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
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