryan
As said above for commercial flights, float planes can be even worse for getting in and out. I've had trips that we lost three days trying to get to the hunting camp, then another three days late trying to get back. Flexibility is key.



Also, not sure cell coverage on the island, but we always rented a sat phone for emergencies and also to call the transporter so we knew if they were coming in or if we could hunt that day.
 
My first out of state DIY hunt was to Kodiak back in September of 2014. A couple thoughts based on your post:

- 5 or 6 days seems kind of short with the uncertainty of your Anchorage-to-Kodiak flight. We have about 6 flights cancelled on us before we got to the island. The local hotels knows this - $300+ per night for a holiday inn(?) can add up.

- we hiked from "town" over a few mountains to get out of the "road system" portion of the unit. Never saw another hunter our whole trip. This cut way down on costs for flying somewhere else on the island.

- I wont mention clothing since the time of year is different

- I never carried bear spray (partner did), just my rifle. In hindsight I would have just for piece of mind, as the bears were living rent free in my head the whole trip.

- unless you shoot your deer next to water or road, I'm not sure you'd want to carry a whole deer vs. quartering it. I cant imagine dragging a deer or carrying a whole deer is any more pleasant that a quartered deer in a pack (am I misinterpreting what you're saying?).

- aside from cancelled flights (and luggage from Anchorage coming the next day) traveling with hunting items/firearms is pretty easy. For the way back I bought a cooler at the local walmart, put the frozen deer in there, taped it up and shipped it no problem.

- Gear tips: get good rain gear. I found trekking poles to be very helpful
About how many cooler per deer? Id love to get two deer and do some fishing, but if I cant take all the meat back, ill donate it somewhere.
Also can you shoot multiple deer a day?
 
The most days Ill probably be able to do would be 7, without including travel time.
I was considering trekking poles, but after seeing your pictures, they have moved higher up the list of stuff to buy.
Are Gaiters that important? or would the waterproofing on boots keep out enough moisture?
A lot of my expectation of terrain was based off a video by Whitebone Creation on youtube and it did not seem as steep as these pictures.
Ill also be sleeping indoors, so I can fully dry out gear overnight.

Glad others brought up trekking poles and gaiters. Both are great additions.
 
About how many cooler per deer? Id love to get two deer and do some fishing, but if I cant take all the meat back, ill donate it somewhere.
Also can you shoot multiple deer a day?

I'd defer to the regs for what you can shoot, when and how many.

I dont recall the exact size of the cooler I got there but I'd guess it was in the +/- 65 quart range. I'd bet there are better sources on here for appropriate cooler size...check out the search feature up top.
 
I plan on bringing an XL dry bag and putting the meat inside surrounded by my sleeping bag and clothes for insulation. I have done this many times, works great.
 
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