Solo Kodiak drop hunt

[rooster440]

Anybody ever hunt kodiak solo by means of a drop camp? Any dos or do nots for that type of hunt?


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[AK Troutbum]

I have. As far as do’s/don’t do, I think that it’s pretty much like any other remote solo hunt with the only exception being that I always see more bears on Kodiak, and I feel like there’s a greater chance for bad bear experiences/encounters. At least that’s been my experience.


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[rooster440]

Is a bear fence a necessary piece of gear? I've spent quite a bit of time in the backcountry but not Kodiak.


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[AK Troutbum]

Some folks use them, some don't. I own 2 now and have used them for everyone of my hunts (I think 9 or 10), on Kodiak since '06. I usually don't bother taking one on any other hunt, except Kodiak. I've personally witnessed them in action, and they definitely work.

 

[BRWNBR]

Do’s....have some form of communication. Maybe leave a note in your tent each day where your headed,name,etc when you head out. Have a vhf radio in camp. Boats on channel 16 planes on 14. Have fun. Bring tent entertainment for crap weather.

Dont’s.....worry. People hunt the island all the time. Don’t use a hindquarter for a pillow, skin slow or drag Deer back to camp.

 

[rooster440]

Do’s....have some form of communication. Maybe leave a note in your tent each day where your headed,name,etc when you head out. Have a vhf radio in camp. Boats on channel 16 planes on 14. Have fun. Bring tent entertainment for crap weather.

Dont’s.....worry. People hunt the island all the time. Don’t use a hindquarter for a pillow, skin slow or drag Deer back to camp.

Hind quarters make the best pillows!


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[Steve O]

Yes. Bear fence gives peace of mind. I don’t know if they work or not but I’m taking one every time. You definitely want communication with your pilot. Coming out a day or two early is way better then weathering a bad storm.

 

[Oregon]

I’m jealous. I’m way too big of wuss to even consider solo. Too many up close adventures with brown furry Volkswagen bugs.
I’d say a bear fence would be absolutely mandatory, along with some sort of Epirb/spot device that can transmit a “come get me, I’m jacked up” satellite signal.

 

[Brightwhite]

Is a bear fence a necessary piece of gear? I've spent quite a bit of time in the backcountry but not Kodiak.


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I would say yes. I have only spent 10 days on kodiak so I am not as experienced as some, but I am going back this year and we are packing in 2 fences. One to get around the tent and one to get around a meat cache.

 

[BRWNBR]

On the fence topic. I have hunted Kodiak for 20 years, keep capes and skulls in my tent vestibule. Meat 30 yards out the front door. I am not sure how many days I have camped, maybe 300 or more. Never once used a fence to protect me or my meat. I’ve lost meat to a bear one time and that was when I kept my meat about 300 yards from the tent. So for those 300 nights if I had a fence I would swear they must work, but I didn’t have one. Would it save my tent someday...maybe. Will I be using one in the future. No.

 

[AK Troutbum]

See, there you go, some use ‘em and some don’t.
On one occasion we (a buddy and I), had two bears in our base camp for about 5 hours, they destroyed everything outside of our sleeping tent, including our cook tent and everything inside, and a free standing rain fly that we had pitched over some miscellaneous gear to keep dry. We had all of our food (cooler, dry goods, etc.), and personnel gear inside the vestibule of our big dome tent, and the bear fence was just large enough to fit around our tent/vestibule. So, they spent approx. 5 hours trashing our camp and walking all around our sleep tent, but they never came inside where we were (along with all of our food)....I’d like to think that hot fence had something to do with it. Anyway, they came back the following night, we were more prepared, and we killed them both. I’m very glad I had the fence on that hunt and I’ve taken a bear fence to Kodiak ever since.


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[AK Troutbum]

On the fence topic. I have hunted Kodiak for 20 years, keep capes and skulls in my tent vestibule. Meat 30 yards out the front door. I am not sure how many days I have camped, maybe 300 or more. Never once used a fence to protect me or my meat. I’ve lost meat to a bear one time and that was when I kept my meat about 300 yards from the tent. So for those 300 nights if I had a fence I would swear they must work, but I didn’t have one. Would it save my tent someday...maybe. Will I be using one in the future. No.

I thought I saw a post just last year of you using a bear fence on Kodiak that the deer trashed. Am I mistaken?


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[rooster440]

I thought I saw a post just last year of you using a bear fence on Kodiak that the deer trashed. Am I mistaken?


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I remember reading that too.

Well as long as it keeps the bears out I guess a deer wouldn't be so bad to wake up too!

My concern is that my hunting partner will be off chasing elk so I'll be solo and I think I'd feel better with a fence.


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[BRWNBR]

I said I’ve never used a fence to protect me or my meat.
I tried setting one up around some gear while I was gonna be in town once but a deer kept tearing it down and on the third try he ran off with the whole fence.

 

[rooster440]

I said I’ve never used a fence to protect me or my meat.
I tried setting one up around some gear while I was gonna be in town once but a deer kept tearing it down and on the third try he ran off with the whole fence.

That's a good deer too lol



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[Superkodiak38]

I can cure him of that behavior

 

[AK Troutbum]

I said I’ve never used a fence to protect me or my meat.
I tried setting one up around some gear while I was gonna be in town once but a deer kept tearing it down and on the third try he ran off with the whole fence.

Oops, my bad, but that is a very decent buck, and I hope you put him in the freezer, if for no other reason than making off with your fence.


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[BRWNBR]

No bad man, no worries!
We usually don’t shoot bucks like that if we can help it. He’s a young guy. But every now and then.....lol

 

[luke moffat]

I've been to Kodiak atleast 20 times in the past 10 years. I can count on one hand the times we used a bear fence. I have brought one in case we had bear around that may look like a problem on occasion, but I wouldn't say its a must by any means IMO.

 

[TEmbry]

I've gone with and without a fence. We had one last year that we didn't ground properly. Slept like babies the first 5 nights knowing all our gear was safe while we were away. Day 6 I got into the whiskey a bit too much and accidentally touched the fence, which barely even tickled me. We all died laughing at how much comfort a string and 4 plastic fence posts can provide.

I don't bring a bear fence because I'm scared a bear will get me at night. We sleep next to very large guns. I bought one to protect my expensive camp while I'm out chasing deer and not there to protect it myself.