Kodiak island late September early October?

[thinhorn_AK]

Has anybody hunted the south part of the island in late September/ early October?

What could one expect around that time?

Appreciate any and all insight.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Yes, I have. Expect it to be wet, green and buggy. I'd go a month later.

 

[Mangata]

I hunted sept last year and concur with green & buggy. Impossible to spot deer unless they were up & moving.

 

[Looney]

It's certainly the most difficult time to hunt them. They aren't as reliably visible in the alpine, and the weather/rut hasn't brought them down into the bottom lands. They also don't seem to be nearly as active in the weeks leading up to November. I will say that August up in the alpine is by far my favorite time to hunt them.

 

[Lgraham]

Tough time to hunt as folks have said. Bucks can be transitioning and off their predictable summertime patterns. Get up high early and be glassing at first/last light. Days are still somewhat long so consider camping up high if you can to maximize time up high in good areas.

 

[HungryNomad]

Yes, on the road system. I've still hunted with a little grunt call in early October, walking slow and grunting and had some success. As others have said, it's a tough time of year because they aren't necessarily in predictable places. The road system also gets a lot of pressure, as does Saltery. I was in Saltery two years ago in November around Thanksgiving. It snowed a foot, cleared off and dropped to 12 degrees. There were some deer down low but when we glassed the mountains we saw trails of deer marching down off the highest stuff. Their trails looked like veins going to an artery. I was surprised to see the majority of deer still up that high in November. I do think part of the reason for that is pressure. We did still manage to take a few home.