POW sitka?
Whitetail Deer
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Anyone go bowhunting blacktail in prince of whales? I'd love to hunt them just looking for ways to save money vs going to kodiak
Yup...This should be in Mule Deer/Blacktail forum though! ;-)
How is POW cheaper than Kodiak? If all you want is a Sitka, use your AK air miles (sign up for the CC and you will automatically have enough miles for a free flight to Kodiak if you book the right days and in advance) Rent a car, camp in a tent and hunt the road access area, spend the extra days fishing!
To get to POW it will cost you more since you will have to buy airfare to Ketchikan then somehow get over to POW (ferry to Thorne Bay?) and pay more for a rental vehicle (if you can even find one). If you end up paying an air taxi out to POW it would be similar to Kodiak, then it would be a toss up. Yes, this should be in the Mule Deer forum, definitely not whitetail
Also, POW is a jungle...See her, there was a Buck behind her!
The way to save money DIY hunts is to get a good hunting partner. Splitting the cost on air taxis is the only way to go in AK, plus the safety factor. To really maximize your Kodiak trip you could hunt caribou as well and get two species for the same trip.
Kodiak is a special place.
Totally agree, POW is more expensive. It’s also a harder hunt than Kodiak. I’ve enjoyed hunts in both locations and Kodiak calls me back more so than POW, though I’ll hunt it again someday.
Kodiak in the rut, is a downright silly hunt. So much fun. POW in the rut has many challenges, the biggest difference being how far you can see.
I believe Kodiak Island itself should be on every bowhunters bucket list. It is an ancient land full of almost ethereal melancholy beauty. Go with a friend or 3. Camp on the island. It is very affordable.
Owl isn’t kidding. One of the best bangs for your buck (or three bucks) out there today when you factor in remote wilderness, adventure, opportunity and cost.
If POW is something you want to do over Kodiak get it touch with Bob @ Blacktail Bobs base camps.. he has lodging on both places.
Is it correct that POW only has black bears? I would assume Kodiak Brownies are a concern when deer hunting?
Don’t go to Kodiak. You’ll want to go back every year
I've been on both POW and Kodiak.
The success is higher on Kodiak. Whether you hunt the roads, do an ocean charter or fly into a lake, most of the island has huntable deer.
If you don't have a specific, productive spot on POW, you can spend a lot of time not seeing deer. I know plenty of guys who have hunted POW and not gotten a deer. That doesn't happen all that often on Kodiak.
As many have stated, the cost of getting to both places are about the same. Bob can certainly give you better advice.
Could we get someone who has hunted both islands to talk about the population fluctuations on Kodiak vs POW? Seems like you hear stories of guys doing their once in a lifetime trip to Kodiak and getting skunked because of unpredictable population crashes. Do you get the same feast or famine on POW?
That is a very good question, Rich. I have been to Kodak once and would love to do it again but would hate to get up there and find the deer numbers tanked!
"Do you get the same feast or famine on POW?"
No not at all. Blacktail are natural to POW Island. It is their natural habitat. Not that there are never winter die offs but they are few and far between. The Wolf and Black Bear kill many more Deer than hunters … But like mentioned above POW can be a tough hunt due to weather and or the forest jungle.
I've hunted Sitka blacktail 5 of the last 6 years. Once on Afognak and the rest on POW. I hunt POW in August for 2 reasons. #1. Because Bob invited me to hunt with him. #2. I think I have a chance at a truly world class buck every time I go. POW is a jungle and if you don't have a good way to get above timberline, you will not have a fun hunt. It will wear you down.
I would love to hunt Kodiak in November during the rut. I can't do that because I've spent an ungodly amount of money on whitetail properties and I will be there for the entire month of November. I just can't work it in. For the most part, bad winters have hurt the deer population on Kodiak more than POW because POW is more heavily timbered which helps them survive a bad winter. You should be able to find out about any declines in population before you go, especially if you plan a DIY hunt. I think POW experienced significant winter kill 2 years ago. Last year was better than 2017. We'll see how this year turns out.
I have hunted both pow is cheeper by far I drive from my place in Montana to Prince Rupert BC then jump on the Alaska ferry. When you get to pow you have all your gear with you. I did POW for years and killed a lot of good bucks both in aug and in late oct.
POW is cheaper and potential for a better buck is far better than Kodiak. Management decisions unfortunately are based upon biases in favor of local residents and organized guide association at the expense of everyone else.
I hunted POW about 12 yrs ago with a buddy, we mainly went for black bear when you could just buy over the counter tags. Can’t remember the exact price but we were both fresh out of college so it was not a crazy amount, but both killed bears and small bucks. Throne Bay lodge was where we stayed and they included a truck for the week. Kodiak is a hunt in the near future for sure.
If you have all the time you could drive/ferry to Kodiak as well.... though getting down to the south end of the island can be a bow hunters paradise.
My last trip to Kodiak we drove from Montana to Homer then took the ferry to Kodiak then we hired a boat to take us to Larson bay we camped on a small island about 1/4 mile off the beach. Using our 14 ft alum boat with 15 hp motor to get around fun hunt but no really big bucks.
Here are photos of the bucks we killed on our first trip to Kodiak in 1988 one ended up as a world record another one was number 2
This was my biggest from POW
No hunting but I've fished POW for a number of years. I'm amazed anyone can find a deer in that jungle other than hitting one with a truck on the road. I'm too old/lazy to drive it but it can get pricey to fly to Ketchikan, Island Air to Klawock, then pay for meat (fish in my case) as luggage.
WARNING: Only fly Alaskan Air to Ketchikan. My fishing buddies thought they would save a few bucks flying Delta. Their plane turned around due to fog and returned to Seattle where they missed a day and half of fishing. My Alaskan Air flight left same time and arrived as scheduled. Something about avionics lacking on Delta (pilot friend said it could have been the crew).