Usually the regs allow a 3 deer limit on Kodiak. Bucks only prior to October 1; buck or doe after that. There is no daily limit, just the season limit. The pre-rut usually begins in late October and actual rutting starts in early November. By mid November it will be starting to wind down. Depending on snow fall/depths, the deer could be high or low - toss up. If you're wearing leather boots, gaiters are a MUST. Lots/most locals use rubber boots that nearly reach the knee. Quite a bit of small creeks and semi marshy areas on Kodiak. (You can also double your rain pants and rubber boots into waders with duct tape.) Layering makes sense - undress to climb, dress back up to spot. The wind nearly always is blowing on Kodiak, so wind proof outer layers make a lot of sense. When you quarter your deer, try to get away from any brush that obscures your view. Singing loudly while doing the cutting is a good idea for a solo hunter, as is stopping to look around frequently. There are some bears that relate the sound of a gun shot to a fresh meal. Be aware, but don't let it frighten you unnecessarily. I CAN'T begin to imagine that dragging a deer out to the beach is easier that quartering one. I'm also not sure why carrying one out in a pack would add extra distance to the pack out.
Kodiak Blacktail Hunt
- Thread starter Ryan91027
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rwbowser
New member
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
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I can’t speak to Alaska but I just started hunting as well, 3 years in a row southern Montana for elk. I was told to buy gaiters and I’m so glad I did. They’ll save your pants from getting beat up and soaked, stop Water from getting in the top of your boots. They’re cheap and light to pack. Well worth it!
I looked at the regs, and I can take three deer per season, but from aug 1 through september 30 it is bucks only, the rest of season is any deer. Would a late october hunt be better weather wise and rut wise? Im not looking for a world record deer, but just a good one or two.
What brand/style rubber boots do people use, because id imagine just any old rubber boot would suck to do any amount of hiking in. Thats a good tip for makeshift waders, that if I get rubber boots ill definitely use.
My main thoguht for hauling out a whole deer, is to do it in one trip instead of multiple trips. I was also thinking it would minimize the amount of time the meat would stink up the area and attract bears
glass eye
Well-known member
I'm thinking of taking a .22 handgun..............................for the foxes.
traper986
New member
Hey Ryan, I lived on Kodiak for 3 years and had a blast chasing Black Tail and Goats! Like most have said you need to be bear smart but don’t stress about it to much. I went from carrying a hand cannon to bear spray to just being smart and making noise. One of the best things you can do is get it quartered, in a pack, and away from the gut pile quickly. That will be the smell that attracts the predators. One of the few bear attacks that happened while I was there was someone that tried to drag the deer out, minus well just roll out the red carpet. Plus it’s not dragging friendly terrain. All the locals wear extratuffs which are not the greatest for hiking and they only wear them for short day hunts. Clothing wise your rain gear will be everything. I pretty much wore them the whole time I was hunting. Kodiak doesn’t get as cold as the mainland but is very wet and can be very windy. Like everyone has said getting Into kodiak and off is the real struggle. I went back for archery goat this year and it took three day’s to get in and then I never saw the top of a mountain/ goat the entire time I was there. So plan accordingly. It sounds like you’ll be off road but for the regs the only time you can kill a doe on the road is during bow and muzzle loader season. Let me know if I forgot anything or if you have any other questions! It’s an awesome place!
N_8
Active member
I prefer a synthetic puffy jacket to fleece or softshell. Puffys just deal with moisture better IMO. In terms of pants i like something lightweight that dries quick. I'd insulate with layers, and in kod in November I'd probably have both puffy pants and LJs along. Yes on bear spray.
I think ill go with leather boots and gaiters, i can bring extra socks into the field and change them out if they get soaked.
I have been thinking about moving the date earlier to mid-late oct or early nov, I havent had time to research the best time, and I just said nov because it was the rut.
Speaking of the rut, we dont really have seasons down here in south florida so deer rut throughout the year and I have never had to pay attention to it. Ill do some reading, but any tips on best time of the rut to hunt kodiak?
I have been thinking about moving the date earlier to mid-late oct or early nov, I havent had time to research the best time, and I just said nov because it was the rut.
Speaking of the rut, we dont really have seasons down here in south florida so deer rut throughout the year and I have never had to pay attention to it. Ill do some reading, but any tips on best time of the rut to hunt kodiak?
Rubber boots - I have a pair of Nokias that I got from Cabelas. They have an aggressive tread and came with felt inserts (think Sorrels for the inserts). Almost any brand would do (LaCrosse, Muck Boots, whatever - I'd want them with a good load of Thinsulate - your feet may be more tolerant of cold than mine). I've never done a lodge based hunt, but if you do you won't have a problem drying them out overnight (my biggest problem). If you insist on leather boots, take some plastic bags to wear between the boot and socks. Your feet will sweat, but IMO you won't be able to pack enough socks to keep your feet dry otherwise. As others have said, it RAINS on Kodiak. A quartered buck should result in a pack weight somewhere between 60 and 75 lbs - bone in, cape and head. A big buck could mean 2 trips; if it does you need to move meat/cape/antlers away from the carcass some distance. Cut some brush - lay bagged meat on top of brush, pile some brush on top of meat and cover it all with a tarp. The brush piles will allow air to circulate under the tarp, keeping the meat cool and dry. You CAN NOT pack out antlers before all the meat is packed out. You can pack out horns on the first trip, as long as all the meat goes with you. Timing for me would be late October/early November.
Rhino Hunter
Well-known member
Sitka Blacktail on Kodiak Island is an adventure of a lifetime.
I organized an unguided hunt for four of my friends and myself in 2016. I hired a commercial fisherman, his boat, and a first mate for a week. We had a blast!
Feel free to PM me with any questions if you like.
I organized an unguided hunt for four of my friends and myself in 2016. I hired a commercial fisherman, his boat, and a first mate for a week. We had a blast!
Feel free to PM me with any questions if you like.
About how close can you get to shore from a boat?
Thats a real nice buck, what month was that? Based on your clothes, it doesnt seem that cold.
Marshian
Well-known member
I did this hut last year and wrote it up a bit. Transporter Hunt, unguided. Cost me about $3500 for the transporter for 5 nights out of Larsen bay but they provided all food, lodging and freezer/ storage space. Plus you can fish off the boat before and after hunting. I agree that it’s easy to bring too many clothes. Rain gear is essential. Prepare for thick, nasty brush. Hers the link to my write-up:
www.hunttalk.com
Earning Every Step (Kodiak Island-part 1)
Last fall i got the itch to do a trip with my brothers (one of whom is an AK resident) to do a DIY trip to Alaska. I wanted to take advantage of having a first of kin relative so my other brother and I decided on Kodiak Island for a mixed bag of critters including goats. It was the most...
www.hunttalk.com
Rhino Hunter
Well-known member
Ryan91027,
Thank you!
The skipper towed a heavy duty aluminum skiff with an outboard behind his fishing boat and the first mate would motor us to/from the beach each day. He gave us a walkie talkie to schedule our pickup time/locations. It worked great.
You have to be careful where you put ashore as one of these could be near by.
My clothes look light because we just hiked up 1,200 feet in elevation that morning to where I shot that buck. LOL. It was brutally physical. The Alder jungles your hear about are just that..."Jungles!" I should have had taller boots for better ankle support.
We hunted the last week of October and returned on Halloween day to Michigan. We had two postcard weather days and this was one of them, the very first day. The fly in day was beautiful too. After that it got very gray and wet...typical fall Kodiak weather. It was a great hunt though. We shot (8) bucks for (5) guys. and I shot a fox too. It was a quite an adventure.
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What is that rifle setup? Ill be using a 270 with a 3.5-10x50
Did you take the fox with your rifle? Was it on the small game license? I glanced at the regs, but I have school in a few minutes so I couldnt look in depth.
Is there only one kind of fox on the island? or is it legal to take any fox I see?
I am more than used to jungles down here in south Florida. But ive never had to push through brush in the cold... Ive heard sweat in cold can be very bad, and I sweat a lot. A point about the alders my mom brought up, is that I should bring glasses so I dont poke my eye out.
I have never had to deal with any sort of elevation change while hunting. To train, I guess I have to walk back and forth up the one manmade hill in town.
Did you do anything to protect your rifle from the weather? Ill be brining some kind of cleaning kit, and oil to wipe down my rifle each night. To protect the barrel, we put finger cots or electric tape over the muzzle, the pressure form the round blows it off so you can shoot with it on too.
How hard was it to find an are to land? or was it just point and guess?I did this hut last year and wrote it up a bit. Transporter Hunt, unguided. Cost me about $3500 for the transporter for 5 nights out of Larsen bay but they provided all food, lodging and freezer/ storage space. Plus you can fish off the boat before and after hunting. I agree that it’s easy to bring too many clothes. Rain gear is essential. Prepare for thick, nasty brush. Hers the link to my write-up:
Earning Every Step (Kodiak Island-part 1)
Last fall i got the itch to do a trip with my brothers (one of whom is an AK resident) to do a DIY trip to Alaska. I wanted to take advantage of having a first of kin relative so my other brother and I decided on Kodiak Island for a mixed bag of critters including goats. It was the most...
I have figured about 5k for my total hunt, including tags, flights, and all the gear I have to buy.
Did you guys head inland along the bay(?) that larsen sits on, im not sure what that is called. Or did you guys head north and into the main ocean to hunt the north side of the island?
I read your write up, About how many days did you spend on deer? was it enough time?
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Rhino Hunter
Well-known member
I believe there are two speices of Fox on the island, Red Fox and Silver Fox. The one I took was a Silver Fox which is the rarer of the two. I know I had the proper licensing for it, but can't remember what that was at the time.
Most of us took large bore rifles because of the big brown fuzzy animals in the immediate area. Mine is a Ruger Guide Gun in .375 Ruger. It has a wood lami stock and a stainless steel finish. I suggest you wipe dry and oil it each night after hunting.
I train for my hunts which includes a stair climber at a minimum, but usually I will strap on a back pack and run up/walk down a sledding hill nearby for a couple months. By the time I'm ready to go I should be getting (30) trips up/down the hill per visit.
Did you take the fox with a different gun? I would think .375 ruger would tear up a fox
I know its not ideal, but if I could take a fox with my 27o I might pick up a permit to keep in my pocket, or would 270 destroy the pelt?
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glass eye
Well-known member
Interested in hearing a response too about the big bore and a little fox.
While hunting Couse Deer in AZ we came upon a troop of Coatimundis and we shot them with 243 and 308. Both calibers opened those Coatis up real bad and they looked like roadkill.
The first time I hunted St. Paul Island it was for waterfowl but I also wanted to take a Blue Fox. The regs read that furbearing game cannot be taken with a small game license. You need a General License for foxes so you will already have that to hunt deer.
While hunting Couse Deer in AZ we came upon a troop of Coatimundis and we shot them with 243 and 308. Both calibers opened those Coatis up real bad and they looked like roadkill.
The first time I hunted St. Paul Island it was for waterfowl but I also wanted to take a Blue Fox. The regs read that furbearing game cannot be taken with a small game license. You need a General License for foxes so you will already have that to hunt deer.
Rhino Hunter
Well-known member
A .375 Ruger is not ideal for Fox. But it was the gun in my hands at the time since I was hunting deer. Plus my hunting buddy was standing next to me and he had just missed two offhand attempts to shoot it at ~75 yards. I just kinda went into auto pilot after that...my gun came up...I fired one shot...the Fox dropped...and my buddy said WTF! I told him I couldn't wait around all day for him to shoot it...we had deer to hunt. LOL.
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glass eye
Well-known member
Rhino, what was the damage to the fox ?
