Dress Me for Kodiak in November
Mule Deer
I'm a couple years out but I want to keep my eyes open for some deals on stuff I may not have.
I would like suggestions on what to take from boots to rain gear and all the layers in between. This will be a boat based hunt. TIA!
I'd borrow you some stuff but you'll need to gain 30-40 pounds. :-) I think I'm really good on the gear, only addition for me will be a set of Kuiu Yukon rain gear.
Misty and cloudy most of the time, temps between 30 - 50 most of the time. Dress accordingly. The wind blows...
Will you be carrying sidearms?
Nick, Here is what I wore pretty much everyday on the same hunt same time frame this year.
Bottom: lightest kuiu wool under layer (didn’t even wear that everyday), attack pants, chugach pants.
Top:lightest kuiu wool t-shirt (145?), mid weight wool long sleeve 1/4 zip, then either a kuiu fleece hoodie or the katana sweater thingie. Then in my pack i had the kuiu Axis jacket, a puffy (in ziplock bag, that I don’t think I ever wore but maybe once), and chugach top.
Feet: darn tough hikers or kuiu socks, Lowa Tibet’s or crispi something, also used Yukon gaiters.
Ball cap, stocking cap, light kuiu wool gator. Not sure I ever wore them, but had some of the lightest weight kuiu gloves, but my hands don’t get too cold generally.
For pack I used MR Sawtooth 45, Kuiu pack cover, and couple dry bags, also kuiu.
Justin, I don’t feel that you would generally need the Yukon on that hunt, I took mine and never wore it.
—Jim
I did not carry any side arm, and never felt the need (in 2 trips). And don’t plan to on future trips. But my partner was and if it makes you feel better then by all means do.
For optics, I used Swaro EL 10x42 and a Leica range finder in Kuiu chest rig.
Honestly, for that hunt you don’t need a ton of gear. Just the basics and good rain gear. Able to dry everything pretty much every night. And limited weight coming in on float plane too.
—Jim
Jim, was thinking I would just wear Yukon pants with a base as opposed to attacks/chugach combo. Then again I may want more breathability. Decisions...I pretty much have everything you listed except the Yukon set. I want to get the Yukon and was using this as an excuse, don't talk me out of it! :-)
Whoa, I wasn’t trying to talk you out of buying anything! If you are gonna have that attitude I can give you a list for me too! ;)
I have the Yukon and have used it that way as well. Honestly if the weather is decent there will probably be days you don’t want/need rain pants. That’s why I would suggest attack under rainwear.
—Jim
I’d definitely recommend the Yukons. (Now you can tell Nicole they come highly recommended for this hunt). There were days that I didn’t wear rain gear at all. Unless you need it, I’d recommend against wearing it. You will get pretty warm with it on.
Jim pretty much covered it. One thing I’d recommend bringing that’s not clothing related, is a lightweight butt pad for glassing. You WILL have a wet rear end otherwise. One of the best things about the boat hunt is, that you can dry dry your gear out in the engine room each night. (IF you got there before Zack! He hogged all premo drying spots, otherwise)
I would probably follow the list I send everyone. It works pretty well for our specific hunt. I’ll email it to you
Don’t listen to Zack. He knows not what he speaks of! ;) he’s only been there 98 times...
And I meant to add, don’t forget some comfortable “camp clothes” sweatpants, crocs, etc. Lots of down time on the boat too. I’m pretty sure that’s on Zacks list too...
—Jim
Crocs and sweatpants? Didn't realize there was a Walmart on Kodiak. :-)
Sounds like I have everything I need but I will need to upgrade my rain gear.
No sidearm or spray then, Jim? You're a badass.
Those are the most important items for the trip Jim. That and a nice bottle...
I have a nice bottle all picked out for Nick.
Nick, there IS a Walmart in Kodiak City. But the boat is kinda like a little floating Walmart! And crocks are one of the most important pieces of gear I take on most trips. And for the the record I didn’t take sweat pants, I took the more high class version “warm-up wind pants” i just felt like I needed to dumb it down for you Walmart types ;)
—Jim
Brotsky, that is basically useless, can’t make a “flaming donkey” with that!
—Jim
Does Zack's revised gear list include eye protection?
Personally, I wouldn't wear rain gear on Kodiak unless it was wet or raining, too warm and generally noisy.
Brotsky....I don’t think you’re allowed to fly that stuff in without a Hazmat permit.
Again Matt, what happens on the boat, stays amongst members of the Kodiak Yacht Club
Zack's list is good. Can't remember if it includes leather gloves or not but I would definitely have a pair of those. Those salmonberry? thorns can get you, especially when you have to grab them to climb up some of the steep stuff.
I wish I would have had a small tarp this year, mainly to wait out the torrential rains. Hunting in the rain isn't bad, but when you can't see 50 yards cause it's raining so hard it'd be nice to climb under for a bit.
Kodiak seems more like Busch Latte country to me anyway t-roy. I save the good stuff for special occasions, like Rocky Mountain Oyster fries, chislic festivals, and such.
Damn, I almost forgot the most import part, especially if you are going to try to educate the famed “Treeman Hop”!
—Jim
Merino top and bottom. Wool flannel shirt. First lite SEAK rain pants. Puffy in the pack. Usually muck boots but hikers will work too.
And several hydrate and recover packets
Wool? You're such a snob.
Down puffies and heavy insulation for the head and neck are a must, imo. You'll be hiking steep hills and stopping to glass. Any 4 way stretch medium technical clothing (Kuiu, Sitka Gear) will be excellent for the former. You have that already, likely. Glassing requires sleeping bag quality warmth,imo. Heavy watch cap is a must. A scarf as well. Down outters are easy to pack and shed when the time comes to stalk so don't skimp.
A stiff 6" hiking boot will suit the miles. I both loved and loathed my gaiters. Great 90% of the time but there were times I wanted to drop them to stalk and couldn't for the velcro closures.
I wore a medium merino base top to bottom the whole time and will the next time I go. First Lite and Minus 33. A bandana for brow sweat was non-negotiable.
The one thing I was severely lacking was decoy clothing. I suspect it would have been a game changer.
I took both medium gloves and heavy gloves. PITB. The best option would be to bring muffs for inactivity. Take the heaviest (waterproof) glove you will confidently wear and shoot with your release. Consider muffs for glassing and remaining stationary.
Should I bring my mule deer hat or is this just another chance for Nichole to make fun of me for looking like a jackass wearing a deer on my head (not that I need a hat for that)?
Over the years I did 5 Kodiak November hunts. One on a boat. On one we hunted in 2 feet of snow, another about a foot of snow but all the others had only modest snow and that was only up high.
We did have some rain, but all 3 of the southern Kodiak hunts had at least a few days of 30 ++++++ winds. Temps never got much below 20.
I wore my Kuiu Yukon most days even in August. We only had a few days when it wasn't either raining or very wet. We were camping in a tent so drying things out was tough. We carried spray and had a shotgun at camp. The bears all seemed to be down fishing that time of year though so didn't have any issues.
Good rain gear. Puffy jacket. Either muck Boots or kenetreks (or whatever mtn boot you like) and gaiters. Good Merino layers. Good waterproof gloves.
Oh, and while not clothing related, bring more than 5 arrows.
"Oh, and while not clothing related, bring more than 5 arrows."
-That's ridiculous. With just 3 tags, who could POSSIBLY need more than 5 arrows? The 4th and 5th are almost an embarrassment of inclusion.
Don’t forget the Nose Jammer Nick. Just a touch behind each ear should do the trick
That's next level, Brad. Good tip!
Best part about nose jammer is it attracts Brown Bears from miles away. Just a dab will do!
—Jim
Are you ever miles away from a brown bear on Kodiak?
I don't think you're more than 1 drainage away from Brown Bear on Kodiak. It ain't a big deal, though.
The key to the Nosejammer behind each ear trick, is to put it behind your hunting buddy’s ears. Applying it can be the ticklish part. Usually about 3-4 flaming donkeys does the trick.
Everyone pretty much has it covered...but I’ll throw in my two cents anyways!!
Personally, I lived in my rain gear all week. For my tops, I typically wore a light merino top, some sort of light mid-layer (like a traverse top from Sitka), had a puffy for when it was cold, and my rain gear (Kuiu Chugach). For pants it was a light to medium weight pant (like a Kuiu Ascent) with the Chugach pants (never wore any long underwear).
I quickly got in the habit of layering in a way that had me wearing rain gear all the time. Even when it wasn’t raining, EVERYTHING was still wet. Having the rain gear on kept me dry when lying in the grass or fighting the alders and salmon berry. I had a similar thought that next time I might go with something like a light top and bottom baselayer and hunt in something like the Yukon’s. Figured I could lose the pants and midlayer that way.
Flannel. All you need is good wool flannel and muck boots.
lol..Randy...you know a big part of my preference for wool has to do with its ready availability at very low cost....I buy my foul weather hunting gear at Goodwill
I'm not even gonna comment on the arrows thing. No sane person would travel 4,000 miles to bowhunt and only take 5 arrows.
I wore my Kuiu rain gear every day in late October. Not always all day, but I put it on at some point every day. It was expensive, but when I go back I wont go back without it.
I’m more familiar with dressing for Halloween on my hunts sorry.
T with the mic dropper. Love it!
You obviously wake up every Halloween morning and piss excellence
It’s amazing he even wakes up hahaha! But yes, love the photos!
There you go, just like Colonel Sanders says, “I’m too drunk to taste this chicken”.
Well, I guess that “what happens on kodiak stays on kodiak” thing just went out the window...
—Jim
Trevor looks like he’s all jacked up on Mountain Dew in that last pic.
SOME things should STAY on Kodiak! ;-)
That guy’s got two first names!
