Kodiak island blacktail

[Onthehnt365]

Good morning, Has anyone done a Kodiak island trip (south side of the island) that would be willing to give a little help. We are doing a boat based trip in mid October out of old harbor and the transporters say not being guides that they can’t help with the hunt which I get that they have to say that but I would really rather not fully rely on them, been doing research and have only found guys talking about the north side. Anyone have any pointers on a bay or direction to start with leaving from old harbor. Thank you

 

[skipper907]

they should be able to give the normal areas the boat hunts. It will also be greatly dependent on weather where the boat is and if they can get you off the boat daily. I would expect they hunt the bays south of old harbor

 

[kwackkillncrew]

They are only going to bring you where they can go with a boat and that's going to depend on the weather. Maybe people will pm you, but I hope they don't blast bay names on here.

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk

 

[FAAFO]

Look at land status first. Lots of native land where you’re headed.

Other than that pick a bay. There are plenty of deer in each. Yes it’s that simple

 

[wildwilderness]

You won’t have much say at all. Boats are slow and cost a lot in fuel. Pretty much I bet they will just go to normal spots and drop you off for the day.

In October just be ready to climb up from salt to where you can glass for deer. They will be higher than the late November snow and rut hunts.

At least that way the pack out will be down hill. But you should plan on being in good shape so you can go higher if needed.

Think of the boat more of as a place to sleep out of the weather and bears

 

[Mangata]

As above, plan on hiking up as the deer will most likely still be in the alpine. Last season I shot a buck out of a group of 6 deer on October 8 at elevation 2370 ft.
I would plan on getting to elevation of 1000 feet to begin getting into deer.

Get some work in on hills. Extra points if you can train with alders and raspberry canes in the rain…

 

[FAAFO]

As above, plan on hiking up as the deer will most likely still be in the alpine. Last season I shot a buck out of a group of 6 deer on October 8 at elevation 2370 ft.
I would plan on getting to elevation of 1000 feet to begin getting into deer.

Get some work in on hills. Extra points if you can train with alders and raspberry canes in the rain…

There’s deer that live at all elevations. You don’t have to hike up to the alpine. They are just easier to see up there. On your hike to the alpine you’re walking past hundreds of deer.

You’re not going to get any significant snow to push the deer down in Oct or Nov like mentioned above. All the snow does is make it easier to see the deer that have been there the whole time.

 

[Onthehnt365]

Right on guys thanks for the info, the hike and terrain are not a concern for most of us, the other guys will survive ha-ha my last Alaska hunt was brutal, that's half the fun. Being avid chukar hunters down here i am also very excited to chase around some Ptarmigan

 

[BRWNBR]

“The hike and terrain are not a concern to us”.

Sounds like you’ve never been to Kodiak before?
Kodiaks brush is a breed all its own. Grass slopes look easy and then you realize it’s little snares set by Satan to entangle your ankles.
Red black berry bushes look navigable then You realize theres thorns in everything and brittle branches trip you and cause you to bleed, falling over you don’t even touch the ground because the tiny little bushes hold you in the air.
Devils club…well. It’s not to bad as long as it don’t hit you. Voice of experience says don’t step on one and let it up to soon…thorns in your nut sack really effect your overall attitude.
Alders. Almost the easiest part of Kodiak. I realize I’m leaving out the hidden ravines and crevasses, snot grass, splat factor, the fact that deer are heavier than people think, fog, rain, wind till you can’t see.
Weird part is. Kodiak is an amazing great adventure!

 

[Onthehnt365]

“The hike and terrain are not a concern to us”.

Sounds like you’ve never been to Kodiak before?
Kodiaks brush is a breed all its own. Grass slopes look easy and then you realize it’s little snares set by Satan to entangle your ankles.
Red black berry bushes look navigable then You realize theres thorns in everything and brittle branches trip you and cause you to bleed, falling over you don’t even touch the ground because the tiny little bushes hold you in the air.
Devils club…well. It’s not to bad as long as it don’t hit you. Voice of experience says don’t step on one and let it up to soon…thorns in your nut sack really effect your overall attitude.
Alders. Almost the easiest part of Kodiak. I realize I’m leaving out the hidden ravines and crevasses, snot grass, splat factor, the fact that deer are heavier than people think, fog, rain, wind till you can’t see.
Weird part is. Kodiak is an amazing great adventure!

Sounds about as shitty as most Alaska hunts, If it was easy I think most of us wouldnt enjoy it as much as we do. You’ve gotta have some misery added to the adventure

 

[william schmaltz]

Sounds about as shitty as most Alaska hunts, If it was easy I think most of us wouldnt enjoy it as much as we do. You’ve gotta have some misery added to the adventure

Buddy, I’d mange expectations. There’s a whole lot of BS “hardest hunt ever” stuff on this website from one-timer ultra-badasses that is wildly over dramatic and then there are fair warnings from guys that have hunted hundreds of days all over this state. This is the later.

You guys seem to be NR and could very likely shoot 6 deer that are “low hanging fruit” and think to yourself, “this isn’t that bad.” If that’s the case, take the opportunity on one of your extra days to take a hike up to 1800 feet to take mountain goat pictures so you can understand what others are trying to tell you.

I’ve been lucky to hunt this state from Kake to Kotzebue; Kaktovik to Kodiak; and out to the Islands as far west as St Paul and Unmak. Kodiak is a different animal. I’d almost rather pack a moose quarter through the Chugach alders up to 1600 feet than do some hikes on kodiak empty to that elevation. Is the central part of Kodiak so bad that it should be feared/avoided? No. I’ve been there several times. Was just on that shit hole last week hunting goats and will be back again next fall and probably winter. I’m still covered in cuts and devils club thorns. I threw away a pair of shredded pants, and my left eye still hurts from several whacks from them hellish berry shoots. If soft, past-their-prime, office jockeys like me can do it; anyone can. But can it be compared to the pain in the ass scenarios found in other parts of the state? Not often.

Enjoy your trip. You’re over thinking it. There are only so many bays they can anchor the boat safely and only so many spots in those bays they can get the skiff to safely. Weather often determines both.

 

[FAAFO]

The OP isn’t overthinking his hunt, he’s just excited and wants to talk about it. Nothing wrong with that. A few other notes:

Be quiet on the mountain

There are a lot of other boat based operators. So you’ll have to have a plan b c and d. Don’t be a penis and hunt where someone else is hunting. There is plenty of land no need to hunt around others.

Best tactic for blacktails is to be quiet. Loud packs, rain gear etc will cut down on how many deer you see. Anymore if I know I’m going to be someplace dry at night I’m not taking rain gear. Quiet kills big bucks when the hunting is tough.

Be smart about when and where you kill bucks. Not too many boat captains like to pick you up off the beach two hours after dark.

Be quiet when you get to the beach in the mornings.

Calling works all year but less likely to get a buck in until late Oct

Don’t rush a shot. It’s thick and there’s always other bucks.

Be quiet

Download all areas on OnX or whatever platform you use to navigate around alder jungles etc

Be quiet

If you crap on the mountain bury it please.

And be quiet…while crapping.

Good luck!

 

[kwackkillncrew]

that island has more various terrain then anywhere else i have been up here (been lots of places for surveying). tundra, swamps, cliffs, alders, devils club, salmonberry peker poles, rolling hills, alpine, boulders covered in moss it has it all and sometimes all within half a mile. Going to depend on where you get dropped off on how much suck you will embrace. Not to mention the weather can greet you with a nice hello then give you a sand paper finish w/no loob