My ideal hunt would be two deer, a fox and a few good salmon. Im glad your mentioned rebooking flights, I hadnt thought about it and was worried about weather delays. Your clothes also help oyt a lot, i would be hunting a few months earlier, and youre wearing less that I was planning on buying. Nice pictures. I have a few more questions, but im running out of break time at work so ill ask them laterI just saw this thread, and although I'm a little late, I'll add my 2 cents.
I hunted Sitka deer out of Larsen Bay the first week of December last year. There was only about 30 residents in Larsen Bay when I was there. No stores where you could buy anything. There were two Lodges operating when I was there. Larsen Bay Lodge and Kodiak Charters who I was with. Kodiak Charters have two houses in town where their hunters stay. I went alone and stayed in one house with 4 hunters from New Hampshire. Our house had 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining area, a washing machine and dryer, and a shed where we hung our deer.
Kodiak Charters are transporters only. They they take you across the bay in the morning and pick you up in the evening. They have their favorite places to drop you off, but they cannot tell you where the deer are. Even if they see a deer on the shore, they cannot point it out to you.
Like any flying, as the number and weight of baggage increases, so does your cost. I flew Alaska Airlines from Denver to Seattle to Anchorage, then Air ANC from Anchorage to Kodiak. Spent a night in Kodiak then Island Air from Kodiak to Larson Bay. I bought my deer and fishing licenses at a sporting goods store in Kodiak.
A non-resident can buy up to 3 deer licenses and fishing licenses for 1 or more days. I only bought 2 deer licenses and multiple days fishing license, but only fished 1 day. Talk to your outfitter before you buy your licenses, as it is difficult to fish more than one day, and if you only buy a 1 day license, you need to specify what day it will be good. When I was there, both buck and does were legal and you could shoot one or all in one day, but like others mentioned, the antlers come out last, and any meat left out overnight may not be there the next morning.
When I was there the deer could be found anywhere from the beach to the top of the mountains. Early in the mornings we could see deer in the grassy openings above the brush line. I was lucky and shot my buck on the beach the first day, after I had climbed up through the brush and had come back down to wait for the boat.
Although I did climb up through the brush and hunt the next two days, I did not fill my second tag. On my second day I did see a buck with larger antlers than the one that I shot, but I blew the stalk, then heard one of the other hunters shoot so I helped them pack that buck out. On my third hunting day I went up the mountain with two of the other hunters and we saw a dozen or so deer, but nothing that I wanted to shoot, so again I helped them pack out the buck than one of them shot. The 4th day I went fishing, and the 5th day we cut up our deer as we were supposed to fly back to Kodiak on the 6th day.
I did not take a cooler as Terri at Kodiak Charters had told us that they supply waxed cardboard fish boxes that we took our deer meat and fish home in. I was able to get my deer antlers, cape, most of the deer meat, and my halibut and cod fish in one box. The deer meat that I didn't take home, I donated to one of the Lodge staff.
I think that both Lodges work with Island Air as there were hunters from both Lodges on the flights that I was on to and from Kodiak to Larsen Bay. Charter flights for only one or two hunters would be very expensive. Our departure from Larsen Bay was delayed one or two days due to bad weather. Luckily, one of the other hunters that I was in the Lodge with was able to text Alaska Airlines and change our flights out of Kodiak and Anchorage so we weren't hit with extra charges.
Like others have posted the mountains on Kodiak vary from STEEP to VERY STEEP. If the ground is frozen, snow covered, or the grass is wet, the slopes are VERY SLIPPERY. Trekking poles are a definite help as is good ankle support and good boot tread. In my opinion, gaiters are a must, although I only had one creek that presented a problem. I wore my 8" Danners. Too much insulation is not good for climbing.
I brought my 4" S&W 629 but left it in the Lodge. I hunted with my Stainless Weatherby Vanguard in .308 Win which was fine for the deer and would have been for a fox if I had wanted to shoot one. Luckily, the only bear sign that I saw was tracks in the snow. Rain gear, pants and jacket, is very important. I wore my Cabela's "Dry Plus" jacket and pants which are soft and quiet over Sitka un-insulated jacked and pants over long under ware, and I was plenty warm.
Someone earlier mentioned an inflatable kayak. Our transporter dropped us off at a different location each day, and I didn't see any place where a kayak would be beneficial. Much of the shorelines are 100' or so cliffs, so you have to be careful where you bring a deer down.
Kodiak Blacktail Hunt
- Thread starter Ryan91027
- Start date
glass eye
Well-known member
That would be me. If I was going to use a transporter than I wouldn't take a kayak. However, I don't plan on using a transporter, thus the kayak. I plan on kayaking and camping.
Thanks for the write up, good info.
elkrchr
Well-known member
I posted my Kodiak hunt report ("Back from Kodiak") on Nov. 13, 2015. If you go to the Deer Forum, you can find it on page 136. I typically wear my rain gear every day (regardless of the weather) with wool underneath. As for footwear, I wear Kenetrek Mountain Extreme (400 grams Thinsulate) boots that I've sealed 3-4 times prior to the hunt along with gaiters. I usually take one pair of socks and sock liners for every two days of hunting and the same for underwear. As we always camp on our own, Gold Bond, Baby Powder or Unit-Monkey Butt are an essential part of our trip. I typically hunt the last week of October/first week of November and the high's are usually in the low to mid 40's and the low's are in the mid 20's to low 30's. I usually wear a wool cap under the hood of my rain jacket and water proof gloves/mittens are a must. Even on the nice days the wind can be bitter cold and if you sit and glass for any period of time you will get cold quick without the right gear. A neck gaiter is nice to have as well.
Ill be doing a lot of diy hunts in the future. I just wanted a lodge because this is my first hunt in Alaska and my first western style hunt. A lodge/transporter helps save me a ton by not having to buy gear like tents and a pack, as well as lets me cut down on the amount of clothes I need because I can dry off indoors. Also, kodiak diy seem like a logistical nightmare with getting gear and food in.
I do want to do a south east alaskan black bear hunt and a Moose hunt later, so expect a thread on thise in the next few years
glass eye
Well-known member
This December I'll be doing Cold Bay for sea ducks.
Next year in late Oct.- early Nov. I plan on doing Kodiak deer/duck combo.
Also very possible I may be driving up to Prudhoe Bay for the haul road caribou hunt in Aug/Sep. My wife is very keen on going with me for that.
I have a Youtube channel of some of my hunts BreckTaxi
Hunting Wife
Well-known member
Kodiak deer /ducks was a blast! Looking forward to the video from that one
I read your write up, seemed like a good time. Did you have enough insulation in your boots? I have been looking at the LaCrosse Alpha Agility with 800g of thinsulate, is that too much? There is also an insulated model and I could just wear a few pairs of socks.
It seems like there are deer everywhere on kodiak! Was there a kind of terrain that the bigger ones seemed to prefer? Im dont need a giant, but If I can go to an area with bigger deer, I will.I just saw this thread, and although I'm a little late, I'll add my 2 cents.
I hunted Sitka deer out of Larsen Bay the first week of December last year. There was only about 30 residents in Larsen Bay when I was there. No stores where you could buy anything. There were two Lodges operating when I was there. Larsen Bay Lodge and Kodiak Charters who I was with. Kodiak Charters have two houses in town where their hunters stay. I went alone and stayed in one house with 4 hunters from New Hampshire. Our house had 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining area, a washing machine and dryer, and a shed where we hung our deer.
Kodiak Charters are transporters only. They they take you across the bay in the morning and pick you up in the evening. They have their favorite places to drop you off, but they cannot tell you where the deer are. Even if they see a deer on the shore, they cannot point it out to you.
Like any flying, as the number and weight of baggage increases, so does your cost. I flew Alaska Airlines from Denver to Seattle to Anchorage, then Air ANC from Anchorage to Kodiak. Spent a night in Kodiak then Island Air from Kodiak to Larson Bay. I bought my deer and fishing licenses at a sporting goods store in Kodiak.
A non-resident can buy up to 3 deer licenses and fishing licenses for 1 or more days. I only bought 2 deer licenses and multiple days fishing license, but only fished 1 day. Talk to your outfitter before you buy your licenses, as it is difficult to fish more than one day, and if you only buy a 1 day license, you need to specify what day it will be good. When I was there, both buck and does were legal and you could shoot one or all in one day, but like others mentioned, the antlers come out last, and any meat left out overnight may not be there the next morning.
When I was there the deer could be found anywhere from the beach to the top of the mountains. Early in the mornings we could see deer in the grassy openings above the brush line. I was lucky and shot my buck on the beach the first day, after I had climbed up through the brush and had come back down to wait for the boat.
Although I did climb up through the brush and hunt the next two days, I did not fill my second tag. On my second day I did see a buck with larger antlers than the one that I shot, but I blew the stalk, then heard one of the other hunters shoot so I helped them pack that buck out. On my third hunting day I went up the mountain with two of the other hunters and we saw a dozen or so deer, but nothing that I wanted to shoot, so again I helped them pack out the buck than one of them shot. The 4th day I went fishing, and the 5th day we cut up our deer as we were supposed to fly back to Kodiak on the 6th day.
I did not take a cooler as Terri at Kodiak Charters had told us that they supply waxed cardboard fish boxes that we took our deer meat and fish home in. I was able to get my deer antlers, cape, most of the deer meat, and my halibut and cod fish in one box. The deer meat that I didn't take home, I donated to one of the Lodge staff.
I think that both Lodges work with Island Air as there were hunters from both Lodges on the flights that I was on to and from Kodiak to Larsen Bay. Charter flights for only one or two hunters would be very expensive. Our departure from Larsen Bay was delayed one or two days due to bad weather. Luckily, one of the other hunters that I was in the Lodge with was able to text Alaska Airlines and change our flights out of Kodiak and Anchorage so we weren't hit with extra charges.
Like others have posted the mountains on Kodiak vary from STEEP to VERY STEEP. If the ground is frozen, snow covered, or the grass is wet, the slopes are VERY SLIPPERY. Trekking poles are a definite help as is good ankle support and good boot tread. In my opinion, gaiters are a must, although I only had one creek that presented a problem. I wore my 8" Danners. Too much insulation is not good for climbing.
I brought my 4" S&W 629 but left it in the Lodge. I hunted with my Stainless Weatherby Vanguard in .308 Win which was fine for the deer and would have been for a fox if I had wanted to shoot one. Luckily, the only bear sign that I saw was tracks in the snow. Rain gear, pants and jacket, is very important. I wore my Cabela's "Dry Plus" jacket and pants which are soft and quiet over Sitka un-insulated jacked and pants over long under ware, and I was plenty warm.
Someone earlier mentioned an inflatable kayak. Our transporter dropped us off at a different location each day, and I didn't see any place where a kayak would be beneficial. Much of the shorelines are 100' or so cliffs, so you have to be careful where you bring a deer down.
How marshy was it? I have heard and seen videos and it seems pretty wet with a lot of stream crossings, but I want to know from someone who has been in the are I will be in.
About how many pack loads was the deer the other hunter shot?
I have also read that there many foxes gather while quartering deer, did you notice that? Ill be on the lookout (for bears as well) while quartering if that is true, but I wouldnt want to stay around because of the bears.
glass eye
Well-known member
I have not yet been to Kodiak but when I was hunting St. Paul Island I shot a blue fox at first light on the first day. The next day I saw a native kill and skin a seal and I told my friend "Tomorrow morning there will be a dozen foxes on it". I was wrong, when we drove up on it in the morning there had to be 50-60 foxes on the carcass. They all ran off except one that had his back to me so I bagged me a chocolate colored fox. Later I used that fox carcass as bait to draw a white fox out of its burrow.
Also when I was hunting Cold Bay I had a red fox sneak into camp and steal a duck right from under my nose. Didn't shoot the fox because it was after dark.
I might go back to the gut pile the next day then. I know that calling foxes can be effective too, so I might try it
buffybr
Well-known member
buffybr
Well-known member
Calling can also bring in the big toothy and long clawed critters.
elkrchr
Well-known member
Ryan,
For me, 400 grams of Thinsulate was more than enough. I never had cold feet. I wore a quality sock liner and a medium/heavy wool hiking sock. It doesn't get brutally cold on Kodiak, but it is almost always wet and windy (ideal conditions for hypothermia if you can't stay dry and warm). Take advantage of the sunny and dry days. Even though the deer live with the nasty weather year around, it doesn't mean they like it any more than we do. I have hunted deer three times on the island and my experience is that if it's rainy sideways and blowing a gale, you're wasting your time trying to hunt. The deer just hunker down in the alders and don't move. The minute the weather subsides and/or the suns comes out, the deer are thick as flea's.
For me, 400 grams of Thinsulate was more than enough. I never had cold feet. I wore a quality sock liner and a medium/heavy wool hiking sock. It doesn't get brutally cold on Kodiak, but it is almost always wet and windy (ideal conditions for hypothermia if you can't stay dry and warm). Take advantage of the sunny and dry days. Even though the deer live with the nasty weather year around, it doesn't mean they like it any more than we do. I have hunted deer three times on the island and my experience is that if it's rainy sideways and blowing a gale, you're wasting your time trying to hunt. The deer just hunker down in the alders and don't move. The minute the weather subsides and/or the suns comes out, the deer are thick as flea's.
Im leaning back towards leather boots with gaiters now, Ill go with 400g as well.
How fast does the weather change? Here in Florida, a storm can pop up, pour, and be gone within 15 minutes. If I were in the field and it started pouring, would it be better to call it a day, or wait it out under a tree somewhere?
Hunting Wife
Well-known member
Weather can change fast, as in go from good to bad or vice versa. But bad weather can last for days. We lost multiple days on both ends of our trip due to rain/wind. You just have to be flexible.
If you are going with a lodge or transporter, some of this is moot. Their job and your safety depends on them watching the weather. If they think they can’t get you out, or won’t be able to pick you up, you don’t go.
If you are going with a lodge or transporter, some of this is moot. Their job and your safety depends on them watching the weather. If they think they can’t get you out, or won’t be able to pick you up, you don’t go.
elkrchr
Well-known member
I typically plan for eight hunting days on Kodiak, with three days on either end for bad weather and postponed and/or cancelled commercial or transport flights. For the eight hunting days, I would say on a good weather trip you'll get to hunt six of the eight days and on a bad weather trip you might only get to hunt 2-3 days. Looking back on my three trips, our average hunt days has been 5 out of 8. You might get the odd trip where the weather is great the entire time or the exact opposite, you could get hammered with bad weather for the whole trip. Kodiak Island is a magical place, just be prepared for what she can and often does throw at you.
Thats part of the reason deer dont call down here, but mainly the panthers
elkrchr
Well-known member
Calling (fawn bleat, grunt) and rattling can be very effective. As Dave N. mentioned in his post, those big, fury Volkswagen's that roam around the island have very good hearing as well. If you're going to call, it is best to sit back to back with your hunting partner so you can cover 360 degrees and detect (and avoid) any possible bear encounter. The potential for a bear encounter on the island will/should keep you on high alert at all times. Of my three trips, there was only one that no bears were sighted (2015). One year we went in September knowing most of the bears would be down on the salmon streams and that was the case. We had no encounters up on the hills we were hunting, but we could watch lots of bears a couple of miles away working the salmon streams. Our second trip was another story in and of itself and we ended up having a bear destroy most of our camp and stalk us during the night for two days before we could get a plane to come in and pick us up. Not trying to scare you, just trying to inform you.
