Kodiak Island August or November?

[mcseal2]

I’m looking for some advice as I plan a 2022 Kodiak Island hunt for Sitka blacktail.

A group of 4 of us are looking to go on the hunt. One guy is a farmer and would prefer to not go during September or October due to harvest.

We would prefer to fly in and camp rather than do a boat based hunt, although we are still considering all options.

All that said which month would you recommend? What advantages and challenges does each time offer? I know November will be rut but that it will also likely have worse weather and shorter days.

Last I’d like to know if there is a time it would be better for 4 guys to hunt from one camp. We are willing to split and hunt as two groups of 2, camp separately if that will be an advantage. As of now though we plan to hunt from one base camp and spike out for a day or two if necessary.

Thanks for all your help as I plan another AK adventure.

 

[soggybtmboys]

I'd do November. We just did last week of October and would have loved to push it into November but couldn't due to scheduling. Towards the end of the week, deer really started to move and come down from elevation. I'd think 4 guys in a camp would be just fine and alot of fun.

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[Steve O]

4 guys is perfect for November. Short days give you time to have an actual deer camp. Lots of deer activity all day.

 

[cgasner1]

Not sure if you’ll be able to get on a boat by 2022 we just did that last year and had to book 2.5 years out and they only had 2 weeks left on the entire season


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[mcseal2]

Thanks everyone.

For those camping in November are you flying into higher lakes that late, landing on the ocean, or somewhere in between?

I’ve never been to Kodiak yet, just the caribou and moose hunts. I love seeing new places and hunting new species.

 

[AK Troutbum]

You probably won't be able to find anyone to fly you into an alpine like that late in the season, and even if there was no worry of freeze up, I don't think you'd want to. There's really no advantage to the higher elevation areas during Nov. if you're just deer hunting. All that said, if I was going down to strictly hunt deer, I'd probably choose early Oct. Nice cool temps. but not really cold, and longer days to hunt.

 

[Steve O]

Thanks everyone.

For those camping in November are you flying into higher lakes that late, landing on the ocean, or somewhere in between?

I’ve never been to Kodiak yet, just the caribou and moose hunts. I love seeing new places and hunting new species.

You don’t want to be high in November. There are literally 10,000 coves, lagoons, protected beaches to land a Beaver on and set up a base camp. Anywhere you go you will not run out of terrain to hunt. You really don’t have to spike camp to “get away from it” on Kodiak.

 

[gonhunting247]

Good luck mcseal2, that will be awesome! I can't wait to get back to Kodiak for deer. From the little I learned on my goat hunt, I was leaning towards the later dates myself. I'm excited to see this adventure unfold.

 

[AKDoc]

You probably won't be able to find anyone to fly you into an alpine like that late in the season, and even if there was no worry of freeze up, I don't think you'd want to. There's really no advantage to the higher elevation areas during Nov. if you're just deer hunting. All that said, if I was going down to strictly hunt deer, I'd probably choose early Oct. Nice cool temps. but not really cold, and longer days to hunt.

Good and experienced advice there^^^^^, but October is not an option for your group (I grew-up on a farm...understood).

I've done one early season alpine (late August), but mostly later season lower lakes and salt (mid to late Oct, early to mid Nov, and once in Dec...a one and done from a boat). I much prefer the later season hunts for reasons already mentioned, and I also would not schedule a high elevation lake in November.

I know you'll be ready for late season wx and the possibility of a delayed pick-up. If you're basing at salt in Nov, be mindful of sunrise/sunset times as they compare to the low tide schedule as you plan/schedule your hunt. At later season, I've taken them several times approaching and feeding at the shoreline at low tide. The hunting hours really do shrink down in Nov, but doable!

 

[LongWayAround]

We went over Thanksgiving November 2019. I wouldn't go that late again, the days felt overly short. By the time we got on the beach and had to be back down, there just wasn't a lot of time to hunt. Next time, I would like to go late October or early November.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks everyone. You confirmed a lot of what I was thinking.

I have been listening to all the podcasts I can find on Kodiak as I check cows each day. Some of the guys who hunted from boats said they basically spent 4 hours of an already short day getting above the brush to where they hunted. I am hoping camping can help avoid some of that. I’m not against the effort, just want to maximize time spent hunting. I’d prefer camping anyway, even if weather doesn’t cooperate. Kodiak may be another level of bad weather, but its all part of the experience.

Hopefully after the trip Robby will let me write another article and tell the story. I’ll do the logistics post like always, share what I can to pay back all the help I get before my trip.

 

[actionshooter]

Lots of good info here, let us know what you decide!

 

[AKDoc]

Just a visual reference for you of ONE particular year (they can vary greatly)...the following images are from a 7-day Kodiak goat hunt, low elevation lake drop, the last few days of Oct thru the first few days in Nov. Don't recall the time of day I took these photos...very likely midday. BTW, the goat hides were really full and thick, and no shortage of deer sightings. Oh, and it snowed a bit up high a day or so after these pics, but melted.

The pics were looking to my left, right, and behind me....(I posted these on another thread, but have failed three times simply trying to insert a link to them here...my errors!)

 

[AK Troutbum]

Kodiak weather can be like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get (said in my best Forrest Gump impersonation).

Late December 2014.

Late October last year at sea level

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[AKDoc]

Kodiak weather can be like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get...



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Well said!

...and you're opening-up a new box every day that you're there!

 

[Voyageur]

Enjoying this thread. @Mcseal are you planning to hunt with rifle or bow?

 

[mcseal2]

We will all be rifle hunting.

 

[Oregon]

I thoroughly enjoy Kodiak in mid November.
I have zero doubt I would rather stick a stick in my eye than tent camp on Kodiak in November.
I’m a spoiled deer hunter though.
November rut hunting is the funnest deer hunt on the planet. From 3 miles away you can tell bucks from does. If it’s trotting it’s a buck, if sitting still it’s a doe.

 

[mcseal2]

I really like seeing all the pictures. It is a beautiful place, maybe more beautiful because of how harsh it can be.

 

[mcseal2]

I called Island Air today to begin researching transporters. Learned a few things.

They have everyone off the high lakes by Oct 15 even if weather looks good.

Bear season opens Oct 25 so if you want dates around then book by March of the year you want to hunt.

The wildlife refuge has cabins to rent if we choose not to camp. I wonder though if the deer there are more pressured and have less mature bucks?

Where they can land you later in the season is weather dependent. It might be a larger lake or might be a cove.

Kodiak Kamps rents bear fence and other camp items.

I need to talk to the other guys now, get their input as we plan further.

Thanks for everyone’s help, I’ll take all the advice I can get!