Hunting Kodiak Island?

[JJB2]

Kevin, where's the pics with the deer?

[Zbearclaw]

I was there in 2010 with my dad.  10 days hunting on the island and we lost a full 5 to hurricane force winds.

We went second week of August and wish we would have gone sooner.  Next time I go it will be first week.

In my opinion, you should be camping and hunting high for early season.  We took a solid 4 season mountaineering tent to the top and stayed there except to run meat to our base camp.

Bears are down low on the salmon early, right where I want them.  The best defense for a 1,500lb bear is for that fat joker to be 2 miles and 2,000 vertical feet below me!

Good luck guys.  Helly Hansen rain gear is all we wore while there.  Our REI mountain 3 tent was awesome, though a bit heavy on the hike up.

[FerretWYO]

Cool story's guys. Please only trad bow kill pictures if you will though.

[Bowhunter4life]

I hunted Kodiak in '99, but I won't be much help with the camp as we stayed on a boat at night.  Early season be ready to do some walking up hill, side hill, and of course down hill...  Most of the deer are high, especially the bucks.  Carry protection as over the course of the hunt we saw 8 different brown bears... nothing to close but did have them come to 150 yards or so...  Gutting tracking and dragging gets a bit nerve racking when they are on your back trail!  You will also want to wear gloves as well as full length sleeves, the Devils Club is brutal...

I won't post pics as that was still my before I was shooting traditional full time... was still using my training wheels and the friend I was hunting with was carrying a gun.  I did get two smaller bucks and a doe and he shot a doe and a nubbin buck.  Also caught a bunch of Halibut over lunch time, with a couple over 100#.  Nice addition to the boat hunting aspect of that hunt.  Salmon runs were for the most part over, but the rivers were littered with the dead fish and I'm guessing a bunch of bears.  We stayed clear of the rivers...

[Zbearclaw]

Here is the buck I convinced to come back to California.  An old fat joker that I ended up with 70lbs of meat from.

Kodiak is a magical place...I'll be back soon...

[J. Oles]

I live here in Kodiak and spend around 3-4 months out each season.

If you like send me a e-mail and perhaps have a conversation.

What project was your friend working on?  Was he part of KIMU camp?

J.O.

[Skipmaster1]

Originally posted by J. Oles:
I live here in Kodiak and spend around 3-4 months out each season.

If you like send me a e-mail and perhaps have a conversation.

What project was your friend working on?  Was he part of KIMU camp?

J.O.

Thanks for the offer, I may shoot you an email once I talk with my buddy some more. I'm not sure what group he was with but he was studying Kittlitz's Murrelets and doing nest and egg counts along the shore

[J. Oles]

Yep, he worked with us here at he Refuge.

E-mail returned

J.O.

[Wary Buck]

Went to Kodiak in '05 and killed two very nice Sitka bucks.  We were alpine, and after one grueling experience in the alders, never stepped foot in them again the entire trip and wouldn't have even if a big buck was on the other side.  (Saw a BIG brownie go into the alders that I had just struggled through).  

The electric fence would have allowed my brother and I to sleep better at night.  One thing I wish I'd have taken was a Peet Boot Dryer that runs on propane.  Definitely something I'd buy and take if I ever went back.  Could not keep my boots dry.

[chinook907]

Kodiak can be tough but is a lot of fun.  Consider adding another bit of adventure by getting to Kodiak via a ferry that is part of the Alaska Marine Highway system from Homer.  Its a lot cheaper than flying, and no fees for extra baggage (last time I took it).  Most folks don't rent a room, just sleep in one of the seats or on the deck in a sleeping bag as you cross the Gulf of Alaska    .  But, a fair bit of the 13 hour or so boat ride is during darkness, and you are tied to the ferry's once a week or so schedule.

An electric fence is a great idea, as is a sidearm.  Use common sense with the bears there and you should be ok, other than wanting the meat of whatever you get they seem pretty well behaved compared to brownies in other parts of the State (just my opinion).

PM sent

[akdd]

I have not been there in August the earliest that I have been there was early October. That time we stayed at a one of the public use cabins. And like Chomebuck said the the undergrowth down low was real high almost impossible to see a deer in and it was a real struggle to get up to the alpine areas where it opened up. It was doable but about 2 1/2 hours of real tough climbing through some real steep nasty thickets and tall grass. Don't get me wrong I had a great time but it was a lot of real tough going.
There are lots of options of DIY Kodiak hunts. There are some public use cabins for rent on Kodiak. But the deer hunting around them is most generally not as good as away from them. You can rent your entire camp, an inflatable boat, cabin or bring all your own  gear. There are several good air taxi outfits put of Kodiak  PM me and I can provide you with some additional info on some of the services the I have used going there over the years.

[Glunt]

I've been a couple times.  The first trip weather kept us in town most of the week.  We did get out and duck hunt quite a bit in the protected bays we could get to with a vehicle and small boat.  Lots of fun but didn't get much deer hunting in.

This year I did a lodge hunt and it was great.  After I priced transporting or buying/renting gear there for a drop hunt, I started getting closer to the cost of a lodge hunt where all we had to take was a duffel bag and a weapon.

The hunting was good and we had a huge area to  ourselves, never saw another hunter. Meals were provided so our only job was to hunt.  I won't complain about having a warm stove and a comfy dry bed at night either.

As stated above, its tougher hunting than it looks. Lots of rough country and the alders and vegetation are not friendly to how a human travels. The bears are there but they aren't waiting behind every bush with bad intentions.  They are doing their thing and with some common sense and a healthy respect for them it shouldn't cause concern.  

I went in November both times so not much help with an earlier hunt.  From what I saw I would want to get dropped at a high lake above the alder line and just stay high that time of year.  The bucks should be up there and the bears should mostly be down at the streams and rivers.  

Its a great destination and I would recommend it to anyone.

[stujay]

Til 04 lived in Alaska 25 yrs including 1 1/2 on Kodiak, and hunted Kodiak each fall.As was mentioned until the Oct freezes, the vegetation is tall and thick, with the deer up high. It's tough hunting. Generally the stormy season does'nt begin till late Sept/Oct, but it can still be rainy. You might consider one of the refuge cabin on the higher lakes, to fish and hunt as well as a warm place to stay. Another thing that I've noticed this winter is the brutal weather Kodiak is having. Very cold and what looks like a deep snow year. If this continues you are looking at a 50% or more winter kill which will adversely impact hunting sucess. It is wild and beautiful country. I've used the little river cabin and it's one to consider. Beware of bears saw quite a few in a Sept hunt there. Best wishes on your planning, let us know how it goes.