Kodiak Blacktail and Bou Picture Story

[shanevg]

That is absolutely awesome! Glad you got the pics fixed as I was looking forward to seeing them. I love blacktail hunting but with the option to hunt caribou too - that's just incredible! Thanks again for sharing with us!

 

[Matt W.]

I enjoyed the pictures and the hunt. I shot a Caribou Bull on Sept 17th. He was with another Bull that my buddy shot. We were in the interior and I don't think they were in the rut yet. We saw several large groups of bulls and cows in the distance and they were not chasing each other around like you described. Another buddy shot another bull an hour after the 1st two went down. We ate the tenderloins off of his in camp and it was wonderful eating. I cooked up the tenderloins on mine at home and it tasted great as well. Bummer yours is not so good. I am really looking forward to getting mine back from the processor. I'm hoping your blacktail is good eating!

 

[Brendan]

Great pictures... Anyone looking for a partner to do this hunt in 2016 or 2017?

 

[Broomd]

Congrats on a great hunt and adventure!

I know that spot exactly, hunted there several years ago. Didn't realize the lake had fish, very cool.
We also killed some great bucks, and also had some huge reindeer/caribou around.
We didn't pull the trigger on the stinky meat though.

Lesson learned for you, it happens to the best of them...

 

[Bambistew]

The "caribou" on Kodiak are actually reindeer, transplanted from domestic herds yeas ago. They rut sooner than caribou on the mainland. That means they are done sooner too.

The deer were also transplanted from wild herds from POW.

Congrats on the trip! Looks like great weather too.

 

[AK Troutbum]

The "caribou" on Kodiak are actually reindeer, transplanted from domestic herds yeas ago. They rut sooner than caribou on the mainland. That means they are done sooner too.

The deer were also transplanted from wild herds from POW.

Congrats on the trip! Looks like great weather too.

Not to mention the goats on the island came from the Kenai Peninsula back in '52. Probably the only big game animal originally on the island are the bears, and they probably swam over from the AK Peninsula. I know, genetically, they are very closely related to the bears on the peninsula. Anyway, not to derail the thread, your post just got me thinking about how all the transplants to Kodiak are thriving so well.

 

[Broomd]

The "caribou" on Kodiak are actually reindeer, transplanted from domestic herds yeas ago. They rut sooner than caribou on the mainland. That means they are done sooner too.
...

Yep, but for all practical purposes, they are caribou. I dare anyone to try and 'rein' any one of those animals. Their rut differs in timing, but they walk and quack like any wild caribou.

I came through the alders and was face-to-face with a gigantic bull down there and it was a formidable sight. He looked and acted no different than any of the many 'bou I've killed.
As I mentioned though, he walked given the rut timing.

 

[bowuntr]

Alaska Game and Fish, Boone and Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club all call them Barren Ground Caribou. Whatever you want to call them.... they're delicious. I shot this bull on September 12th, several years ago and it tasted very good. My kids devoured it.... Ed F

 

[IChaseCoues]

We had a discussion with the guy that owned the BnB about how the goats deer and reindeer were all transplants but the bears somehow made it on their own. That's a pretty long swim! I still haven't gotten my meat back from the processor to give an update on taste. Will let everyone know when I do try it and try to "fix" it. Man I want a deer steak tonight but oh well maybe next week.

I don't think we have to worry about shooting anymore rutting bulls because most likely will be going north for caribou if I get another chance at them.

 

[Bighorse]

I'm leaving Thursday to do a very similar trip. Except we have a Bear permit too. Looks like good times. Nothing beats heavy packs!

 

[dreamingbig]

How did you keep the meat cool during the trip? I always wonder what you do when you shoot one in day one but aren't getting picked up a week later.

 

[jwb300]

Well done - great pics. THanks for posting - looks like an amazing trip.

 

[Zackman]

Awesome trip! Congrats and thanks for sharing

 

[IChaseCoues]

dreaming,
The first step in meat care was to get it out on a tarp and coat it with citric acid and let it dry as much as possible. We then took contractor bags and put the meat in them then put that in a large dry bag and set in in the lake and covered it with grass that was growing out of the water for shade.

At least that was the plan with all the meat. weather had a different plan! So the deer went as planned even though one was killed on day one and the other on day seven. The caribou were a different story (well about 2/3 of the meat was different). After killing them and taking them apart we stashed 2/3 of the meat to get the next day. It took a few hours (5) to get back to the tent. It rained all day and was raining when we got back so the meat bags just got covered with a tarp on the ground since everything was 50 degrees or colder and they wouldn't spoil. The next day we woke to pouring rain. Since we were soaked from the day before from rain on the outside and sweat on the inside we decided to try to dry out clothing as much as possible and go for meat when the rain let up. Well it didn't let up! That day was spent in the tent playing cards and musical clothing. Trying to dry stuff out in a tent, in a rainstorm, in Alaska, with a propane heater.....not a high probability of success! So long story longer we woke the next morning to clearer skies and tolerable wetness so we took off for the meat, traveling light with sidearms, clothing, stove, food, and binos we made it over in a couple hours and loaded the meat capes, and horns and headed back to the tent. another 4 hour trip and we were back home with meat. But... it started raining half way back so we got a little wet again, but hey it's Kodiak that's what you do! so that meat stayed out of the lake for longer than we wanted but at 50 degrees with wind and 50 degree shower it stayed plenty cold and never had a hint of decomp.

On another note the caribou flavor was pretty strong the night we killed them when we ate fresh backstraps so I really think the handling caused any of the previously mentioned rankness.

Good Luck Bighorse!

 

[Bighorse]

Shot the biggest Sitka BT of my life on this trip. Massive 4x5 with both eyegaurds. Saw the Bou multiple times. Really didn't want to fool with shooting one. Big project and extra meat for care. Saw bears but not the right one too. Great memorable hunt! On the extraction the herd surrounded an adjacent tent. Hope they were home at the time! Grin!

 

[hunting1]

Dream trip, awesome!

 

[Jesse Minish]

Congrats on a dream hunt!