Recommendations for AK sitka blacktail

[fowl smacker]

Hey all, going to AK and harvesting a Sitka blacktail is tops of things to do.  Anybody done it and have a place they recommend?  A hunting/fishing combo trip would be ideal with emphasis on the hunting.  I'm not opposed to DIY if that's even possible up there I'm not sure.  Thanks in advance.

[Harbor_hunter]

Someday I would like to do a trip like this as well.

[RB]

Prince of Wales is a good start if you want to DIY, you can rent from a lodge, or AirBNB, and rent a pickup. Google the area, like a lot of places it is not as good as it used to be, but it is still a fun adventure. Cost will be approximately $3,500+ for a week with two tags ($300 a piece) rental place, airfare (times two unless you take ferry), excess baggage, food and fuel.

[mossback636]

Did a trip with a group of buddies to Kodiak a couple years back with ninilchick charters. Great experience, diy hunting and a little fishing. Might be something to check out

[Kingofthemountain83]

When my uncle told me about a story of his first trip to Alaska to hunt BT on POW you could take 6 deer... It was the late 80's...

[actionshooter]

I've done DIY Kodiak drop hunts twice in November, Rumor has it they may be going back to 2 tags for non-res next year but that has not been confirmed... I typically hold out for 1 good buck, or a last day tag filler.
The weather in November is no joke and we run really lite, if you go this route plan on top tier 4 season tents and your best raingear. The upside is there hasn't been a really bad winter in several years and the herd is doing well... this last year we had 4 awesome bucks out of 6 guys and everyone filled at least 1 tag along with 2 goats  (I hunt with residents).

 Next year we are going to do POW for something different... love hunting those little buggers. 

[spin05]

Fox tail lodge is a excellent choice but they fill up fast.  We went too early and didnt get a deer. Id go more into November

[Skillet]

I've done DIY Kodiak drop hunts twice in November, Rumor has it they may be going back to 2 tags for non-res next year but that has not been confirmed... I typically hold out for 1 good buck, or a last day tag filler.
The weather in November is no joke and we run really lite, if you go this route plan on top tier 4 season tents and your best raingear. The upside is there hasn't been a really bad winter in several years and the herd is doing well... this last year we had 4 awesome bucks out of 6 guys and everyone filled at least 1 tag along with 2 goats  (I hunt with residents).

 Next year we are going to do POW for something different... love hunting those little buggers. 

Fair warning- we are just coming out of the worst winter in decades here in SE. Record snowfall and low temps... winterkill will be well above average.

[Nate Ortloff]

We did this trip a few years back and stayed in Thorne Bay. If you go put in for a bear tag. If I remember right NR bear hunting starts September 1st. We would spend the mornings up in the alpine and then the evenings down on the river fishing. There are some really nice bears along the creeks and river bottoms chasing salmon. Dear hunting can be tough you just need to make sure you get up above the tree line in the September hunt.

[fowl smacker]

Thanks for the comments so far.  I've got a place to start now.  Keep em coming.

[RB]

I've done DIY Kodiak drop hunts twice in November, Rumor has it they may be going back to 2 tags for non-res next year but that has not been confirmed... I typically hold out for 1 good buck, or a last day tag filler.
The weather in November is no joke and we run really lite, if you go this route plan on top tier 4 season tents and your best raingear. The upside is there hasn't been a really bad winter in several years and the herd is doing well... this last year we had 4 awesome bucks out of 6 guys and everyone filled at least 1 tag along with 2 goats  (I hunt with residents).

 Next year we are going to do POW for something different... love hunting those little buggers. 

Fair warning- we are just coming out of the worst winter in decades here in SE. Record snowfall and low temps... winterkill will be well above average.

 

Juneau broke the record that had stood since the 60's and they still have snow right now.

[3boys]

I've done DIY Kodiak drop hunts twice in November, Rumor has it they may be going back to 2 tags for non-res next year but that has not been confirmed... I typically hold out for 1 good buck, or a last day tag filler.
The weather in November is no joke and we run really lite, if you go this route plan on top tier 4 season tents and your best raingear. The upside is there hasn't been a really bad winter in several years and the herd is doing well... this last year we had 4 awesome bucks out of 6 guys and everyone filled at least 1 tag along with 2 goats  (I hunt with residents).

 Next year we are going to do POW for something different... love hunting those little buggers. 

Fair warning- we are just coming out of the worst winter in decades here in SE. Record snowfall and low temps... winterkill will be well above average.

I was just watching your YouTube video on your commute to work. Pretty gnarly. 

[Born2late]

My best and most memorable hunt on Kodiak the weather was all about high winds not the cold. We landed and the beaver was being drug down the beach sideways, having a floatplane background I knew what to do and quick cause it could have got really ugly, took me burying a anchor in the ground and tieing off to the strut and three guys holding the plane. I was waste deep in water in my hunting clothes to get him spun and back off the water.
Then our 6 man Alaska guide model tent broke a pole and zippered the top open destroying the tent, by then it was blowing 60 plus.
I share this for 2 reasons. 1 don’t be cheap on your tent!!
2, be ready for the unexpected and be quick to find a solution, it can be the best or worst trip. I wouldn’t have traded that hunt for anything. Greatest memories that last a lifetime

[actionshooter]

I've done DIY Kodiak drop hunts twice in November, Rumor has it they may be going back to 2 tags for non-res next year but that has not been confirmed... I typically hold out for 1 good buck, or a last day tag filler.
The weather in November is no joke and we run really lite, if you go this route plan on top tier 4 season tents and your best raingear. The upside is there hasn't been a really bad winter in several years and the herd is doing well... this last year we had 4 awesome bucks out of 6 guys and everyone filled at least 1 tag along with 2 goats  (I hunt with residents).

 Next year we are going to do POW for something different... love hunting those little buggers. 

Fair warning- we are just coming out of the worst winter in decades here in SE. Record snowfall and low temps... winterkill will be well above average.

Caught a little bit of that and not super excited, how was the population up to this point?

[Skillet]

Honestly not sure how POW was the last few years, but up my way the population seemed very healthy.  Been 4 or 5 years of pretty mild winters.