Kodiak Goat hunt - in 4 weeks

[ttmannan]

So I have a goat hunt in 4 weeks, on Kodiak. I won't post the unit number but can message if it'll help.
I don't think I'll ever feel "ready" for it.
I've been told I'll be "spike camp" hunting.

I know it's going to be challenging with vertical and I assume fighting devil's club and alders but I have zero idea what to expect as far as mileage per day or vertical gain per day. So with spike camp, not boat camp and it looks like the highest peak in the unit may be 4,200 feet, with most less than that... Any advice as to what to expect on Kodiak?

 

[bascott1]

Never hunted kodiak. But just got back from my first goat hunt in BC. One thing I learned was look where you’re stepping not where you’re going. If you look and say “oh we gotta climb that, or all the way over there” you’re gonna psych yourself out real fast. And just get comfortable with being uncomfortable, between the thick wet brush, and sweating, and rain, I was pretty much wet the whole time. Just remember you’ll be fine, I felt like it was all mental.

 

[ttmannan]

Never hunted kodiak. But just got back from my first goat hunt in BC. One thing I learned was look where you’re stepping not where you’re going. If you look and say “oh we gotta climb that, or all the way over there” you’re gonna psych yourself out real fast. And just get comfortable with being uncomfortable, between the thick wet brush, and sweating, and rain, I was pretty much wet the whole time. Just remember you’ll be fine, I felt like it was all mental.

Thanks. Sounds like solid advice. How'd you do in BC? Any pics?

 

[ttmannan]

Thanks. Sounds like solid advice. How'd you do in BC? Any pics?

Never hunted kodiak. But just got back from my first goat hunt in BC. One thing I learned was look where you’re stepping not where you’re going. If you look and say “oh we gotta climb that, or all the way over there” you’re gonna psych yourself out real fast. And just get comfortable with being uncomfortable, between the thick wet brush, and sweating, and rain, I was pretty much wet the whole time. Just remember you’ll be fine, I felt like it was all mental.

My pack will probably be around 47 pounds total, including food, shelter and water... I may need to work on slimming that down.

I've been using my Outdoorsman's Atlas trainer with a 45 pound plate plus water. I live at 6,500 feet elevation and I’ve been hitting a loop of 5.75 miles with 1,326 elevation gain - sub 30 minute mile average total time - so not fast and that’s on rough trails, not bushwhacking. Also not thick, wet bush or raining. And not carrying a rifle.

 

[Andouille]

I just got back from Kodiak on Monday. Hunted the alpine in the south end of the island for goats, but was caught up in several large storms that kept us in our tents or reduced visibility to a couple hundred yards. Goats we saw were high up or across valleys, with terrain that took 1+ hour per mile to cover. Not fun terrain and about as challenging as it gets. Night time temps were in the mid 40's and wind chill with sideways rain was significant, so be prepared for cold and wet conditions. Hypothermia is real up in the mountains, even in "summer."
Treeline is around 1600-1700 ft in the south end of the island and goats were at 2000+ ft eating fresh, green grasses. I heard of goats seen at ~3000 ft by other hunters.
Lots of water is available, so I just caried 1L and topped off with water from mountain seeps as needed. Supportive boots and good goretex rain gear are a must. I recommend light, cut-resistant gloves for scrambling over rocks or through bushes. Bivy sack, tarp, and puffy layers in the event of emergencies.

Your training sounds sufficient if you have the right attitude and gear. Keep up the mileage until your hunt and you'll be as ready as you can be physically.

good luck!

 

[ttmannan]

I just got back from Kodiak on Monday. Hunted the alpine in the south end of the island for goats, but was caught up in several large storms that kept us in our tents or reduced visibility to a couple hundred yards. Goats we saw were high up or across valleys, with terrain that took 1+ hour per mile to cover. Not fun terrain and about as challenging as it gets. Night time temps were in the mid 40's and wind chill with sideways rain was significant, so be prepared for cold and wet conditions. Hypothermia is real up in the mountains, even in "summer."
Treeline is around 1600-1700 ft in the south end of the island and goats were at 2000+ ft eating fresh, green grasses. I heard of goats seen at ~3000 ft by other hunters.
Lots of water is available, so I just caried 1L and topped off with water from mountain seeps as needed. Supportive boots and good goretex rain gear are a must. I recommend light, cut-resistant gloves for scrambling over rocks or through bushes. Bivy sack, tarp, and puffy layers in the event of emergencies.

Your training sounds sufficient if you have the right attitude and gear. Keep up the mileage until your hunt and you'll be as ready as you can be physically.

good luck!

Thank you for the insight and the luck. How'd you do?
I'll be more east of Larsen Bay/North, I imagine it's not much different than where you were. I will reconsider what I was doing for gloves. And mid layer.

 

[Andouille]

Blanked, unfortunately. Spent half of our time in fog and clouds or in the tent, and the goats we saw weren't accessible without a full day of decent weather. Still a good time as our tents held up and we had lots of good food and time for banter.
These are the exact gloves I wore all week. Not a scratch on my hands after scrambling and building a rock wall around our tents, plus they are cheap, weigh nothing, and dry fairly quickly. I also had warm, waterproof Showa 282-02 gloves but didn't quite need them, though it will be cooler in September for sure. The Showa gloves are incredibly light, cheap, and reasonably durable- my favorite for cold, wet conditions above freezing.

 

[bascott1]

Man, your training is beyond fine. I herniated a disc a couple months prior and was pretty much stuck to a stationary bike for cardio and light rucking twice a week and I had 0 issues. Mental man, it’s all mental. I was prob around the same pack weight and was happy with my gear list.

Stone glacier chinook merino hoody-x2
Sitka core lightweight hoody
Kuiu kenai jacket
Kuiu Yukon jacket
Stone glacier rain pants
Sitka merino boxer-x2
Sockwell compression merino-x3

 

[chizelhead]

Try and prepare for highly variable ground. I found my legs stressed to maintain balance and straight rucking doesn't really help with that. Trekking poles helped with stability. For training, I would work in side hill rucking when possible to get your legs and especially your high ankles exposed to that stress. I recommend leukotaping your feet first thing on the hunt. Try and keep your feet as dry as possible.

 

[Nick Muche]

I shot my 7th mountain goat a few weeks ago, it just gets harder each year. Best of luck on Kodiak, fun place!

 

[bascott1]

What chizelhead said. I’ve been back for two weeks now and my ankles and lower legs are finally getting back to normal from the side hilling.

 

[ttmannan]

Man, your training is beyond fine. I herniated a disc a couple months prior and was pretty much stuck to a stationary bike for cardio and light rucking twice a week and I had 0 issues. Mental man, it’s all mental. I was prob around the same pack weight and was happy with my gear list.

Stone glacier chinook merino hoody-x2
Sitka core lightweight hoody
Kuiu kenai jacket
Kuiu Yukon jacket
Stone glacier rain pants
Sitka merino boxer-x2
Sockwell compression merino-x3

Great pics! Congrats! And thanks for the list.

 

[ttmannan]

Try and prepare for highly variable ground. I found my legs stressed to maintain balance and straight rucking doesn't really help with that. Trekking poles helped with stability. For training, I would work in side hill rucking when possible to get your legs and especially your high ankles exposed to that stress. I recommend leukotaping your feet first thing on the hunt. Try and keep your feet as dry as possible.

Great idea on the leukotape... hadn't considered that, thank you! And 3.5 weeks until I fly to Anchorage so I will get some side hilling in. I've been using the trekking poles on my hikes but it's still trails, not quite the same.

 

[ttmannan]

I shot my 7th mountain goat a few weeks ago, it just gets harder each year. Best of luck on Kodiak, fun place!

7th?! I'm on my first and I'm 49... but I've been chasing coues deer, elk and mule deer instead and am finally branching out.

 

[Andouille]

Try and prepare for highly variable ground. I found my legs stressed to maintain balance and straight rucking doesn't really help with that. Trekking poles helped with stability. For training, I would work in side hill rucking when possible to get your legs and especially your high ankles exposed to that stress. I recommend leukotaping your feet first thing on the hunt. Try and keep your feet as dry as possible.

Ditto. The uneven terrain on Kodiak is as hard, if not harder on the small stabilizer muscles in your lower legs than the large muscles we normally think of training (gastroc, quads, glutes, etc.). Sidehill training is a great idea. Leukotape and athletic tape can be great if you get hotspots on your feet and ankles while sidehilling.

I do a lot of barefoot unilateral weightlifting exercises such as single-legged deadlifts, bulgarian split squats, toe raises, etc. and I think those have helped my ankle stability, stabilizer muscle strength, and foot strength a lot more than would bilateral exercises while wearing shoes.

 

[AK Troutbum]

It sounds like with your exercise/training routine, you’ll be just fine on Kodiak. I think that going at the end of September, beginning of October is almost perfect. I like to go a little later just because of better quality of hair, so early Nov. is the sweet spot for me. I’ve been going down there and chasing goats now almost every year since 2006, although I didn’t go last year, and I won’t be going this year. If you’re going in from the salt, then you will definitely want to spike in the Alpine, because climbing up from sea level into goat country can be an incredibly grueling experience. I wouldn’t be too concerned with temperatures, in so far as it being cold, but the storms can be BIG, and they can last for days on end. Spending almost a week straight in a tent can be a pretty miserable experience in and of itself, but having to endure that while battling the elements of wind and water on your shelter brings a whole different level of misery. So, if I could only give one piece of advice for hunting Kodiak in early October, it would be, be prepared for storms. Good luck on your hunt, and if you are successful, enjoy that meat, because it might possibly be the best wild game meat you’ve ever had.


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[TheGrayRider]

Pack your patience. Don’t stress the weather - the rain and fog will lift eventually. Take what Alaska gives you and mostly, leave the tape measure back at home. Enjoy Kodiak. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

 

[ttmannan]

My first trip I had a 26” barrel, and if I could’ve found a hacksaw it would have been 16.5” instantly haha. That barrel was a pain in the alders!

Wow. That makes me reconsider taking my suppressor on my 26" barrel 300 PRC!

 

[Wyoming Hart]

Same as what everyone has been saying. Mental toughness is the key. I had great daytime weather when I hunted it in 2021 starting on October 4th. Every night though, it rained/snowed/gale force winds would blow and test the tents. Good luck!

 

[Brent]

Man, your training is beyond fine. I herniated a disc a couple months prior and was pretty much stuck to a stationary bike for cardio and light rucking twice a week and I had 0 issues. Mental man, it’s all mental. I was prob around the same pack weight and was happy with my gear list.

Stone glacier chinook merino hoody-x2
Sitka core lightweight hoody
Kuiu kenai jacket
Kuiu Yukon jacket
Stone glacier rain pants
Sitka merino boxer-x2
Sockwell compression merino-x3

Massive billy! Congrats