Kodiak Island Adventure Hunt 2017

[dihardhunter]

I promised to report back on a trip that I took in late August into early September. I took my dad on his first real adventure hunt, and we bit off 9 days in Kodiak's interior about 70 miles out from town via floatplane. He's done a few Western hunts before, but they were all more or less lodge-based or hotel-based hunts. Nothing against those types of hunts, I enjoy a great pronghorn with the best of them...all that to say, dad wasn't sure what he was getting himself into. In the end, he said it still remembered fun, so that's the main thing. Any more adventure though, and it might not have remembered that fun. It certainly was a mix of fun/misery at various times.

Before I go any further, thanks to those who spoke with me on phone or exchanged communications via email/PMs. I got tremendous input from a variety of members here and on other online outdoor communities. If this is a hunt you've been wanting to do, I am more than willing to reciprocate and share what I learned with others.

Oh, and one note before advancing to the actual report, I am about 50% into a much more detailed account of the adventure on my blog. If anyone wants to read along, it is turning into a novel. You can jump over to The Outdoor Smorgasbord (www.skinnymoose.com/outdoorsmorgasbord) and pick up the details I leave off here, several hundred pictures eventually too.

 

[dihardhunter]

The commercial leg of our journey went off without a hitch despite the sketchiest of forecasts once we reached Anchorage. Alaska Air all the way, Raleigh-Durham to Kodiak. If you don't utilize the AA credit card on a trip to Kodiak Island, you are a fool. Touched down in Kodiak, gathered propane, a small box of dry firewood, some fresh fruit from the grocery, fishing licenses, and off we went. 24 hours from the time we left RDU, we were in the floatplane and headed for our destination fly-in lake.

If you have never ridden a floatplane, that is an experience in and of itself. Bears too numerous to count, jellyfish schools in the ocean, salmon seiners and processing plants, huge mountains, expansive valley flats, and an island that is other-worldly green. I now completely appreciate the nickname "Emerald Isle".



Once we set down in the lake, first priority - camp goes up. Bear fence too!

 

[dihardhunter]

We took a quick hike that first evening and it was obvious that our decision to change locations from our initially-chosen destination to avoid potential winter kill was a wise one. Deer everywhere. In a 2-mile round trip hike to one single ridgeline basin (photographed from the air on our flight in) and back to camp in under 4 hours, we saw nearly 40 deer and over 10 bucks. 1 mature buck still in velvet but not worth putting a play on the first evening.



On Day 2 - our first full day on the Island - we headed around the head of the lake and up into the alpine. That day we became familiar with a host of new things - like pushki and salmonberries, alder thickets and tundra, unrelenting fog and bugs, impossibly wet vegetation and things that sound like a brown bear but are not. Once we gained the necessary elevation, we saw deer in nearly every nook and cranny we looked, and our day ended at just before midnight as we trudged this guy back through the protective bear fence at camp. Found him bedded along a ridgeline, looked him over for 30 minutes, and decided he was a good first buck to get things started.

 

[dihardhunter]

The next day was an absolute roller coaster. I'll spare the details here but it was one of those days that is near guaranteed to show up in any big hunt - you get lost, maybe you realize that important piece of gear is missing or got broken somehow, your hunting buddy contracts some waterborne bacterial infection, or a shot goes awry. Those very days are often accompanied with an equally extreme high and therein is the beauty of hunting wild animals in wild places. This was one of those days that started really high, swung really low, and ended back up on the mountaintop - literally and figuratively.

An hour before dark, we put together a wonderful stalk on this buck from over a mile out and Dad sealed the deal as this buck locked antlers with another similar-sized buck in an early season sparring match. Another headlamp-lit trudge back to camp in the dark and we were half out of tags. The best part - this packout was only 90 minutes long covering just over a mile. The packout from the night before had been nearly triple that.



Did I mention that every shape, shadow, and sound is a giant brown bear in the darkness while on Kodiak Island?!?!

 

[dihardhunter]

Our third full day. Would it hold a third opportunity at a buck? With the best weather forecasted for the entire trip, we trekked up-valley seeking a saddle that would access a series of hanging basins in the alpine. It took quite a bit longer expected due to thick brush, soggy tundra, and lots of time spent glassing deer along the way, but we finally reached our destination right after lunch. It only took a couple hours and we had located the best buck of the trip high on the mountain above. Dad stayed put to keep the spotter locked on him and gave me hand signals for the next couple hours. When it was all over, I had dropped in right on top of this buck and killed him out of his bed at under 60 yards.



Finally, we had a buck down with plenty of daylight to spare, so we were extra intentional about soaking up the moment. What a great afternoon under some of the prettiest weather you could ever ask for on Kodiak Island, Alaska.

Even with a 4+ mile pack ahead of us, we were back in camp before dusk.

 

[dihardhunter]

There's not much to say about the next 3 days. Weather socked us in for 72 straight hours. The first day was just plain dreary and miserable, the second day was scary as &#$!, and the third was right back to dreary and miserable. ADQ was clocking gusts to 70 mph back in Kodiak and I wouldn't doubt we experienced a few gusts that approached that velocity. Thankfully, my Seek Outside Redcliff was up to the task. I was REALLY grateful to have the added strength of the carbon fiber center pole option.

Finally, the weather broke and we had a buck located within 3/4 mile of camp and with coffee in hand. A plan was hatched, packs were hoisted, and off we went. One final buck tag hung in the balance.

 

[dihardhunter]

Our first 3 bucks had been relatively close range affairs, but this fourth stalk was dead-ending with us below the buck and the thermals threatening to shift at any moment. Right as Dad settled into a solid rest at 400 yards, the buck bedded and the waiting game was on. An hour later, the thermals finally reversed up-slope and it was only moments until the buck was back on his feet and looking for the source of our scent. Bang. Tagged out.




2 days later after a floatplane delay due to weather, we were headed back to Kodiak proper where we rounded out our remaining 48 hours by turning a hotel room into a meat processing station, taking a trip out in to the salt with Kodiak Island Charters, and poking around some of the trinket shops down by the marina.




The commercial leg home was a bit of a nightmare, particularly with the fact that we checked 10 luggage pieces back. 300+ pounds of protein, a big tupperware container of skulls and a cape, gun case, and 2 gear duffels. A mechanical delay that lasted 10 hours in ADQ turned into missed connections and a lengthy trip home. Unfortunately when we touched down in Raleigh, our 10 pieces of baggage did not, and we had to drive back to the airport at 1 AM the following day to retrieve our meat, gear, and guns. From there, we went back to dad's place, separated his from my gear, split meat and fish in half, and I left NC headed for Columbus OH at 4:30 in the morning. By noon, almost 13 days to the hour I had left home, I was back with my wife and 2 daughters after what had been an incredible, incredible adventure.

 

[dihardhunter]

As I mentioned above, I dutifully recorded every aspect of the planning leading up to this hunt and am writing a short novel on the details of each day afterwards. It's over on the blog with scores of pictures if you are interested. A couple takeaways in closing. Prep, prep, and prep some more for this hunt. Kodiak can literally kill you if you skimp on gear and equipment. Thankfully, every i was dotted and every t was crossed. I literally would do nothing different next time. Maybe pick up an extra 3 or 4 apples at the grocery, that's about it. There are bears...everywhere. We saw 7 while hunting. No unsavory moments thankfully. Flying in and out, the numbers of bears were startling. 60 or 70 conservatively. Totally ridiculous. Pay attention to winter kill. If you think your area got slammed, change destinations or wait several years. I nearly pulled the trigger on this hunt in 2012 and waited due to the last big kill. Our first choice area got slammed this past winter and we changed. Best extra $1000 I have ever spent to fly a bit further south on the island. Oh boy, what else. Take lots of pictures, then take more pictures. Then when you think you have enough pictures, take some more. We took 1,200 collectively and there are still things I wish I would have taken pictures of. When people talk about how thick and dense and wet Kodiak Island is, take them seriously. However bad they are making it sound, it's worse. Take every ounce of meat home with you. Early season Sitka venison is in a word - delicious. Build in plenty of extra days on the front and back end of your hunt. If you don't get delayed, then you have time to go fishing. If you get a change to go fishing, go fishing. It was phenomenal. Our boat split 200 pounds of king salmon, coho, halibut, cod, and black rockfish fillets. Not fish, fillets. I could go on and on, but I think there is one short paragraph that sums it all up.

There is not another place that I am aware of with an adventure level as high as Kodiak Island and with a price point as affordable as Kodiak Island. I could be wrong, I have not been everywhere. But if you play your cards right, use the credit card deals that are out there, manage your gear and equipment and weight to optimize your floatplane costs, this is a hunt that round-trip, meat transport, 1-day fishing charter and everything can be had for between $2600-$2800. I won't pretend that's cheap, because it is not, but it is the best return on investment I can possibly imagine. And yes, we will be back.

 

[bowuntr]

Bad Ass.... Congrats on a great adventure. Your second buck is a WHOPPER. Ed F

 

[Stid2677]

Great info and report. Thanks for sharing all that. Love the Rock!!

 

[Okbow87]

Congrats on a great adventure! Kodiak is a very cool place.

 

[daddie63]

Great story and adventure. One of those trips Ive dreamed of for awhile. Appreciate your info and you answered the question I was wondering about regarding cost.
Enjoy all that wonderful meat.

 

[weatherbow21]

My wife and I have been following your instagram story, we are heading up there in November and have been dying to see some stories form this year, sure gets us jacked up seeing how well you guys did. Congrats on the trip looks like a lifetime of memories

 

[realunlucky]

Awesome write up. This is bucket list hunt for me. Congratulations on a great trip with your dad

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[flytrue]

Beautiful bucks! Are they as big-bodied as they seem to be in the pics?

 

[blackdawg]

Great adventure report!


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[dihardhunter]

Glad everyone has enjoyed the report.

flytrue - we were shocked at how big they were. The first buck we badly misjudged because we both were thinking these deer would weigh 130 or 140 pounds on the larger side. We, of course, had no scale, but I would say they each weighed between 175-200 pounds. Early season - they were absolutely rolling in fat. We flew 218 pounds of boned, processed meat home from 4 bucks if that tells you anything.

Thanks weatherbow - you've been getting all the details on IG. My blog has been playing catch up to my IG story, but it takes a while when you are trying to remember every detail.

daddie63 - I'll eventually post an itemized breakdown of cost, let me know if you'd like it emailed to you.

 

[IChaseCoues]

Congrats, those are some good deer! It is an awesome place to hunt. Can't wait to go back.
Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

 

[Merc]

Enjoyed the write up and the blog. And Congratulations, some great animals y'all came out with.

 

[TBossHSauce]

Kodiak is going to be feeling the wrath of 6 Texas boys in three weeks! Can't wait!