Kodiak Island Non-Res Archery Hunts

[BigSurArcher]

I know a few of you have made this trip. I've heard it's actually pretty reasonable. What should a DIY guy expect to spend for this trip from start to finish, if 3 of us were to go?

 

[Nick Muche]

You got room for a 4th?

 

[JasonWi]

4 is just too even of a number. How about 5?

 

[broncoformudv]

I know a few of you have made this trip. I've heard it's actually pretty reasonable. What should a DIY guy expect to spend for this trip from start to finish, if 3 of us were to go?

That all depends on how fancy you want to get.

You can charter a boat and live and hunt from it, rent a cabin, do a fly out hunt, hunt from the road system, or fly out to a boat charter and just stay in his home and get taken to and from the hunting areas every day.

The cheapest way would be fly to Kodiak and rent a truck then do the road system hunt. The most expensive would be one of the boat based operations.

Doing a fly out would be the most cost effective in my mind and offer you the opportunity to hunt an area all to yourselves or darn close to it. The air transporters base flight rates off of weight not by person. So if you had 4 guys and packed reasonably, you could get into a good hunt for damn cheap.

The boat based ones normally throw in fishing, crabbing, and maybe some wing shooting so you have to take that into consideration.

 

[bowuntr]

Door to door.... the cheapest I could do it is for was about $2500 with three deer tags. $3500 is more realistic and that is with keeping a budget. Airfare is the biggest expense and with fuel prices it ain't getting any cheaper. You can get deals and free flights (miles) on the commercial flights getting to Kodiak. That will help a bunch. Boat trips are another option but that will take you over $3500 by the time you are done. I've done Kodiak DIY four successful times and can share how I got it done.... you just gotta ask the questions. Ed F

 

[chiefhoyt]

always wanted to do this, everyone typically has great things to say about it. Opportunities for success seem to be high as well.

 

[BigSurArcher]

Thanks guys. As far as hunting style goes, I always err on the side of simplicity. Basically I'd just want to get there with my gear, then be free to go. Getting dropped off in our own area would be cool I think. I'll be asking more questions as I get more serious about it I'm sure. I'd like to do this hunt as a college graduation celebration sorta deal, or at least that's one way to justify it! I graduate in May.

 

[Nick Muche]

And if you have room for a 4th, just holler... I am serious

 

[bowuntr]

My buddy is there on a solo bowhunt right now with the dope I gave him. Ill get him to post his story and pics when he gets back. Ed F

 

[fillthefreezer]

is that 3500 per person or split 3 ways?

 

[bowuntr]

Per person.... that includes getting all the gear there and back as well as getting the meat home. Cheap logistically.. you're paying for the adventure. Check out this adventure... http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/showthread.php/192447-Alaskan-mixed-bag. Ed F

 

[Nick Muche]

Ed, that was a Kodiak hunt? One heck of a buck you took and that caribou was no slouch either! Nice work.

I emailed a buddy that I have hunted with before the other day about doing this. He was already researching this for himself, so it looks like we might be planning a trip for next year.

 

[actionshooter]

Ed,
I had read about that hunt when you got back from it, on the campfire I think. I still remember it. Very cool hunt!
Its on my short list for sure. Just have to convince my buddies to do it!

 

[bowuntr]

Recent reports from Kodiak are grim... as much as 90% mortality from some reliable sources. My buddy I referenced above, spent a week there and only saw two forked horn bucks... and he killed both of them. Four years ago I was seeing 20- 30 bucks a day in that same spot. Its gonna be 3-4 years before i think about going back. Ed F

 

[BigSurArcher]

Wow what terrible news. Excuse the ignorance, but I haven't heard about the problem. Is it weather?

 

[shaun]

I remember reading that they had a severe winter kill.

 

[TEmbry]

I did it in 2009 flying essentially to the farthest point possible from the city of Kodiak on the way out for the hunt...I'll have to double check but pretty sure I did it for a hair over $2k. $700 commercial flights, $850+ bush flight (only two of us went, making it substantially more), $535 for 3 tags and license. I never consider food an expense as I eat regardless where I am. I also was lucky to have a friend living in Kodiak to stay with when we weren't out in the bush saving us hotel expenses on each end of the trip.

We killed 6 P&Y bucks and had the best trip of my life... I have too many other hunts on the radar to go back anytime soon, but I WILL do this type hunt again someday. VERY affordable and VERY accomplishable (if thats a word, lol). I was 18 fresh out of high school and had never hunted outside of the eastern whitetail woods a day in my life minus a 5 day waterhole antelope hunt. I did the trip DIY for 12 days with my buddy and we had a ball with no glitches in logistics.

 

[Jon Boy]

Thanks guys. As far as hunting style goes, I always err on the side of simplicity. Basically I'd just want to get there with my gear, then be free to go. Getting dropped off in our own area would be cool I think. I'll be asking more questions as I get more serious about it I'm sure. I'd like to do this hunt as a college graduation celebration sorta deal, or at least that's one way to justify it! I graduate in May.

I was planning a similar trip as well for a graduation present to myself, i graduate in may as well. Might do POW instead though, not real sure yet.

 

[AK Troutbum]

We had a record snow year ('11-'12) and a very high deer mortality rate on Kodiak. The micro climates up here can be very extreme and one area can get tons of snow, than just a few miles away could get very little snow. Parts of Kodiak got hammered with snow, while other parts received a little above average snowfall. I think to say Kodiak Island had a 90% mortality rate is way too big of a blanket statement. I spent two weeks down there last month and although we seen fewer deer this year than prior years, we still saw plenty of deer. The largest herd I saw was about 25, and I saw deer every day. There may have been areas on Kodiak that had close to 90% mortality, but also areas where the winter kill was probably not much more than normal.
By way of comparison, Anchorage received around 150" of snow last winter. Twenty miles away (as the crow flies) and at the same elevation (basically sea level), Girdwood got over 250" just in the month of Feb. and the ski resort there got just under 1000" for the season. This was at the top of Alyeska (the mountain) which is just over 3000' elevation.
Typically the climate on the southwestern side of Kodiak Island is much milder than on the north and eastern sides.

 

[bowuntr]

Thanks for the info. Ed F