Caribou on Kodiak

[Brightwhite]

I am heading to Kodiak to hunt blacktail and caribou. There are plenty of hunting shows/videos/content around hunting blacktail around the costal areas, but I am having trouble finding anything around the Caribou hunting on interior Kodiak.

I have never hunted them and have no idea what I am getting myself into, so just looking for anyone who's hunted there to give any tips or advice.

From talking with the transport folks, we will be getting dropped into a lake somewhere near where they have been seeing them, then it sounds like we will just hunt out of our base camp and then hiking over ridges and hoping to be in the right place at the right time. But, any insight anyone has will be greatly appreciated.

 

[go4thegusto]

We have seen a few on our trips but they can be fleeting. Mainly in the flats on far south & east side or high if bugs are out. We decided next trip we would get one caribou tag and use it as a deer tag if required. You/we might get dropped where they are not within walking distance on that trip. good luck!

 

[lilharcher]

Try Kodiak Reindeer (not Caribou) and more info will pop-up. Seems like they are pretty plentiful on the South-Western part of the island.......I haven't hunted them, but most outfitters claim they are pretty plentiful and the success rates are very high, assuming you get dropped in an area where the herd is. Good luck and please report back.....Kodiak is on my short list for a future hunt.

 

[Ray]

They are reindeer from an old farm operation that have gone totally feral. The ADFG decided a few years ago to magically turn them into caribou so that they can be regulated for hunting.

They wander around in open country. They will be where they are when they are there. Get ahead of them and hide. If they are already ahead of you, you will not catch up to them.

 

[Brightwhite]

Thanks guys, we are hunting the SW part of the island, so thats positive news. I will search for the the kodiak reindeer instead of Caribou.

I am assuming hunting tactics are just like any other spot/stalk animal. Of the few things I have seen, they seem like they group up and protect the bulls a little more. Looks like it can/could be really hard to get an animal separated out to take a shot at?

 

[Brightwhite]

They are reindeer from an old farm operation that have gone totally feral. The ADFG decided a few years ago to magically turn them into caribou so that they can be regulated for hunting.

They wander around in open country. They will be where they are when they are there. Get ahead of them and hide. If they are already ahead of you, you will not catch up to them.

Sounds a lot like late season Elk hunting where they are on the move to wintering grounds....thanks for the advice.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Check out the Halibut Bay area .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kimbersig]

there aren't a lot of them on the island a few hundred is all and the hunting interest and pressure on them has definitely increased over the years. my buddy and I were fortunate to stumble on them and killed two nice ones but it was all luck they were not there when we flew in. i think the pressure from halibut bay and grant lagoon pushed them further south when we were hunting. good luck.

 

[Bambistew]

You can look up harvest data for the last couple years and compare to the data in the management report below. I looked it up a while back and want to say the harvest was about 45 animals. The herd is estimated at about 325 animals.

Here is the latest management report. They should be issuing new reports this year.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/r...pdfs/caribou_2015_chapter_2_unit_8_kodiak.pdf

 

[LASTINLINE]

look into booking a little extra flight time to locate them if they are a priority. they arent everywhere on the south end.i never saw any but i believe a few hundred in the main herd and a smaller group from time to time seen elsewhere according to what my pilot said. too much detail to go into but i didnt get to hunt them. the pilots arent allowed to guide. i get it but was dropped off in an area that was basically an area that you wouldnt see them even though i told them the caribou was a priority on my hunt.live and learn. would like to go again someday.best of luck!

 

[SpannerAK]

When are you going on this hunt? They should be in rut right now and meat is unedible.

 

[Brightwhite]

When are you going on this hunt? They should be in rut right now and meat is unedible.

I'm leaving in about a week, so yes, they will be in the rut. Some in my party want to take a big bull for a trophy, I am only interested in the meat and bringing good tasting meat home to my family, so I was hoping to target a young bull or cow. Would you guys advise me to shoot a cow only in late October?

 

[Kimbersig]

I'm leaving in about a week, so yes, they will be in the rut. Some in my party want to take a big bull for a trophy, I am only interested in the meat and bringing good tasting meat home to my family, so I was hoping to target a young bull or cow. Would you guys advise me to shoot a cow only in late October?

They aren't kidding about uneatable!! I killed my bull and it was the worst tasting thing I've ever had in my life. tried cooking in different ways, soaking in salt water and buttermilk. idk if the cows are any better or not. tell your buddies to make sure they look at both sides of the racks. those animals are inbred and their antlers do crazy things. we saw some HUGE bulls then they turned and their other side was just a spike kind of thing. these are the two we killed (mine is the smaller one) and according to Andrews they were exceptional bulls for that island. idk if that was true or not but we were very happy with them. its an awesome island and a blast to hunt there so have fun and shoot some big bucks then if the reindeer are there then that'll be a bonus

 

[IChaseCoues]

Get ready to be wet and try to keep dry.
Here's what it looks like in between the ridges so plan your routes carefully.

They did bunch up pretty tight after the shots.

Good luck!

 

[SpannerAK]

If you could put the hunt off till Nov, which I know is probably a impossibility, it would be the best for a bull. But I wouldn't harvest a bull right now, if you do, you might be dragging back meat that your dogs will not even eat.

 

[Brightwhite]

If you could put the hunt off till Nov, which I know is probably a impossibility, it would be the best for a bull. But I wouldn't harvest a bull right now, if you do, you might be dragging back meat that your dogs will not even eat.

Yeah I can't put it off. What about cows? Will they be fine?

I am fine not taking a bull, I am there first and foremost for the experience and memories, if that means taking a cow so I can bring much better tasting meat home to my family and friends, then I am 1000% ok with that.

 

[SpannerAK]

Cows are generally fine if your comfortable sexing a caribou from a distance.

 

[Brightwhite]

Cows are generally fine if your comfortable sexing a caribou from a distance.

I am not, any tips? Off to google I go to see the differences. I'm simply used to horns/antlers or not defining male & female.

 

[Brightwhite]

Wow do I feel like a dumb a$$! I had no earthly idea that the cows have antlers as well. Google said only 3-5% of females don't have antlers. At least I learned something new today!

 

[Bear_Hunter]

Here's some info on them too Brightwhite. Check out post#21, that's a cow...

caribou on Kodiak - Page 2