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Sitka Blacktail on Kodiak island

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    Sitka Blacktail on Kodiak island

    Can someone school me on hunting Blacktail in Alaska? Outfitter recommendations? Some of the outfitters offer DIY hunts where they drop you off and pick you up from a hunting area. Is a guide recommended? What is the hunt like?

    #2
    Oooh that sounds fun. Don’t have any info you ask but good luck and do a live thread if possible. I really like the episodes of meat-eater when he’s over there.

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      #3
      I've talked to 2 guys who did it and it was very high on each of their lists, both gentlemen had/have hunted on multiple continents.

      They shot 4-5 deer each, one using bow, one using rifle. The one who bow hunted was solo on the island for 4-5 days, and said he wasted a lot of time moving and stashing meat, and avoiding bears. The guy who rifle hunted stayed on a boat anchored in the harbor and they ran him to shore each morning.

      It's tundra like open terrain on much of the island, and more brushy nearer the coastal sections. Both told me it was really easy to get around, the most time consuming part being skirting brown bears.

      I'm not sure what outfitters they used, but I may be able to get in touch with one of them.
      Last edited by Dale Moser; 02-12-2019, 01:18 PM.

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        #4
        I believe to camp out over night you need to have a portable electric fence for camp to deter the big brown fury things that run around there in numbers...

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          #5
          Have not hunted Blacktail in Alaska myself but it is high on the list to get done here within the next couple years and have been researching to do a DIY hunt. There are a lot of options to choose from as far as fully outfitted and guided, outfitted lodge/boat style, fully DIY using a transporter, etc. Season is very long and time you go is going to determine which way you decide to hunt (location of deer, bears, weather, etc). Tags are very inexpensive for NR and bag limits are liberal. Another thing to think about is trophy quality and deer numbers. Certain areas and islands have much higher numbers and better trophy quality than others. Good salmon, halibut, and rockfish can be had around there as well depending on if you go outfitted, as well as waterfowl hunting (the abundant harlequin ducks are beautiful and delicious).

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            #6
            You should also look at Prince of Wales Island. This island has nice Sitka Blacktails but you don't have to deal with Brown Bears, the island only has black bears. You have to draw a tag for black bears but you can hunt both deer and bears on POW after Sept. 1. The season for deer starts earlier, bear season starts Sept. 1.

            There is a guy on Bowsite named Blacktail Bob that has cabins on Kodiak and POW that he only rents to bowhunters. If I was to go back I would go this route.

            I hunted POW once but the outfitter is no longer doing fall hunts.

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              #7
              Thanks for the info so far.
              The outfitters I looked at do not leave you in the wilderness overnight. They drop you off with radios and pick you up when you’re ready.
              I was just wondering about the difficulty of the hunt, knowing nothing about the species nor the area.

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                #8
                Sika,

                I live in Alaska, have hunted both POW(Deer and Bear) and Kodiak(brown bears last fall) and Blacktail Bob is my friend. Theres too much to type as there are so many variables. But POW deer herd is way down as of last two falls. Most of my big deer(taxidermist as well) came from Kodiak. Depending on your budget, you could go big like boat based out of Larson Bay or DIY cheap and rent a car and drive yourself.
                PM me if you want to discuss.
                Hugh

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                  #9
                  I hunted black tails on Chichagof island, when I was working there about a decade ago. Was with some locals but we just hiked to the tree line and glassed until we same some. Shot 2.

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                    #10
                    We took a boat out of Whittier and hunted black bears on the islands in Prince William Sound. I seen several Black Tail and there are no Brown bear to worry about on those islands. Or that's what our guide told us.

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                      #11
                      I have done a self guided, week long, tent camping trip on Kodiak twice.

                      Both are easily in my top 5 of outdoor experiences.

                      We rented gear from a camp rental company in Kodiak, and a plane dropped us off on the west side of the island. The flight across the island is possibly my favorite part. When we go back next time I'm going to rent a gov cabin instead of tent camping. It is the prettiest country I've ever seen...but can also be the most brutal. Take a mountainous arctic island and put a Louisiana swamp on top of it - that's Kodiak.

                      My advice to you would be:
                      1) Don't skimp on rain gear
                      2) Hunt early Sept / late Aug which overlaps the Silver Salmon run - amazing fishing!
                      3) When booking flight legs choose Alaska Airlines over Ravn when you can. The jets are grounded less than the prop planes. I've spent the night in Alaska airports 2 too many times!
                      4) Don't skimp on rain gear!

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                        #12
                        LukeDuke is right about amazing fishing if you overlap your hunt with when the silvers run...but if you wait until the snow starts then the deer will be pushed down lower closer which might save you tons of hiking...I'm only familiar with around Juneau and Admiralty island. I lived there for 3 years so if you have any questions about that area let me know!
                        Last edited by jtsmedicineman; 02-12-2019, 08:43 PM. Reason: whoops just saw you are looking at Kodiak

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                          #13
                          Question For those that self guided/went solo to Kodiak Island.

                          How do y’all drag around your massive balls hiking throughout the island?!?!

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                            #14
                            I booked a hunt one time for around thanksgiving.
                            They told us that the later in the year you go the easier the hunting is because the deer are closer to the beach.
                            We were to stay on a boat at night.
                            Big storm came in and the outfitter cancel our hunt

                            If you need a partner let me know.
                            It is still on my bucket list

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                              #15
                              PM me. Close friend owns a cabin on Kodiak and hunts Sitka hard. I'm going in 2020. I can put you in touch with him and he'll given you all the info. He's born and raised in AK.

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