Most cabins are better suited for Fishing or Black Bear hunting.
Which cabin and what part of Sept. Sept timing is very important.
You are correct in that mountain climbing will be required. Backpack tent camping is the best way to get that done. Climbing up for a day hunt is usually very difficult, unless you already know the route.
;-)
Camp equip up means a very heavy load down, if successful, when making it in one load. Flagging tape & GPS that works in wet weather and under heavy cover of forest canopy is very important.
Once the bucks loose their velvet, in late Aug / early Sept they start to move from the alpine tops into the upper transition forest ... sometimes making for a hard hunt. The forest is think and the leaves are still on ... making it advantage Wolf and the Deer are on high alert. Also some Bear are satiated on fish and have moved into the alpine to fish up on the last of the berries .. where the Bear are the Deer won't be.
Go up by headlamp and even if you get a deer down in early afternoon you will be in the dark before you see a road again. That was via known well marked trails.
Some days you go thru that only to get fogged out 00 visibility on top. But some days it works.
Once you find the way to the top do not try a shortcut on the way back down ... come down the way you went up.
Some mountains are not as steep and rugged as others. Some old logging roads will get you started from a little higher or inland a little as opposed to hiking from a sea-level beach.
Taylor & Brian went just above the snow field and up thru the rocks. Very steep and slow ... took over 2 hours with heavy loads to get from this spot to the top. They didn't make it back to high tent camp till like 10pm that night.
The Deer had dropped down into the upper timber making for a hard hunt.
"but I'd like to hear from people who hunted it their opinion Thanks"
You probably won't get much reply from those who have hunted Sept on a DIY POW deer hunt. Aug hunting and Nov hunting is when most non-resident DIY hunters come to the Island. And even then, not very many non-resident DIY hunters hunt anywhere in SE Ak for Deer.
Of the 2500 to 3000 Deer tagged on POW Island per year, only a very small percentage is non-resident hunters, Guided or UnGuided.
They also are very good eating deer
There is no way to tell in advance what Sept will bring. Cold rains below could even mean early snows across the tops in mid Sept.
It is obvious when they ain't on top as it is visual. The trails will be well worn at what elevation you should concentrate in.
Me too... I will say this, I didn't hunt the early season when the deer are concentrated mainly up high but I did hunt when I figured I'd see plenty of deer in search of doe's. All things being equal, the PnY buck that I killed came in on a string and stared at me from less than 30 yards away while I drew back and released an arrow.
I meant it when I said I want to go back. POW is a diamond in the rough. A very incredible place. Wouldn't go without a bear tag, the bear we awoke from a mid days nap was easily the biggest blackie I've ever seen.
Enjoy your hunt, but bring the best rain gear you can find and plan for a tough hunt.
Mine was on my own, never been to the island before. Maybe that's why we saw so few deer, but I highly doubt it. It's a thick, steep and weather related nightmare :)
Not trying to make this hunt sound difficult, just saying we earned it and I wouldn't have it any other way.
There are very few constructed trails on the Island. I think there are a few for fishermen.
You can order the map from the USFS.
You could be lucky and be driving down the road and a nice Buck could be standing there ... that would be easy. But it doesn't really happen that often.
I don't mean to sound like a jerk, and it has been eluded to, but I think probably not emphatically enough. Your dates suck! If there is any way you can change them you should. Period. You should be there eather August when they are a bit concentrated in the high country (where you can see them too). Or first week of November (rut) when you can call them. Anything in between will be very difficult, VERY difficult, even with a rifle. I think (as mentioned) Kodiak is maybe more the experience you are looking for.
Not trying to scare you off or anything, and I would be glad to help you out with how we hunted (good and bad), but I really think you are gonna be in trouble with those dates. I am certainly not an expert, but I do consider Muskeg and Bigdan to be. I went with Nick last Nov, and would have also had a P&Y buck if I wouldn't have choked on the slam dunk shot. Yes, I straight up choked, totally my fault and still relive the senerio! I guess it gives me a good reason to go back though, not as though I need one...
Good luck whatever you do! --Jim
I love Sept alpine hunting. Cooler weather and fewer bugs. Hard antlers.
Early August they are still developing antlers .. all in velvet, Many still bloody and knobby. The bugs are bad, sometime very bad. Days are long and can be hot. Late Aug into the first of Sept they shed the velvet, days are getting shorter and the bugs have cycled out. The large Bachelor groups break up and the Deer move in and out of the upper transition zones. Mid to late Sept the Bucks are still high up but are feeding more under upper forest where it is lush green, still can be spotted in the open alpine. Late Sept and into Oct they start into the pre-rut stage, saving energy for whats to come. Leave the alpine (mostly) and move into the upper forest. Advantage Wolf because the leaves are on and vision is bad and they are on high alert. During the last week of Oct the rut tendencies kick in. Hunting becomes good. From then to early Dec is good rut type hunting. The leaves drop and under forest canopy gets visable. High mountain hunts still can be very productive. Not all bucks move to the valley bottoms during rut. There are plenty of mountain Doe to keep their interest up in the upper zone. Even in deep snow. During the first week of Dec some Bucks atart shedding their antlers. Some hunters hunt till the last of Dec. My opinion Dec meat quality is the worst.
This is the 3rd very mild winter in a row. Run down rut Bucks were not killed by weather. There has been lots of Black Bear killed in recent past and the Wolf boys on the Island have taken lots of Wolf.
Hunting on the Island last season and probably this coming season is about as good as it ever gets. Deer density is probably bordering on max-capacity.
There are a few logging roads that will get you started from a little higher up. Roads were built for logging and are mostly in the bottom lands where the best timber is. There are a few passes that are higher elevation roads. Remember POW is a very large Island.
Bino's are a must, even when hunting in the jungle.
You can go to my website at muskegexcursions.com ... I have been a Bowsite sponsor since almost the very beginning of the Bowsite.
But also you must take into account the posts and discussions above. The popular parts of the seasons with non-Island residents are August and 'rut' hunting. For reasons. Like I posted there are pros and cons to the whole season from August 1st to December 31st.
Other than those comments, I'd agree with Treeman who appears to be a very fast learner.
We huffed and we puffed until the house fell down...for 8 days. Then, on day nine we did it again. I bleated the buck I shot into range with a can call. After walking back to the truck and waiting for Jim, a few fellas showed up who planned on hunting the area. They offered to help me with the deer, not needed but a nice gesture. As I was field dressing my deer they were calling... Out of nowhere came a doe and she ran up to me within 15-20 feet! Either way, it worked...
Later that day, Jim called in two other bucks the same way. We had been doing it off and on all week and it didn't seem to work. In hindsight, I think we found that you have to keep on blowing, longer than one would think... I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that was our mistake.
I'd go back with confidence and plans are in the works to head to POW next fall.
- Julius K
I had a doe so close once I could've smacked her on the butt but I had the video camera. Got lucky and never called in any Brownies.
