Sitka blacktail hunt advice
Mule Deer
I'm new to bowsite (and bow hunting in general) and am looking for recommendations and/or advice. I am in the process of setting up an Alaskan Sitka Blacktail hunt for either Prince of Wales or Kodiak island for 2020/2021 and am looking for recommendations from anyone who has hunted either. I am consorting with the idea of a DIY or semi-guided hunt but am open to considering guided. Preferences on island? Trophy quality? Specific outfitter recommendations? I have a few in mind, but would like to hear other peoples experiences. I appreciate any recommendations or nuggets of advice that would be useful to know for flatland whitetail hunter looking to branch out into other species.
In addition, for people who have hunted Alaska, and blacktail in particular, or people who chosen to fly, are there any recommendations of how to get your meat and trophy back to the lower 48? I have never flown for a hunt before (usually drive) and driving to Alaska isn't really an option for me. How feasible is it fly your meat and trophy back as checked and/or carry on luggage and how does cost compare (in your best judgement) to shipping? I assume shipping is much more expensive but would appreciate any insight. Feel free to private message me if you don't feel comfortable posting .
Stephen
Go south Kodiak in summer time diy
Last trip I did was a fly-in lodge. Only 4-5 hunters per week, only brought 1 duffel bag and a bow. We had a great time, ate great and had a warm, dry room every night. I like backpacking and roughing it, but have to admit it was pretty nice. They had a nice self processing room set up and then they froze everything in waxed boxes. Taking less gear meant less charges flying the meat home. Never even scratched the surface of the land we could have hunted, never saw other hunters or even a boat.
The one we used is $3600 for 2020. Covers everything after you get to Kodiak except tags.
I have hunted both Kodiak and Pow I have also drove to both took the ferry from homer to Kodiak I had a cabin on POW I drove to it two to three times a year' My self I would do POW in Aug. Take my own rig And hunt the alpine POW has logging roads every were I would find a road that gets near the Alpine a hike from there the bucks are at the top . I would drive to Prince Rupert Take the Alaska ferry to Pow Its about 1100 miles from Montana to Prince Rupert But if You drive you will have all your equipment with you. The drive through BC will be one of the best drives you can do. The drive to homer is about 3200 miles from Montana
If you don't mind camping in the rain and cooking your own food both the SE AK hunt and Kodiak can easily be done DIY. Air taxis in either location will not put you in a bad location unless you tell them to.
Advice. Buy the best 4 season tent you can afford, even if you go in the summer. Buy the best rain gear you can afford. Make sure you have a plan for the bears and meat care. Other than that, have fun. Definitely one of my favorite hunts.
Was very fortunate to take this great Sitka.
Was very fortunate to take this great Sitka.
Im not trying to be a dick but you say you are “new to bow hunting” and then you ask for advice on the first trip you are considering, a DIY on Kodiak? You either have no clue, big balls or an extreme thirst for adventure, or probably a bit of all three. You sound exactly like me 30 years ago! It can be done, and I know exactly how to help you get it done. But it won’t be easy. PM me.
DIY is certainly possible, but on Kodiak for a relatively new bowhunter - I'm not sure I would advise that. I hunt the alpine in August and it's rough, like a poor man's sheep hunt. The bears are typically lower on the salmon streams, so they are a non-issue in my opinion. Shots are almost always on extreme angles, either sidehill or up and down. You should practice accordingly. Meat care is critical and packing a whole deer and hunting gear, optics, etc... can be a very heavy load. Leaving part of it for a return trip can lose some to foxes, eagles or bears.
It's an expensive and potentially dangerous trip if you are not experienced. If you're craving adventure, you may get your wish. Good luck.
Busta nailed it... I started typing something like that and then decided to sit back and watch. Over 90% of these advice threads are from guys who never take the leap. Plenty of solid advice on this site to get a guy setup for a trip like this... you just have to do it. Ed F
What's even more amazing than Busta's deer, is that the sun is out and the camera lens isn't covered with biting insects...
Packing out my first buck with the Outer Limits in the background.
Packing out my first buck with the Outer Limits in the background.
My second buck.
My second buck.
Unmatched scenery.
Unmatched scenery.
Out of 4 Alaska hunts, Kodiak Sitka blacktail was the most fun. We went with Homer Ocean Charters the last week of October in '08. They are a transporter, so basically, excellent room and board on a very comfortable boat. Just saw an article in TBM and Roark is still running the show. You hunt and take care of your own kills. Six hunters on the boat and I booked the entire boat for our group, but you can book a smaller group and share. I would not hunt solo on Kodiak, or anywhere in AK for that matter. A couple of big advantages of this hunt is mobility, a comfortable, dry "camp", great food, and at least for us, lots of opportunities.
I appreciate all of the advice everyone has given so far. Though I feel I should clarify. I am not new to hunting or DIY style hunts, I am relatively new to bow hunting however (self taught 3 years ago) and am still discovering the subtle nuances of bow hunting. In hind sight, I feel I worded my question poorly. The question was meant to imply I have never hunted Alaska, and more specifically POW or Kodiak and was looking more for advice on useful things tidbits to know before tackling said islands. I apologize for any confusion. That said, Kodiak Island for me would more than likely be a boat based operation rather than a true DIY but hearing pearls of wisdom from experienced DIY’ers is always appreciated. For part 2 of the question, I have never flown to a hunt before and was wondering more or less what to expect in terms of cost and feasibility of flying the meat/trophy back vs shipping?
I've hunted Kodiak a bunch of times and helped set up trips for dozens of other hunters, I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone--don't go!! Because you will want to go back every year!
Kodiak is a special place and unless you are going to hunt POW in August, I would recommend Kodiak. There are lots of threads on Bowsite about hunting Kodiak DIY, from transport boats and guided. Lots of options. If you have specific questions, I'd be more than happy to help you with those. Like others said above, try not to listen to those who have never been. Everything sounds easy until you are actually doing it...
Good luck!!
Thank you, I appreciate it. I may take you up on that as I have more questions arise.
I went DIY as an 18 year old kid who had never even been backpacking before. Sometimes it just boils down to how bad you want to do something. Be diligent and intelligent with your planning and don’t let the what if’s crush your dreams. Don’t be the guy who sits back and talks about how lucky others are, go make your own luck if you want to do something bad enough!
Know your limits and plan accordingly and it sounds like a tremendous adventure. #TEmbryismyspiritanimal
You need to be honest with yourself how you will handle the extreme weather on Kodiak. I was. That's why I stayed on a boat. :) And you also have to be comfortable with brown bears. Expect to see them in close proximity and assume the "dinner bell bear" phenomenon is in full effect.
Kodiak is wonderful. Good Lord willing, I'll go back. That stated, coming from VA, it took 6 days of travel days to get there and back. That was the worst part of the trip, the "unproductive days." I would advise anyone flying to do so on 1 airline. Switching carriers doubles your baggage fees which will be considerable if you return heavy.
Take lots of arrows......target rich environment.....and shooting in the wind is required.....windy as all get out the 2 times i went.
