Kodiak Sitka Success!

[TBossHSauce]

More random pics....

 

[daddie63]

Awesome recount of you adventure. Makes us who haven't gone yet want to go even more. Sounds like a great time.
I might have missed it but I'm curious what boots you used? Since this was your first trip to Kodiak anything new gear wise you will be sure to bring the next time?
Congrats again

 

[weatherbow21]

I leave in two weeks for kodiak, thanks for the write up. Wish I could see the pics

 

[TBossHSauce]

I used Schnee's Granite boots. I love the boots and they were the ticket. Despite the blisters on the first day which I don't think were the boots fault...

As far as gear, I would look into getting a Delorme In-Reach. I was on the fence for getting one but didn't due to time and money. There is ZERO cell phone service for AT&T customers in Old Harbor. The only communication I had was a radio to the boat. Sometimes they would reach and sometimes the batterires died. Jeff has an In-Reach and it would have been nice and a good piece of mind to be able to communicate with him. The lodge has Wi-Fi so connecting with wife and family was no problem but on the mountain an In-Reach would have been handy.

I would also have another pair of waterproof leather lined gloves. I liked the Kuiu Yukon but would sweat so much they'd get soaked on the inside on the way up which makes for some cold fingers on the top of the mountain. I would have purchased some merino base layers as they dry faster than the synthetic ones I used.

I would have also packed lighter on the way to Kodiak. I took two pairs of Kuiu attack pants and wore a pair of regular hunting pants on the plane. Jeff has laundry services and I ended up doing laundry. I only wore the attack pants one day before it snowed. Others used the attack pants and had treated them with Nikwax and swore by it. They never got wet unless they fell into a stream etc. I hunted out of the Yukon rain gear with no problems.

 

[TBossHSauce]

Also, we each purchased multiple tags. Kodiak allows you to harvest 3 deer. We were trophy hunting rather than meat hunting. If I would do it over again I would only purchase one tag and save the $300 on the second tag.

 

[daddie63]

Good info thanks so much. It's good to get real advice from folks who have been there. I gotta get this hunt planned damn it.

 

[BRWNBR]

I love these write ups. Sometimes humorous to see what people learn in a week on that island. When you experience the same type trip with a guide or a local it’s totally different to see how they dress and what they wear. Also how they travel in the country. And the ones that won’t drag Deer out. I enjoyed your write up, couple chuckles from it, nice bucks and glad you had a good trip with Jeff. He’s good people.

 

[TBossHSauce]

One more thing...sorry for the multiple posts...

Notice to hunters flying out of Kodiak City via Ravn Airlines!!!

Our return flight was operated by Ravn Airlines via Alaska Air. There are two flights a day out of Kodiak on Ravn and only one on Alaskan Air. When checking our luggage we were informed that Ravn will not accept antlers in checked baggage. No problem with Alaskan Air. I fought with them on this and asked how would anyone know? My flights out of Anchorage all the way to Austin were Alaskan Air and my ticket had been booked via Alaskan Air via Ravn and the lady said..."because you told me antlers were in there". I even looked it up on Ravn's website and sure enough...no can do. You have to ship it via Cargo on the plane which is much more expensive. I was able to change my flight to the Alaskan Air flight but it cost me another $150 to do so. Sooo...if you are flying Ravn, make sure you put your antlers in a tote/cooler and keep your mouth shut. Otherwise make sure you are flying on an Alaskan Air operated flight....

Also sorry some of the pictures are sideways and upside down. They all were right side up on my computer and I'm not going to repost them...sorry

 

[BRWNBR]

Wow, that’s poor taste on ravn’s part. Thank goodness for Walmart in Kodiak!!i had a guy take his brown bear skull as his carryon once. He said tsa really looked his bag over on the X-ray machine!!

 

[wyosteve]

In the pre-9/11 days, I took my grizzly skull, frozen of course, as a carry on out of Anchorage and the hide was in one of my checked bags. Those days are probably gone!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I guess that’s just one more reason for me not to like Ravn. I occasionally fly down (one-way), with them just for the sole purpose of not having to go through security, but I never fly back to Anchorage via Ravn.

I do think it was funny how you described the Kodiak airport as being “efficient”. I kind a have the opposite thoughts about it. Since the remodel, I feel that it is a total cluster ****. I’d be curious to hear other people’s opinions about it regarding the remodel. I had also heard that they were planning on remodeling it again, but that could just be a rumor.


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[TBossHSauce]

The only real cluster was all the totes for the various big game outfitters that kept clogging the baggage claim. That airport is tiny...anyone can see the baggage claim. Get your crap off the conveyor! Once they grabbed their stuff (I'm sure it was supplies) it went smoothly from there on.

 

[TBarron]

Awesome write up and I was fortunate enough to share this experience of a lifetime with the group! Forgot one hairy detail and a lesson on something I will never forget in my pack now..... a Quick Clot sponge. Our buddy Reese did a number on his self boning out a deer on the last day. It was late and we were high on the mountain and got in too much of hurry. Stabbed deep and it went to spraying. We threw a quick clot on, elevated his hand, and wrapped it in electrical tape and got him off the mountain. The village doc wouldn’t touch it bc it had cut a large vein or artery. We got him to Anchorage and they tried to cauterize it but still had trouble stopping the bleeding. The doc told him if we wouldn’t of had the clotting pad he would have bled out on the mountain. Big lesson learned about slowing down and being prepared.

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[Stid2677]

Awesome write up and I was fortunate enough to share this experience of a lifetime with the group! Forgot one hairy detail and a lesson on something I will never forget in my pack now..... a Quick Clot sponge. Our buddy Reese did a number on his self boning out a deer on the last day. It was late and we were high on the mountain and got in too much of hurry. Stabbed deep and it went to spraying. We threw a quick clot on, elevated his hand, and wrapped it in electrical tape and got him off the mountain. The village doc wouldn’t touch it bc it had cut a large vein or artery. We got him to Anchorage and they tried to cauterize it but still had trouble stopping the bleeding. The doc told him if we wouldn’t of had the clotting pad he would have bled out on the mountain. Big lesson learned about slowing down and being prepared.

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Add a pair of cut resistant gloves to your kit, have saved me more cuts than I can count.

G & F 22600L CUTShield Cut Resistant Level 5 Work Gloves, Rubber Coated, grey, Large - Cut Resistant Safety Gloves - Amazon.com

 

[BRWNBR]

Yikes!! That’s a cut!!!
I can’t stand the new Kodiak airport. The layout is horrible, it bottle necks at the baggage claim, there’s less than half the seating it used to have and it feels like a hospital room. The old airport with pictures, color, wide open baggage, and of course the bear mount was awesome!

 

[TBarron]

Other injuries to report amongst the group: a blown knee, back thrown out, pulled Achilles a raging case of tendinitis, and Christmas toes. We all had experience hunting out west so we trained hard, but it’s safe to say that we all underestimated. Man it really is some gnarly and steep terrain. I guess that’s what’s happens when you get a group of 6 buck fever crazed Texans chasing bucks all over the hill. TBossHSauce, any other injuries I missed ?


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[TBossHSauce]

Other injuries to report amongst the group: a blown knee, back thrown out, pulled Achilles a raging case of tendinitis, and Christmas toes. We all had experience hunting out west so we trained hard, but it’s safe to say that we all underestimated. Man it really is some gnarly and steep terrain. I guess that’s what’s happens when you get a group of 6 buck fever crazed Texans chasing bucks all over the hill. TBossHSauce, any other injuries I missed ?


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Clogged arteries from all the good food and severe side stitch from all the laughter and good times!


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[AK Troutbum]

Other injuries to report amongst the group: a blown knee, back thrown out, pulled Achilles a raging case of tendinitis, and Christmas toes. We all had experience hunting out west so we trained hard, but it’s safe to say that we all underestimated. Man it really is some gnarly and steep terrain. I guess that’s what’s happens when you get a group of 6 buck fever crazed Texans chasing bucks all over the hill. TBossHSauce, any other injuries I missed ?

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Okay, I think I understand all these injuries, but Christmas toes?? That almost sounds like something to celebrate.

 

[Brightwhite]

Awesome recount of you adventure. Makes us who haven't gone yet want to go even more. Sounds like a great time.
I might have missed it but I'm curious what boots you used? Since this was your first trip to Kodiak anything new gear wise you will be sure to bring the next time?
Congrats again

As long as youre hunting the coastal mountain terrain in Kodiak, just a good stuff pair of mountain hunting boots and gaiters will work. I wore the lathrop&sons mountain elite and the kuiu Yukon gaiters and it was a fine setup for me. If you go interior at all into some of the tundra, it's gets wet fast and you'll have to compromise with muck boots to be dry, but suck hiking, or regular boots to have a better hiking, but wet feet.

I also 2nd the InReach that the OP mentioned. Worked great for us to communicate to the boat and the bush pilots we used on our trip. Also did daily check in with the families and it made things a lot better and more comforting. 100% worth it.

 

[GLB]

Thanks for sharing your hunt. Hunting blactails on Kodiak is one of my favorite hunts and look forward to it more than any other.