After putting in for 10 different tags this year, and drawing none, I decide to go along with a friend(rifle hunter) who drew a Kodiak goat tag. Figured to help pack his goat down and then I would archery hunt deer. We were shorted a day of hunting when the State ferry laid over in Kodiak for 24 hrs and did not make the trip to Homer because of high winds and big seas. We finally boarded the ship in Homer and departed with good weather across the Gulf of Alaska. The seas had died and it was a nice crossing. Arrived in Kodiak Mon. morning on a blue sky day, nice for Kodiak. Flew out in a De Havilland Beaver so weight was not a concern. (Not liking flying in a Super Cub to a sheep camp where they limit you to 50 lbs.)

The flight over the island to the lake we landed on was scenic, to say the least...

Does any one know if you can post more than one photo at a time?

always enjoy being in the air...

this is the lake we flew into.

we took a lot of gear. On the overflight of the lake we saw 3 deer on the west end. I vetoed the hunt until we got camp set up. Always nice to set up in dry weather, in AK it might not be in 5 min!

After setting up camp we changed clothes and I strung up my bow. This was the first hunt my new Fox Breed was along for and I was anxious to use it. We made it about half way down the lake when the weather changed. From blue sky to gray sky, with wind. At the end of the lake we located the deer and found them to be all does. Oct. 1 Kodiak Island becomes any deer. After watching them for awhile and the weather worsening, they bedded on a slight hill above the lake. I began a stalk as it began to rain. The hills on this part of the island are covered in knee to thigh high willow, with higher willow and alder in the bottoms. A small spruce here and there higher up. As I began side hilling around on the deers level I spotted 2 does bedded in an opening in the willows 50 yds. away and slightly above me. Knowing the 3 doe was lower and in the bottom of a little draw I side hilled down a little. About the time I was getting close a squall rolled in, blowing horizontal sleet. Fun! I got to within 25 yards and she stood up, the Breed sent a Woodsman right through her. The more I shoot this bow the more I like it. At 54" in length it was very manageable in the brush. 54# @ 25". By the time I opened my knife the weather had subsided and was able to dress the doe in dry weather. Had her in the back packs and headed back before it started to rain again. It rained the whole night and into mid morning...

(Archery hunting moose tomorrow locally, will try to post day 2 tomorrow night.)

Congratulations on the Doe!

Breathtaking scenery and great pics, though don't know if I would have the nerve to camp in Browny neighbourhood. I Suppose you would get used too it with familiarity.

Looks like you and the 'Fox' are getting along nicely.

Kodiak Island is the most beautiful place I have ever been. Makes me want to go back!

Please keep us posted. Nothing like a nice fox in the hand. Congrats...

Awsome! Thanks for taking us along on your hunt...looking forward to reading and seeing more.

Russell

Cool pics and congrats on your deer!

That hunt is high on my bucket list.

Thanks for the pics! Can you hunt the same day you fly??

Cool!

I took over 180 photos on this trip, edited it down to 85. Will post some more with day 2 story. Deer are the only big game animal you can hunt the day you fly......

Congratulations on your hunt.

Great shots, thanks.

Day 2. After raining steadily all night, about mid morning if finally stopped. We had been up for awhile and were coffee'd out so we put on the packs and went for a hike around the lake.

After walking about a mile and getting east of the lake we sat down and glassed awhile. Looking across at a mtn. we saw a sow and last year's cub high up just at the snow line. Was thinking it was a good thing they were on the next mtn...

After glassing awhile we continued on, heading west on the opposite side of the lake from camp. Along the way we saw quite a bit of bear sign, some old, some newer than I wanted to see. This bear had been heavily into the crow berries...

We got about halfway down the lake, halfway between the lake and the top of the ridge, when we saw a lone bear right at the top of the ridge. This was only 2 miles from camp. A little to close.

As the day progressed the weather got better...

another view of the mtn. we saw the sow and last year's cub on...

Day 3. The third day dawned with a blue sky and no wind. We decided to try to make the goat mtn. We had to hike 2 miles to get to the top of the ridge above our lake to view the goat mtn. another mile away. We were out of camp and almost to the snow line on the ridge above the lake by 10 am.

Previous photo: we found a bear den on the way up. Later I regretted not climbing into it and checking it out...

The higher we climbed the more snow banks from last year we found. The snow must really get deep in the winter...

oops. double posted a pic. last one should have been this.

After taking a short break in the sun we continued on up the ridge, always aware that the evening before we had seen a lone bear 1/2 mile east of us at this same snow line. We had only gone a few hundred yards and were nearing a point of being able to see the goat ridge when we saw deer. A doe, 170 yards by my rangefinder, down below us maybe 100'. We had watched her a minute or two when we noticed deer directly ahead of us. It was a buck and it was staring at us from 200 yards. Knowing we were seen and the probability of making a stalk to archery range was nil I convinced my partner that it was opportunity knocking and that he should take it with his rifle. About that time we saw a 2nd deer off to the side, they looked like twins. Fat little fork horns. I stayed where I was letting the deer watch me and Jim moved off to the side and out of the deer's sight and advanced up the draw and then climbed the hill sidehilling closer. At 80 yards he set up just as one of the bucks laid down but still watching me. He took that deer right behind the ear and it dropped in it's bed, the 2nd deer unaware of what had happened. When it turned and looked at Jim he took that one in the head also. 2 bucks down, no meat ruined. Under a blue sky with no wind we had them dressed and into the packs withing an hour and a half. A deer in each pack, as soon as I stood up I knew that I would not make it back to camp with that load. Besides the minimalist gear I had with me, a whole deer was just to heavy for this old man (we are both 57). Besides, my pack was top heavy and I knew somewhere down the mtn. that it was going to take me over. Wanting to get the meat away from the gut piles we made it 1/2 mile down the mtn. and dropped the hind quarters out of each pack and left them on a snow bank under a tarp. Then we went on to camp with a manageable 70 lb. load....

Day 4. The next morning we woke to frost covered tents and ground under a clear sky. This was the first trip with the Kifaru tipi and stove and it was proving to be a great investment. Being able to crawl out of the bag in the morning and build a fire to feel almost instant heat was really nice. By the time the jet boil stove had water for coffee the tipi was warmed up and comfy. The first night we had put up the electric bear fence around the doe meat but began to think that if a bear came and could not get the meat it would rip into the tents. Had enough $ into the tipi that was the reason I got the fence so after bringing Jim's 2 deer into camp we moved the fence around the tents and meat cache...

Awesome story, I would love to do that hunt someday!

Mike

camp with the fence around it...

We got any early start and was up to the snowbank that held the hind quarters by 10 am (early considering it did not get light till 8am). Was relieved to find them untouched with the whole day ahead of us and another day of good weather. We decided to leave the quarters lay and continue on, trying to make it to the goat ridge. Our approach to the ridge was going to take us past the gut piles upwind and we decided to climb a little differently as to check out the gut pile downwind before passing it...

Great shots again, Thanks.

MAN between this and Zman's hare hunt I'm more than ready to get up there next week...Congrats to both you guys on some beautiful deer. Hard earned when you have to pack it out like that, but well worth it.

About 80 yards from the gut pile we stopped as we thought we could see something there at the site. Looked like a fox ear and as we were bringing up the glasses to verify it moved more into view enabling us to see 2 ears and a large head. NOT a fox! We then saw it was a brown bear and it stood up. We were thinking it was the lone bear we had seen the day before 1/2 mile away. I took my little camera out and zoomed out the lens to get a photo....

Just as I snapped the first photo a cub stood up! Oh s***. We probably should have began to immediately back off but we watched for a minute and that gave mama enough time to decide the next course of action. She started down the hill towards us. Not a full out charge but a steady walk. I put the camera away and pulled my Judge out. At 45 yards I put a .45 into the ground in front of her and sprayed dirt in her face. She walked right through it. At 40 yards I put another in front of her and she ignored that one also. I decided to keep the last 3 in the chamber till things got serious and began yelling with jumping jacks. She just kept coming. About 25 yards I think my yells got a little louder and I may have moved forward a bit with my jumping but she showed a hesitant faltering step. When we saw that we advanced on her a few yards, by now Jim was yelling and jumping too, and she stopped. We advanced again and she turned and went back up the hill. As she was coming down the cub tried to get out front twice, she cuffed it and told it to get back both times. Had the cub gotten out front it may have complicated things. She went back up the hill, happy to still have her gut pile, we went down the hill, happy not to have had to kill her or to use the suture kit on each other had we not. Happy also to pick up our hind quarters and beat it back to camp!

Day 5. We got back to camp with the hindquarters the day before and then the weather changed. It began raining and the wind picked up. We didn't even get out of bed till 10 am. It had been raining all night, at times torrential, with 30-40 miles of wind behind it. After getting up and getting the stove stoked and the tipi warm, we drank coffee and had a hot lunch. Then we had to brave the elements and go up the hill to search for wood as our supply was about gone....

Great story, keep it coming.

Congrats on the deer with your new bow!

Looks like an awesome time. If you want to post several pictures you'll have to upload them to a site like photobucket and then post links here from the third line of code.

Keep them coming.

Great story and photo's. Educate me please a bit on the bear fence, height, power how many strands etc..How much weight were you allowed to take in? Can you give an idea of cost? How much time in days would be required (estimate) for someone from lower 48 need to do this adventure?

Awsome story about the bear....I would have crapped!

Can you explain a bit about the electric fence you used around the tents?

Want to hunt northern Alaska but concerned about bears stealing the meat.

Looking forward to reading more about your adventure.

Internet access from camp...Satphone?

Russell

Awesome story! Please feel free to include more details, they really add to an already great story, Mike

Butts and Russell, the fence was developed here in AK by Eagle Enterprises, www.electrobearguard.com. I bought the smallest, lightest pkg. (20'x20', 4 lbs.) They have bigger models. Powered by 2 AA batteries, gives off 9500 pulsed volts. (Setting it up the first time I got a 'bite', would not want one in bare feet!!!) Fly outs in AK are by flight time, price difference is in the make of plane but always by the hour. We flew a Beaver, the 3/4 4x4 of planes, flight time is $500 an hour and can haul 1700 lbs. Our flight was only a little more than 1/2 hr. from Kodiak but most places charge a 1 hr. minimum. As we have aged and to ease our spouses minds, the last few years we have always rented a SAT phone to take with us. Always nice to be able to confirm weather, the flight time out, etc. and know it's there in case of emergency.

Great photos and a great hunt. Thanks for taking me along! Jawge

The trekking poles have nothing to do with the fence, they were just left by the 'gate'... Besides all the landscape pictures I always take a few of the ground.

Always nice to have a clean, COLD, water supply near camp...

This part of the island was covered by 2 ft. of volcanic ash from the Katmai eruption in 1912. Shooting at the hillside made a convenient backstop...

Most of the island is lushly overgrown but you could still find patches of bare spots where the ash is still evident. In the mornings they were to be avoided as they were froze hard and very slick! Treacherous footing.

Wading to and from the plane to unload, the lake bottom was very firm. Looked like a beautiful sand beach but was actually the volcanic ash...

Day 6: After the day before storm that kept us hunkered down and was my last chance at another deer (this year's limit was 3, some years have been as high as 6)the morning of our departure was another beautiful day...

the plane arrived at time about noon...

the gear went into the plane, the meat into the floats...

once in the air the magnificent views came again...

another...

one more...

approach into Kodiak...

I loved your trip. Thanks for taking us along.......Jim.

Thats awesome.I'll bet the Brown bear at the gut pile,raise some hair.Great pictures.Thank you!

Very cool. AK is on my list as well.

Thanks for answering my question.

Russell

Really enjoyed your photos and your story. I imagine everyone wishes they could have been there with you. Thanks

Amazing!

Thanks for taking us along!TLM

Wow William, thanks for sharing, did you have to go comando after that bear encounter. Absolutly beautiful scenery - thanks again. I don't think I would have crawled into that bear den either. Congrats on the deer!

What a trip, living the adventure! Thanks!

Landed in Kodiak and under a warm sun, unloaded the meat and gear..

Having such nice weather and a whole afternoon/evening to pass before catching the ferry back across the Gulf we drove the short road system on the east side of the island, going south out of Kodiak town.

there are a half doz. or more fishy looking rivers along the way. should have had a fly rod!

there was also a spruce forest!

along the road on the way back to Anchorage...

The End

ttt

very enjoyable! thanks for taking us!

I only put it back to the top as a friend said they couldn't located it.....

Thank you for sharing. What a trip!

What a story!! Your pictures were amazing..thank you for sharing them!!

Okie

Just wonderful,thanks for sharing

thanks for sharing thats a great story

Fantastic! Thanks for the adventure.

Great Stuff!...thanks for the ride

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