Well im not officially back. Still on the island doing a bit of fishing before heading home. Will be adding a bunch of pictures as i get them downloaded from my camera. The trip was a great success and overall good time. Even though we had 7 days of rain and a small river running right through the tipi by day 5.
Would love to get one of those on a rod and reel. Must be a real hoot. Good eating I would imagine.
Have to ask though. What's with the handle TURKEYFOOTGIRL? Being old I'm probably missing something.
Man, I want to go up there and catch a few of those giant flounders!!!!
In for the rest of the story!
Bisch
:thumbsup:
Yeah, where's the girl? :biglaugh:
Haha years ago my wife signed up on her computer so we could buy some stuff on the St Judes auction. Being technically challenged i just always used that initial log in. If names could be changed i would!!
So after months of packing we were finally headed down to Andrews airways to jump in a beaver and fly off to a backcountry lake. The excitement was high and the forecast said 7 days of sun.....
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:campfire:
sounds like you had a great hunt!
:campfire:
Have hunted Kodiak (south end) three times and Afognak once. Always used Andrews air, great folks. Great hunts with great friends!!!
:coffee:
Oh Ya, ready for a good hunting story, with a few big fish thrown in for good measure :thumbsup:
:campfire: :campfire:
:campfire:
:thumbsup:
Did u do any fishing while you were their. My brother went last year and had a blast
doug77
Did u do any fishing while you were their. My brother went last year and had a blast
doug77
Yep bunch of fishing!
Sorry gang just got back home and downloaded pics so we can get this story rolling! On July 31st we flew in to a high mountain lake and jumped out of the plane. We were immediately met with some lovely rain. The rain that was supposed to be nonexistent.for 7 days was just starting. 7 days later we had only seen a few hours of nice weather! We quickly tarped our geat then setup the cooktent and then the tipi we would stay in. The rest of the day was spent setting up camp and preparing our meat cache.
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0150%202_zpsviaufvfd.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0150%202_zpsviaufvfd.jpg.html)
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0034_zps42ruuaej.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0034_zps42ruuaej.jpg.html)
The next morning was opening day and wegot our gear put together and ready. My buddy was hunting with wheels so you wont hear much of his tale. After a quick breakfast we decided to split up and explore some country. We had seen plenty of deer on the way in but the fog and rain would make it tough. I went about a half mile to a point and started glassing. After about 5 minutes i saw a nice buck a few hundred yards below me. I quickly dropped into a crick bottom and skirted past the buck to get the wind right. As i was closing the distance to where the buck should be i saw my partner come over a hill 50 yards below me stalking the same buck! We split up on the stalk and he got yhe shot but yhe buck jumped the string. It was all good though as several hours later i got to stalk the same buck. It eas certainly not my best shooting ever but i managed to tag him on opening day. He ended up dying in a super scenic spot for some photos!!
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0064_zps7obvgnmx.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0064_zps7obvgnmx.jpg.html)
The rest of the day was spent packing and taking care of meat. When we got back we fired up the wood stove and cracked a cold one to celebrate.
Chris what a great start to the hunt keep the pics comeing this is my dream hunt .Thanks Shane
Thanks buddy! Heres my hunting partner relaxing after a soaking wet day. The biggest advantage to having a tent with a stove. Even in August on Kodiak it wss a welcome sight after being soaked all day.
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0140_zpscovbfwyx.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0140_zpscovbfwyx.jpg.html)
Is that an electric fence around your tipi???
And congrats on the buck!
Bisch
Chris what great camp setup for that crappy weather were did you get the wood from did you fly it in???
Looks like you used a BW bow what happened to the RER wasnt it ready in time ???
Yes Bisch we had2 electric fences. One around tipi and one around cooktent about 125 yards below us on edge of lake.
Yeah Shane i was shootin the Widow good and the RER got done just a week before i left. Not enough time for me to program my brain to shoot it. Lol
Oh yeah we brought fake wood from Walmart in a box. Absolutely nothing to burn on Kodiak in that area.
Day 2 was foggy in the morning with rain and slightly cleared up by dinnertime. I hunted in a different direction to check out some country. Only saw about 15 deer with two forkhorns. I found s snowfield above camp and hauled down a backpack full of snow to help keep meat.
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Our meat cache
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0144_zpscrsyz0rc.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0144_zpscrsyz0rc.jpg.html)
Day 3 was the only day we didnt wake up to rsin. We headed up to a high bench where my partner saw lots of deer on day 2. About lunchtime we split up and headed seperate ways. I worked a series of benches with mixed brush and cover and only spotted several does and fawnd. I dud see a group of deer way high by a snowfield so i started working that way around 3. The deer were in a very tough spot to slip in on but i knew it was worth a try. As i got in the neighborhood a cloud blew in and made visibility very low. This was perfect and allowed me within 75 yards. Here i got seen by a couple deer but they didnt really make me out and i was able to watch them slowly work over a hump. I quickly dropped in a small creek and quickly made my way to where they went outta sight. As i peeked over the biggest buck was 40 yards out and saw me. I started crawling out of sight and started bleating like a fawn. The buck came to check me out while circling downwind. As he curcled i crawled behind the last cover and knocked a arrow. He came to about 20 to 25 yards and looked at me. I drew back and aimed and waited til my clicker said release. The buck slightly jumped the string and got hit in the high lung low back region. He sprinted downhill in a mad dash. I gave him sometime and trailed 300 yards to where i saw him out of commision. I walked up and placed a finishing shot. Was pumped to have a big mature buck!! Totally different body and face compared to my other buck. 2 to 3 inches of body fat across his rump and even the chest and back was loaded a inch or more thick.
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0114%202_zpsj93xtqgh.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0114%202_zpsj93xtqgh.jpg.html)
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I quartered him up and started back to camp loaded heavy when i bumped into my first brown bear of the trip. Halfway between me and camp. I had to do a bunch of climbing to safely circle where i saw him.
(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g61/Chris_Blaskowski/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0124_zpsbyqvoiou.jpg) (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Chris_Blaskowski/media/Mobile%20Uploads/VIRB0124_zpsbyqvoiou.jpg.html)
By the time i got to camp the rain had completely returned and i was soaked head to toe...
I am heading to Kodiak in Nov. Is that a shotgun that you were carrying? Did you carry it all of the time or just when packing meat?
It was on my pack 100 percent of the time. I really didnt mind or notice it. Just a extra 7 pounds i suppose. Felt really light when we ran into a few bears haha.
Thanks, I may go that route. Very nice bucks, congratulations.
Beautiful bucks! What an awesome animal!
Probably the prettiest deer. Well done
Great trip , one I would like to do someday...
Congrats sir.....
,,,Sam,,,
I do think the Sitka Blacktail is the prettiest of all deer. Not as much now as when in full rut. Super awesome contrast. I will probaly get that big buck mounted with a full rut coat. We didnt keep the capes this time of year as they were somewhat patchy.
Day 4 rained all day HARD. We never left the tent except to eat and check meat. I broughr my skulls in and worked on them for hours peeling velvet and stripping every little bit of meat i could off. Removed brains and sank heads in lake to flush blood off and let the shrimp eat.
Day 5 was still raining hard and foggy but we had to get out and give it a try. After hunting allday i had seen quite a few deer on distant hills but only one spike buck anywhere close. I put a stalk on that buck and as i was cidcling behind him to get the wind i saw a fresh mound of dirt with birds flying up. Apparently a big furry bear had carried my previous carcass about 300 yards to a nice knoll and buried it. I quickly passed by the area spooked the spike and climbed a hill to get outta there. Not 5 minutes later mister brown bear walked out and sat down by the carcass. By this time i was 300 yards uphill watching with my buddy. Not 30 seconds later i looked right and a sow with a tiny cub came out about 500 yards to our right. Straight between us and camp. Then to top it off the fog rolled in and we couldnt see 50 yards! We climbed high and wide with guns out and bows strapped to packs. Never did see them again.
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How many bucks can a guy shoot up there?
Congrats on the second one!!!!
Bisch
3 bucks right now. Used to be up to 5 bucks in the 80s!
WOW, Congrats!!!!
Great stuff!
Man what a great story and adventure. Thanks a lot for sharing with us. And congrats on your two nice bucks.
Tony
Very Cool!
That first pic with deer and waterfall! :thumbsup:
Congrats on the deer. Sounds like you had a great trip.
Awesome! A dream hunt for sure!
That picture of you with the buck at the waterfall is incredible! Needs to be blown up and framed!
Thanks everyone. We had planned on a full 10 days of hunting. On day 6 we decided to call in and get a flight out. We each had 2 beautiful bucks and had been rained on 7 days. The meat was not going to stay good in those conditions for much longer. Im sure we could have stayed and killed another deer each but it wouldnt have increased our enjoyment of the hunt any. We flew out and got to spend a day trolling King salmon and watching whales and two days catching pink salmon in the streams around Kodiak. Awesome trip for sure!!
Fantastic adventure dude! Thank you for sharing it with us. That is a hunt I am going to do in the near!
Very awesome!
Thanks for sharing! These kinds of stories with pics keep me dreaming!
THanks
Thanks for sharing. Congrats!
:thumbsup: :archer:
Great trip. Congratulation.
Thanks for taking the time to share. Awesome hunt and great skill. Congrats.
Thanks too for honoring the TG spirit in sharing the hunt. I am sure your friend was just as skilled. Congrats to him as well.
Dan in KS
Great story, thanks for taking us along :thumbsup:
Great Stuff! Congrats on your deer, they are spectacular specimens.
Congrats on a great trip! Enjoyed that very much.
Well done! Did any bears test your electric fence? Make sure your taxidermist uses a Sitka blacktail form, not a whitetail form. Mine didn't and it makes a big difference.
If the bears tested the fence i was sleeping and never knew! I would love to see a fence tested on video with a problem bear.
Great photos and story .... that is a fine buck.
Thanks for sharing and congrats
Congratulations and thanks for sharing! :thumbsup: :clapper:
Thanks guys! If anyone is thinking on doing a hunt like this i will help answer any questions you may have.
Congrats on an awesome adventure!!!
Thanks for taking us along on your hunt. It sounded like a great adventure.
What a great experience, thanks for all the photos.
What great adventure!! Thanks for sharing and congrats on two great bucks!
Congratulations on your hunt and adventure!
Something I've always wanted to do.
Great pictures and better story. Congrats!
Congrats and thanks for sharing. I am glad that you got to experience more of Kodiak. Kodiak is such a special place. If I get back that is what I would do.
Nicely done! Congrats! :thumbsup:
I haven't been on TG in quite some time and man am I glad I jumped on tonite! What a great story Thanks for sharing!
Steve
Fantastic story,pictures and trip. Thank you
Cool trip... I would be happy to go through life without ever seeing a brown bear
Great pictures and story! Congratulations! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks for the kind words everyone! Its a great DIY trip that most can do. Im glad i decided to do a August trip when days are long and weather a bit warmer.
Maybe you could show some practical tips on preparation, is this the only place to hunt the Sitka deer in Alaska.
Like airplane cost.
Food, etc.
great story if you dont mind me asking what would a hunt like that cost for an out of stater?
Thanks for sharing and congrats on the bucks. Awesome story and appreciate your willingness to share the how-to as well.
Southeast Alaska and Prince William sound also have Sitka deer.
Congrats on a great trip, thanks for sharing!
Hey Great for you guys! I bet that was an awesome adventure. The rain would just about ruin it for me. Glad you guys stuck it out and got some deer. Great job to you and your buddies!
Im certainly no expert on thre deer up there but i believe there are many areas in se Alaska with deer. Kodiak and Prince of Whales seem to be the most popular with nonresidents.
As far as costs of the hunt.
Round trip from home to Kodiak $900 ( i paid $11 i used Alaska airline credit card miles)
Tags 85 for a hunting liscense and 150 per deer tag. I got 3 so total of 535.
Luggage costs: i paid $100 going up and $175 coming home. Lots of gear to haul. Was way cheaper to take as extra luggage compared to shipping.
Bush flight. Think it was 1200 each way. So each of us paid 1200. This depends how far out you want to go. I think the far sw corner of kodiak was 1400 or 1600.
Hotels are expensive. Like 200 a night. Luckily i had relatives in Kodiak who were nice enough to keep us for a couple days.
Renting a Sat phone could cost you 100 to 150.
Of course all your foor, any car rentals or taxi.
Eating out in Kodiak.
Beer expensive 6.25 for a tap beer!
Probaly some other expenses i havent thought of. Of course all the tents and gear for a remote hunt.
The cost of the tags will be double next year. I go every year in November to Larsen Bay with Kodiak Charters. I think this is the cheapest way to hunt Kodiak. 5 days for around $2500 not to sure what the price is now as they charge returning customers the same price as the first time they went which was 10 years ago for me. You fly the mail plane from Kodiak to Larsen Bay which is about $125 each way. They provide you with a place to stay (hot showers,sat tv). You get up in the morning they fix you breakfast, pack you a lunch, take you out in the boat and drop you off to hunt. They come and pick you up about dark and take you back to Larsen Bay where they have a good supper waiting for you. About all you need to bring is what you need to hunt with I go down with one 50 lb. bag.