# Sitka Blacktails- Kodiak Island vs. POW?



## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Some buddies and I are strongly considering going after Sitka Blacktail deer in Alaska in 2015.

We're considering either Kodiak Island or POW. Any input on the pros/cons of the two compared to each other would be greatly appreciated!

Thanx in advance!


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## dhosera (Jul 11, 2006)

Kodiak.....Typically higher densities of deer than POW. If I were to spend the $$$ to go hunt sitka I'd pay someone to do a boat based hunt. There's actually a guy on MS "Huntnut" that runs the boat based hunts on Kodiak thats from Michigan. PM him and he will give you all the info you need. 
With Boat based hunts you dont have to sleep with the bears, you get to hunt Fox and ducks if you wish, catch and eat crab, rockfish and halibut all while deer hunting. If you cant tell ive looked into this We were supposed to go this year but decided to do a Brooks Range Bou / Moose float hunt due to the fact the deer took a pounding in 2012 / 2013 winter kill. They have had easy winters since and will be rebounding nicely by the time you want to go in 2015-2016. My 2 cents......


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

I've been to Kodiak 3 time for fishing and hunting. Never been to POW. There are some USFS cabins around the island you can fly to via float plane. Alot of folks do that. The road system is a one buck limit. Off the road system is a two buck limit. I hunted the road system and got a decent one (below). The other two are bucks fellow Coasties who live there got.










































It adds to the hunting experience but you have to have good situational awareness when you're in the bush there as the bears are no joke. You are not at the top of the food chain....they are. If you see one, back out quietly. If you have a deer down and see one, back out and let the bear have the deer. I was by myself on top of the mountain when I got mine and was rubbernecking with my rifle by my side as I was doing a quartering job at lightening speed. One was crossing the road to my side after I shot. They hear the shots and associate it with gut piles. 














If doing a boat trip the weather can be snotty and you may get stuck coming or going so keep that in mind. One of my retired Coastie buds ran a boat and told me that happens some during that time of the year.


Here's a few more pics from my trip.














The rifle reloaded and at the ready....














I was just below one of those snow-capped peaks in the distance.














I have standing invites to go back up there again. If my health holds and the wife lets me....I'll do it in a heartbeat. You must be in good shape as some of the climbing up the mountains can be vertical. 


One other thing too.....the silvers (coho here in Michigan) were still running when I was there for hunting season and it's easy fishing as there are several streams to fish from there with very easy access. Most were a beautiful strawberry/green color but a few were still bright. I almost had a dandy strawberry one to mount but lost it as I was goofing around trying to get a pic.:rant: 


It's a great trip for sure.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Helpful info here guys. Thank you. Keep 'em coming.


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## Joel/AK (Jan 12, 2013)

Both are good locations. Both can cost a lot logistically but POW could save a few bucks if you go out of Ketchikan. 

IMO, boat is the way to go. Yeah your more catered to but having a dry, warm boat to go back to is the best.

PWS has some nice deer also and logistically can be done cheap. Fly into anchorage, drive to either Seward, Valdez, or Whittier and either fly out or go by boat.also just like POW (in some locations) buy a black bear tag and maybe score a nice blackie.

If the USFS cabins sounds appealing, you better find an area and reserve it well in advance, some tend to go quick. The cabins are actually nice for hunting. I've used them before and was well pleased. Sme you need to bring in fuel oil, others have wood burners and some have no heat source so be sure and find out. On the website, they do list heat sources, if any.


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## Joel/AK (Jan 12, 2013)

Oh and to save money (which we all like) do not expedite the trophies or meat. Mail home your gear via USPS. bag and dry ice the meat, tape all the antlers together and check the as baggage. Also fly with weapons, optics, expensive crap.

Some taxidermist/ expediters and meat processors screw the hell out of non residents. It's usually cheaper to mail home gear, even with the extra charges for extra baggage.


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

PWS had a tough winner and you'd be what better off going to Southeast Alaska. Admiralty in Baronoff Island will have very high densities of deer this coming season. Kodiak will have lots of deer but logistically more expensive to get to. Biggest antlers come from Prince of Wales and Dall Island in Southern Southeast.


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

Well....if we're expanding out....I haven't hunted there but my Coastie buds said Sitka has some good blacktail hunting. Cordova was for the moose.


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

There will be a lot of deer proximal to Sitka due to mild winters with not much snow the past few years. Freds Creek and Brents Beach USFS cabins on Kruzof Island tha are about 6-7 miles west of Sitka.

I have hunted al the ABC islands for 35 years and never had a problem with bears.And Admiralty has the highest density of brown bears in the world at 1 per square mile. It would be very good hunting in November. You do not have to go to upper elevations then. If there is snow the deer will be at sea level and coming to deer calls. And most bears have gone to sleep. You won't get book racks but easy to get too and really neat area as it ie on the outer coast. Kruzof has a volcano that looks like Mt Fuji


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## cooner_jeff (Mar 21, 2006)

PM'd you


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

Jeff

I didnt get a PM.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

TVCJohn,

What time of year would you recommend for Kodiak to hunt Sitka?


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

The rut is usually the first 2 weeks of November and that can be a lot of fun if deer are coming to calls. The days get shorter by 5 minutes per day starting in mid October. If you have access to a boat there are a lot of places you can do day trips.


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Aukebay123 said:


> The rut is usually the first 2 weeks of November and that can be a lot of fun if deer are coming to calls. The days get shorter by 5 minutes per day starting in mid October. If you have access to a boat there are a lot of places you can do day trips.


I was afraid of that. 

That time frame would interfere with our MI UP Deer Camp hunt. Which as most UP Deer Camp hunters would agree is an annual Must-Attend experience. :lol:

We're prolly leaning towards mid-October. I would imagine (hope) that the rut might be just starting around then.


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

Mid October could be ok. but toward the end better. Deer are all over the place in October with regard to elevation. Anywhere from the beach to 3,000 feet depending upon snow level. But there are places that do not have as much high country. Kruzof Is has some high spots like Mt Edgecumbe but is pretty flat in the areas the Brents Beach and Freds Creek cabins are. October is the rainiest month but November 2nd rainiest except it could snow in November but may not. Isn't 11/15 the start of Michigan gun season? 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/EdgecumbeAK.jpg/800px-EdgecumbeAK.jpg


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## GrizzlyHunter (Jun 17, 2005)

Auke,

Thanx for the input.

Yes MI firearms opens 11/15. But this AK trip would take at least 10-12 days, and MI Deer Camp is a minimum of 5-6 days. I have these things called work and a wife that both would not appreciate back-to-back trips totaling 15-18 days.  I just don't get it...


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

I remember my dad always leaving for the place we hunted off of FFH 13 (Nhema Junction) about 11/10 and not coming back until about 12/2.


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

GrizzlyHunter said:


> TVCJohn,
> 
> What time of year would you recommend for Kodiak to hunt Sitka?


Apology's for the late reply. Here's some potluck thoughts in no particular order. Take them for what they're worth. 

Bow season opens early there....August I "think". That takes some work and if you're up for the challenge that would be it. My buds that live there say there is not alot of bow pressure as many wait for the gun season. The plus also is the silver and humpy runs are picking up too.

My bud recommend I show up for the rifle opener for the road system, which I did. You can see the date on my pics I posted up earlier....I think I got that deer on the 4th day. If you're doing a float plane (or boat ride) to one of the cabins on the other side of the island you may have some flexibility on dates. I'd say the road system gets a little more pressure from the locals plus the bear opener was going on when I was there. That late in the year the weather can be interesting. Where I shot that buck was clear the first couple of days. A storm came in with high winds and dropped a bit of snow. That was a good thing as the brown deer stood out quite a bit when glassing. In fact, if it weren't for the snow, I may not have seen the deer when I reached the top of the plateau I hiked up to. I had already hiked up there a couple of times previous. When I got the deer, I had just hiked up the ridgeline to the plateau and looked to my right at the plateau and the deer was staring at me in a couple of feet of snow. It took off after a couple of seconds of a stare down. I had an idea where the deer was heading so I crossed a small ditch/ravine and trudged thru the snow to a elevated mound on the plateau. I peeked over the mound and easily seen the deer standing there against the snow background looking at his back trail.....maybe 75-80 yards off. He didn't know I got the drop on him. I dropped the pack, set up on the bipod and shot. I hit him and he spun around not knowing what happened. I shot twice more and watched him drop off into a small ravine. That was pretty much it....just had to do a fast quartering job to get out before the bears came in. 

Also...if you do the ML you can't have a scope on it. If you're hiking up the mountains take off your heavy outers so you do not get them wet with sweat. If it's dry out guys will hike up in shorts or long johns and then re-dress at the top. My first time going to the top I worked up a sweat and it got a little cool at the top of the plateau in the wind that moves thru the mountain tops. A hiking stick or old ski pole is very handy to aid in balance when you go vertical up the trail or ridgeline. Pack smartly too...all the little things add weight to your pack. I used a pack frame so I didn't have to go back down the mountain to get it if I shot a deer. Had some game bags too. Some light cord is handy for several things....making shelter, tying game bags, rack/cape, etc. I had cell phone coverage where I was at on top of the plateau. If you're on the other side of the island a sat phone would be in order for safety/emergencies. If you get in an emergency situation you can call the Coast Guard at the air station and they can help. Probably want to get their number before you head out. Get a GPS to pass your position. Maybe a emergency personal locater beacon too. 

Go ahead and assume you will be making a 300-400 yard shot and practice. I used my Ruger MKII .270. Had a Nikon Monarch scope in 5.5x16.5x44 (with flip-up covers). Great quality, lightweight binocs are a must. In the CG we had SEAL instructors train some of our aircrews on precision shooting. The test was you had run a 100 yards and then make a kill shot. He had to teach our guys about breath control. I can see that as useful if you have to move quick up the mountain to get in place for a shot. May want practice that running and precision shooting and see how you do. I was breathing heavy on my shots because I had just got to the top when I seen the deer.

Quality boots that provide ankle support will be needed to minimize ankle injuries. If you're on your own in the bush injuries can be a problem so anything you can do to help prevent them do it. You can make a small first kit to keep in your pack. Aspirin, a couple of band aids, gauze, tape, a couple of those tiny anti-septic packets, simple lightweight things that you could put in a small container or ziploc. A sharp knife will of course be needed to quarter out the deer and survival. Know how to properly cape out a deer for a mount. I read up on it so I wouldn't screw things up and I could minimize unnecessary weight when packing out down the mountain. I had a buddy help me and it still was a chore. Just take your time so you don't slip and twist an ankle or knee or worse.

That's about it for the random thoughts. Holler or pm if you have anymore questions.


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## Aukebay123 (Sep 9, 2003)

There is no bow season in Units 1-4 (southeast Alaska) Season is August 1 -December 31. Gun, bow, spear, whatever you want. In northere southeast where Sitka and Juneau are it's bucks only 8/1-9/14. Then any deer until the end. The bulk o fthe bucks are in the alpine in August. That can be a lot of fun but it is best on a day when the clouds are above the mountains. We use internal frame packs and bring down deboned meat. You can always get to within 100 yds or closer because of the scrub hemlock and dips and roses of terrain. Once snow is in the alpine the deer are not. They work there way down to sea level. They can b ein snow but if there are 3 feet in alpine and 6 inches at 500 feet they will be where less snow is. The beach fringe old growth keeps snow from getting as deep as in 2nd growth areas. So the August alpine and October-December hunting are really different in southeast. Admiralty has the highest density o fbrown bears in the world at 1 per square mile- More that Kodiak but I have never had any bear problems. Have see them but I leave them alone and they leave me alone. Plus if you hunt areas without many salmon spawning streams there are less bears.


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## TVCJohn (Nov 30, 2005)

I looked at Kodiak a bit ago. The road system has a primitive weaps season (bow/ML, 11/1 - 11/14). The rest of the island does not.
Forgot to mention, they also have elk and caribou hunting on a couple of the islands there you can fly over to.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/wildliferegulations/pdfs/gmu8.pdf


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