Kodiak Deer

[muskeg13]

Has anyone hunted black tail deer on the Kodiak road system?  Any tips?  I'm planning my first trip to Kodiak in a few weeks to have a look around.

[Chicken-Farmer]

I have lived in Kodiak for 3 years now. The deer are still high up the hills and mountains right now and are difficult to locate because the grass and alder are so high. The best tactic is to get above the deer and glass for them. Its easier to glass down on them.  Chiiniak has a lot of logging roads that you can drive on with many hills to climb. Pillar mountain also has some good hunting. Pretty much all of the drivable portions of Kodiak are considered road system as well as the various islands surrounding us. I shot my deer on Long Island last year. Hope this helps out
I don't know where you are coming from, but Sitka Blacktail Deer are not very large. I shot mine with a .243 and it was more than adequate. If you have any more questions drop me an email.

chickenfarmer05@yahoo.com

[A-ALLOY]

Lots of people on the road system. The local ADF&G has a lot of info as do the local sporting good stores if you can do some walking you can find a buck, dont over look the ducks and silvers.
I,ll be going over next week to work, cant go wrong going to Kodiak in the fall and early winter.Deer goats, ducks and silvers and my boss just got a new 22ft. skiff. Good luck and have fun.

[Dand]

Some folks hunting Kodiak like to carry a lot more gun than a 243 in case bruno comes along.  Don't know if this is as much of a concern on the road system but it certainly is on the more remote areas of the island where I have hunted.

[Chicken-Farmer]

 I feel very comfortable with choosing a .243 to hunt deer on Kodiak. I respect the bears and their space. I don't fear the bears though. Some people believe they need a .50 cal to hunt deer on Kodiak, "just in case" a bear decides to attack them. Personally i like having some meat left on the deer that i shoot! Making noise while you are hunting and making your presence known will alert any bears in the area to your presence. The Deer here do not spook, instead they choose to stand absolutely still and watch you. Only after you are right up on the deer do they finally spook.

Chicken-Farmer

[muskeg13]

Chicken-Farmer and A-Alloy:  Thanks for the info.  I'm driving in from Houston (the one between Wasilla and Willow), and will be staying in Chiniak.  I finished chosing a load and sighting in today with my 6.5x55.  I decided a few weeks ago that a heavy caliber rifle wasn't the best for this, and the 6.5 is a tackdriver.  I'm coming in this weekend, and though it's too early for ducks, are the silvers still running? 

[corbanzo]

Well, if you have any other stops besides kodiak.... most of alaska (besides kodiak and the aleutians) opens on sept 1 for ducks.  The 6.5 is a good deer round, but bring a sidearm for bear protection.  For big browns I recommend .454casull or larger.  There are still a few silvers around, some of them might not be so bright, but they'll still be good eaten fresh.