Hinchinbrook Island deer

[Wasatchbuck]

Headed up to hinchinbrook Island this August 5th to spend some time deer hunting and salmon/halibut fishing. We will be going with a guy who fishes PWS commercially so he is familiar with the area but has not done a lot of hunting on the Island. During the deer hunt we plan on staying on the island above treeline since everything I have read says the deer are high at that time of year, we also have the option of staying aboard the boat. For anyone who has hunted the island is there anything specific I should know or can you give any advice. I have read quite a bit about it to know there are plenty of brownies, so bear safety will definitely be paramount. I believe we will be anchored up in shelter bay or port etches, but havent confirmed that yet.

 

[Ray]

In august the bucks will be in the darkest timber out of the sun or rain. Sometimes up high or in the middle, but seldom low near the salt. There will be a lot of salmon in most the bigger streams so most bears will be down low and mostly nocturnal. However, they will often be napping in the dark timber in the middle of the day.

My co-workers over in Cordova hunt opening day or hunt in mid winter with a sled to haul the meat out. For summer hunting they spot and stalk spending time glassing the timber shadows.

Bring lots of bug dope. Sometimes the blackflies or no-see-ums can get pretty nasty.

Be prepared for hiking in hot humid conditions as late summer can offer some really nice weather, and it can try to kill you the next day when the wind picks up a little.

 

[Wasatchbuck]

Ray

Thanks a bunch for the heads up on the bugs. I guess we will start out hunting mid elevation and see what we turn up, moving up if the nothing pans out. Really looking forward to this trip.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

shiiiiit, those "bugs in august" is an understatement on Hinch. Mmmm, the memories.

I've never found a buck on the salt around Hinchinbrook during August. If you're gonna boat-base, plan to have to undergo the toughest vertical climbs to the alpine you'll NEVER want to repeat. Hunting the forest can be okay, but lots of animals are lost in those dense, dark canopies. For that reason i've learned that going high cuts the fat and gets to the meat of the hunt.

But, going high means you're going slow, and coming down is a muther rucker heavy or when raining. The vegetation, which I'm convinced is cognitively attempting to hinder human advancement by its shear mind-numbingly frustrating piss-me-the-F-off thickness and entanglements, is abundant on the slopes from salt to alpine. Once on top, tall grasses and undulating terrain features.

But if you make it up there once, you'll want to stay up high and abandon ship fo sho. The deer hunting is fantastic, but this ain't no leisure hunt. I've never had the energy to fish my ass off and also hunt my ass off on the same trip. I guess my best advice would be to temper your expectations, hope for decent weather, and stay strong and fit for this hunt. The harvest will be easy, but everything else will be challenging.

 

[Wasatchbuck]

Larry,

Thanks for the detailed information, very much appreciated!!