Yeti GOBOX Collection

Kodiak Blacktail Hunt

Bears are a simple fact of life on Kodiak. They are there and they're unpredictable. Most of them want nothing to do with man, but there are others that form the basis for all the bad stories you hear about them. If you go to Kodiak with a fear of bears, it will be hard to enjoy your hunt; you'll be too busy being scared. Be aware, be careful, but don't think there is a bear behind every alder just waiting to eat you. You may not even see a bear on your trip. (I think that would be a shame, but that's me.) When you kill a deer, drag it to a clear area (if at all possible) to take pics and gut or cut it up. Its much easier to bear with a bear that you see 50 yards away than one that pops out at 10 feet. Do NOT unload your rifle, but put it closely safe at hand. Don't become so engrossed with the task at hand that you disregard what is happening around you. Be aware.
Feet and insulation - everybody's feet has a different response to cold. If you've never hunted in cold weather it would be a mistake to base YOUR needs on what worked for someone who lives somewhere that has subfreezing temps for 3-4 months a year. I'd much rather have sweaty feet (and change socks as needed) than have cold feet, but that's just me. Somethings can only be learned through experience.
 
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Bears are a simple fact of life on Kodiak. They are there and they're unpredictable. Most of them want nothing to do with man, but there are others that form the basis for all the bad stories you hear about them. If you go to Kodiak with a fear of bears, it will be hard to enjoy your hunt; you'll be too busy being scared. Be aware, be careful, but don't think there is a bear behind every alder just waiting to eat you. You may not even see a bear on your trip. (I think that would be a shame, but that's me.) When you kill a deer, drag it to a clear area (if at all possible) to take pics and gut or cut it up. Its much easier to bear with a bear that you see 50 yards away than one that pops out at 10 feet. Do NOT unload your rifle, but put it closely safe at hand. Don't become so engrossed with the task at hand that you disregard what is happening around you. Be aware.
Feet and insulation - everybody's feet has a different response to cold. If you've never hunted in cold weather it would be a mistake to base YOUR needs on what worked for someone who lives somewhere that has subfreezing temps for 3-4 months a year. I'd much rather have sweaty feet (and change socks as needed) than have cold feet, but that's just me. Somethings can only be learned through experience.
The main point I have to remeber is not getting engrossed in the quartering. I dont have a person to come with me right now, still trying to find someone to go with me. but if I can find someone, well take turns quartering and have one person on lookout. If I go alone, Ill just have to remember to stand and shout every few minutes.
I might be going hunting in Mississippi this december, so Ill be able to see how much clothing and insulation I need then.
 
I posted this on the gear forum as well:
Lacrosse Atlas 400g boots are on sale on camofire. Are they good boots, especially for this hunt?

*edit* Just bought them
 
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Spoke with Nick at the lodge yesterday, hes very helpful and answered all of my questions. I'm putting down the depoist for november 1-7 as soon as I can get to the bank to get a check. Im going solo, but Nick is trying to hook me up with any other solo hunters in that time slot. Super excited, and its been all I can think about for the past months
 
Well, my trip is just a little over 3 months away, and I am extremely excited!
I am still looking for hunting pants, as i dropped a few sizes in the past couple months, I was thinking kuiu attack or pro pants with medium or heavy weight merino wool unders. Are there any other recommendations?
I am also looking to bring my 8 wt fly rod and was wondering what flies to bring. The lodge owner is not a fly fisherman, but said there are steelhead and trout
 
I used to be stationed up there, it’s an amazing island. The terrain can be steep but the hardest part is the weather. It rains a lot and by November, it’ll be pretty cold. The brush is hard to get through because of how thick it is. I would hike to a good glassing point and take your time. If there isn’t a lot of snow then the deer will be harder to spot. Alot of the vegetation is brown that time of year and picking out deer required some methodical glassing. The deer we shot were deer we jumped. They ran a few dozen yards and stopped to look back one last time. There are (were) a lot of deer up there and you get plenty of tags. Good luck!
 
I used to be stationed up there, it’s an amazing island. The terrain can be steep but the hardest part is the weather. It rains a lot and by November, it’ll be pretty cold. The brush is hard to get through because of how thick it is. I would hike to a good glassing point and take your time. If there isn’t a lot of snow then the deer will be harder to spot. Alot of the vegetation is brown that time of year and picking out deer required some methodical glassing. The deer we shot were deer we jumped. They ran a few dozen yards and stopped to look back one last time. There are (were) a lot of deer up there and you get plenty of tags. Good luck!
Im definitely used to pushing through brush from hunting down here in south florida swamps. Im just putting the final touches on my packing list, and I need a pair of gloves and Ill be all set to go!
 
Im definitely used to pushing through brush from hunting down here in south florida swamps. Im just putting the final touches on my packing list, and I need a pair of gloves and Ill be all set to go!
One good thing about pushing thru the brush here is - NO freakin snakes to think about. One bad thing is that the brush might not be as flexible as it is further south. :)
Good luck on your hunt.
 
One good thing about pushing thru the brush here is - NO freakin snakes to think about. One bad thing is that the brush might not be as flexible as it is further south. :)
Good luck on your hunt.
I dont have to look out for alligators either. I hadn't accounted about the brush being less flexible, but it makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
 
Well, how did it go??
 
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