Kodiak bear count down

[Greyinggrayling]

Are you really planNing on staying in the field all 12 days? Meaning if you shoot your bear on day one, you check it a couple times to see if your husband can take one off the carcus. Your nr friend and you shoot a couple deer. You check the gut piles and care for the meat for a week. On day 9 you call the flight service and they tell you they can get you a day or two early or a storm is coming and it will be 3 days before they can get you. What I am getting at is if you think after success you may come out a bit early or if you plan to wait and possibly come out late. That is how I would determine if it's worth bringing salt. FWIW the wife and I have hunted goats,bea, and deer quite a few times on Kodiak and afognak and never bring salt. But then we never stay 13 plus days either.

Really hard to tell. I may shoot a bear on day 2 and husband may shoot his on day 13. We may be able to get a pick up of the hide and skull mid-hunt weather permitting, but can never count on that. We will try.
Obviously the two bears are the priority. Deer are secondary. But to make it worth our NR friend’s time coming up here from Texas, we’ll stay as long as it takes for him to shoot a good buck, maybe some small game and ducks, and do some trout fishing.
Additionally, I love it at drop camp. I’d stay the whole time regardless if tags are filled (if the other two were on board. They will probably be ready to go about day 9 though).

 

[Rowsdower]

Really hard to tell. I may shoot a bear on day 2 and husband may shoot his on day 13. We may be able to get a pick up of the hide and skull mid-hunt weather permitting, but can never count on that. We will try.
Obviously the two bears are the priority. Deer are secondary. But to make it worth our NR friend’s time coming up here from Texas, we’ll stay as long as it takes for him to shoot a good buck, maybe some small game and ducks, and do some trout fishing.
Additionally, I love it at drop camp. I’d stay the whole time regardless if tags are filled (if the other two were on board. They will probably be ready to go about day 9 though).

I'm of the same mind set and would love to spend the full time afield but that temperamental Kodiak weather is the deciding factor. Who are you flying with and what general area? Feel free to message if you'd like. We'll be flying out, weather permitting, on Oct 22nd with Seahawk. It's about all we think or talk about these days...

 

[Greyinggrayling]

I'm of the same mind set and would love to spend the full time afield but that temperamental Kodiak weather is the deciding factor. Who are you flying with and what general area? Feel free to message if you'd like. We'll be flying out, weather permitting, on Oct 22nd with Seahawk. It's about all we think or talk about these days...

Island Air. Uganik Lake.
We will be taking the cargo shipment today to fly out to Island Air (boat, motor, etc).
Our house is so destroyed. I’m sure the dogs think we’re moving.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Kodiak hunt in the bag.
12 days in the field.
2 bears down (husband/wife party tags)
Lots of good challenges, lessons learned, and absolute beauty in both the rage and the repose that is Kodiak.
Bears are sealed, bags are packed.
Back home to Anchorage tomorrow.

 

[Marbles]

Awesome, congratulations!

 

[Rowsdower]

Looking forward to details and pictures! We got back Nov. 3rd and had a great hunt.

 

[Scottf270]

This thread is useless without pictures!!!!!!

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Kodiak hunt in the bag.
12 days in the field.
2 bears down (husband/wife party tags)
Lots of good challenges, lessons learned, and absolute beauty in both the rage and the repose that is Kodiak.
Bears are sealed, bags are packed.
Back home to Anchorage tomorrow.

Not gonna lie, I’ve been waiting for the hunt report on this one. Congrats on the two bears. Can’t wait to hear the details and see pics.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Just arrived back in Anchorage, flight delay due to severe Anchorage winter weather, and nearly two feet of snowfall at the house. Pictures and details to follow after we get home and dug out.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Left out mid-morning on the scheduled day with Island Air. Transport was a Beaver for the three of us and half of the gear, and a 206 for remainder of the gear. Luckily we had beautiful weather going in to set up camp.
Spent majority of the day unpacking and getting set up - kitchen tent and two sleep tents set up in one bear fence, and boat yard set up in other bear fence.
Pop-up potty set up nearby.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Started bear hunting the next day since it is illegal to hunt bears on day of fly in. You can hunt black tails on the same day as fly in, but we didn’t want to spread scent.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

The first day consisted of walking, sitting, and glassing. Husband and buddy went back to camp midday to check on things. They found a bear was there and had taken an unhealthy interest in our camp. A split second decision was made to burn his tag to protect the camp and to keep us from having to defend camp for the next week until we were due to move into the cabin.


Small sow. But habituated to camps. We camped clean, only had dehydrated meal smells, but she knew planes landed the day before and what a camp looked like. Might have been able to DLP her, but Hubbie did the right thing and gave up his tag.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

So, bear number one was taken on Day 2. Bear number 2 (my bear) was taken the night before the day of departure.
In between was:

• High winds
• Snow
• Rain
• Baby bear cub squealing at night looking for it’s momma, trying to come into camp. Had to holler, wave, fire warning shot to make it leave. We were waiting for momma to come barreling through camp looking for baby, luckily we heard her catch up to it later downstream
• More high winds

 

[Greyinggrayling]

We finally moved to the cabin for the last 5 days. After no more bear sightings, only one doe sighting, and frequent tent battering from high winds, we were more than ready…

 

[Greyinggrayling]

It got down to 15 degrees and sideways winds with snow. Downright righteous.
The last few days in the field presented few hunting opportunities. We spent our time repacking everything and getting ready to go on the predetermined departure date Nov 7. On Nov 6, we deflated the boat and packed it away and got most everything ready for a 9am departure the following morning. As the day was coming to a close, and we were putting things away outside, my husband says “Bear!” Down the beach about 300 yards a bear is ambling toward our direction. Not the biggest bear, but it’s the last bear…for me.

So, with my husband guiding me down the beach, and our former Marine friend protecting us, away I went to harvest the bear.
Of course it expired in a ravine. But it beats expiring in the water. Or having to hunt it down in the alders.
I almost forgot to take pics. We went back to the cabin to get dressed for cold night time cleaning of the bear and remembered to take pics.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

 

[Greyinggrayling]

 

[Rowsdower]

Congratulations! Thanks for the great pictures and follow up. Kodiak is a wild and wonderful place!

Is that rifle a Sako Kodiak .375H&H?

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Cody (tall Marine with goatee) carried a Sako Model 85 Kodiak .338 WinMag
Hubbie carried a Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H
I carried my humble .300 WSM