Kodiak sitka in October

[palefty45]

good day all! Been given the opportunity to hunt on Kodiak the third week of October this year with some buddies. Obviously this is well before the rut. Has anybody hunted Kodiak this time of the year? what's it like? how is deer movement? it will be a boat based hunt on the southern part of the island. any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[BRWNBR]

Before the rut???
Seen plenty of bucks doing something weird on top of does 3rd week of October if they weren’t rutting…rut seems to fluctuate every year anyway. But often times bucks are easier to find/stalk without the rut anyway. Much more predictable.
Good time. Have fun. South end is typically better glassing. Boat based so you will be there before the next push if 6 weeks of hunters being dropped everywhere by all the boats. A lot of the boat hunts happen in the same places every year, part of why I quit guiding kodiak is a boat decided the bay I was in was the place for his 12 clients everyday. So now every fork horn and sometimes spikes are getting shot because over the course of 2 months anywhere from 50-100 guys will hunt that location and they get desperate to kill something after dropping several grand. The deer in the bay are not the same anymore.

Don’t hesitate to go, worth the adventure!

 

[Elkman17]

That time of the year on Kodiak is not before the rut, it’s a good time to go.

 

[Mangata]

Deer will be moving.
Daylight is still reasonable.
Vegetation should be thinned out.
Weather will be variable.
Perfect time to hunt the black tail!!!

 

[kwackkillncrew]

dont be suprised if you get stuck on the boat for a day or 2 beacause of 70 mph winds. like its been said, there is alot of pressure by boat hunters and there are only so many places to drop people off at so spots get recycled constantly.

 

[LongWayAround]

The one boat hunt I went on, we had a little fresh snow the first morning and there were already other boot tracks that morning.

 

[Grizz208]

Hike high and glass. You'll find some bucks! Good luck and enjoy the trip!

 

[Green-Up]

It wasn't a boat based hunt, but my nephew and I did a DIY drop camp on the south end during the last week of October in 2022.

The wind is NO JOKE there! Plan on having wet weather. These don't look like much, but they were worth their weight in gold for keeping my hands dry and warm while maintaining reasonable dexterity: https://www.kinco.com/products/featured/winter-wear/1886P.html
You can probably find them, or similar, on Amazon.

As some have said, the consensus for that time of year seems to be that most of the better bucks are still up high - barring significant early snowfall. From our trip, I don't disagree with that; however, I managed to take a good buck (95") low during that trip, ~500 ft - so, it can happen.

Trekking across the tussocks is every bit as miserable as people claim - especially with a heavy pack; though you may not experience as much of that on a boat based hunt as what we did being dropped more inland.

There is one guarantee... Kodiak is a special place, and you will have an epic adventure you'll not forget. I'd definitely recommend it if you're able!