Kodiak goes to 1 deer limit for Non Residents

[dilleytech]

Our blacktail s have been stable and strong for as long as I know of. But I’m not talking about benchlegs or whatever east side deer people like to call blacktails.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

This has been a hunt I have been thinking about doing. Definitely not worth it for 1 buck. Seems more and more hunting is trending towards local only. At least we have strong blacktail numbers I guess.

Curious why you think it's not worth it? Most years the average hunter takes 1 to 1.5 deer per season. And most of the guys who limit out are locals with boats who can hunt for 5 to 6 months.  Not many non res come there to limit out because of the cost of tags and shipping meat.  Doesn't make the price of the meat cost effective.  Most not res who hunt Kodiak do it in conjunction with a goat hunt or a bear hunt or maybe an elk hunt. They want to take a nice Sitka trophy as part of their bucket list.  But if taking more than one deer is your thing, Southeast is a better deal all the way around.  I have never seen a 1 deer limit stop anyone from hunting non res in Idaho or Montana or Colorado or numerous other states.

[Karl Blanchard]

We killed 6 deer in 5 days quite easily. Personally I wish I had purchased my 3rd tag. Their antlers are little but their flesh is the trophy. I don't think the cost of an 50qt cooler to fly home is stopping anyone from shooting multiple deer considering they are already forking out thousands in the first place for the trip alone.

I'd also wager that most NR hunting deer on kodiak are doing so for the deer alone and not in conjunction with goats or bear. I personally know tons of dudes that have hunted deer on the rock but don't personally know anyone that has killed a goat on the island and definitely don't know anyone that's killed the big bear.

As I said before, no way I go back for a single tiny racked buck. It's an incredible place but the juice isn't worth the squeeze for a single deer 

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Let's face it.  The juice isn't worth the squeeze even for 2 or 3 deer if you're spending thousands on the trip. The real reason we pay that kind of money is to have the experience.  It's how I justify the money I spend to hunt in Idaho.  I don't justify it by how much meat I get for what I spend. I justify it as being my vacation. Getting away from it all. Enjoying it with good friends. Some people like to go to Hawaii, others like casinos, still others like cruises.  I like camping in my wall tent and spending time in the wilderness.  Whatever I shoot is just a bonus.

[RB]

Let's face it.  The juice isn't worth the squeeze even for 2 or 3 deer if you're spending thousands on the trip. The real reason we pay that kind of money is to have the experience.  It's how I justify the money I spend to hunt in Idaho.  I don't justify it by how much meat I get for what I spend. I justify it as being my vacation. Getting away from it all. Enjoying it with good friends. Some people like to go to Hawaii, others like casinos, still others like cruises.  I like camping in my wall tent and spending time in the wilderness.  Whatever I shoot is just a bonus.

 

Drew a Brown Bear tag in 2021 for the ABC islands,spent more than a couple grand between Bear tag, Deer tags, license, airfare, float plane ride, ferry ride, food, booze, etc. I came home with a nice fork buck, several bear sightings, but could not seal the deal in six days. I did come home with one of the best memories of hunting with my nephew, and brother. Also being in some of the most beautiful country in the world. To me, it was a successful hunt! 

[spin05]

HHHmm Thats a bummer. We are going in 2024 and had planned to buy 2 tags a piece. Lukily the place we are going takes ya out fishing for free.  Maybe it will change back in 2024 but i doubt it.   It looks like it was already one buck anyway on one big chunk of management area. So it kinda makes sense i suppose.

[Sundance]

If you want to save money a DIY deer hunt on POW/Petersburg/Wrangell/Etolin can be done for better pricing. Milk run tickets are cheaper, more reliable with weather, better availability for USFS cabin rentals, and less winter kill then Kodiak.

[dilleytech]

This has been a hunt I have been thinking about doing. Definitely not worth it for 1 buck. Seems more and more hunting is trending towards local only. At least we have strong blacktail numbers I guess.

Curious why you think it's not worth it? Most years the average hunter takes 1 to 1.5 deer per season. And most of the guys who limit out are locals with boats who can hunt for 5 to 6 months.  Not many non res come there to limit out because of the cost of tags and shipping meat.  Doesn't make the price of the meat cost effective.  Most not res who hunt Kodiak do it in conjunction with a goat hunt or a bear hunt or maybe an elk hunt. They want to take a nice Sitka trophy as part of their bucket list.  But if taking more than one deer is your thing, Southeast is a better deal all the way around.  I have never seen a 1 deer limit stop anyone from hunting non res in Idaho or Montana or Colorado or numerous other states.

Exactly “average” some of those people didn’t hunt. I’m not going up there to not hunt. If I’m going up there I’m killing my tag limit. And those deer up there are tiny. I wouldn’t go to Idaho or out of state to kill a 2 point. I would go to Alaska to kill 3.

One guy hunts, wants 3 kills 3. The next guy gets busy with work or really sucks at hunting and doesn’t hunt kills zero. Average is 1.5

[dilleytech]

Let's face it.  The juice isn't worth the squeeze even for 2 or 3 deer if you're spending thousands on the trip. The real reason we pay that kind of money is to have the experience.  It's how I justify the money I spend to hunt in Idaho.  I don't justify it by how much meat I get for what I spend. I justify it as being my vacation. Getting away from it all. Enjoying it with good friends. Some people like to go to Hawaii, others like casinos, still others like cruises.  I like camping in my wall tent and spending time in the wilderness.  Whatever I shoot is just a bonus.

I mostly agree but the cool thing about Sitka deer is you can go ahead and shoot whatever then keep hunting and be more selective. Killing a small deer day 1 and sitting on a boat for a week doesn’t sound like fun.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Let's face it.  The juice isn't worth the squeeze even for 2 or 3 deer if you're spending thousands on the trip. The real reason we pay that kind of money is to have the experience.  It's how I justify the money I spend to hunt in Idaho.  I don't justify it by how much meat I get for what I spend. I justify it as being my vacation. Getting away from it all. Enjoying it with good friends. Some people like to go to Hawaii, others like casinos, still others like cruises.  I like camping in my wall tent and spending time in the wilderness.  Whatever I shoot is just a bonus.

I mostly agree but the cool thing about Sitka deer is you can go ahead and shoot whatever then keep hunting and be more selective. Killing a small deer day 1 and sitting on a boat for a week doesn’t sound like fun.

Trigger control..... You don't shoot the first small buck you see if you don't want to sit in the boat for a week.  Or you help your buddy find one. Then at least you are still involved.

Here's a couple of those tiny deer.  I'm 250 lbs. so you tell me. The second one was all two of us could drag and that was mostly downhill. He was the largest bodied Sitka I ever shot in PWS

[Encore 280]

That bottom one is a bruiser!! Snow and no snow!

[dilleytech]

Let's face it.  The juice isn't worth the squeeze even for 2 or 3 deer if you're spending thousands on the trip. The real reason we pay that kind of money is to have the experience.  It's how I justify the money I spend to hunt in Idaho.  I don't justify it by how much meat I get for what I spend. I justify it as being my vacation. Getting away from it all. Enjoying it with good friends. Some people like to go to Hawaii, others like casinos, still others like cruises.  I like camping in my wall tent and spending time in the wilderness.  Whatever I shoot is just a bonus.

I mostly agree but the cool thing about Sitka deer is you can go ahead and shoot whatever then keep hunting and be more selective. Killing a small deer day 1 and sitting on a boat for a week doesn’t sound like fun.

Trigger control..... You don't shoot the first small buck you see if you don't want to sit in the boat for a week.  Or you help your buddy find one. Then at least you are still involved.

Here's a couple of those tiny deer.  I'm 250 lbs. so you tell me. The second one was all two of us could drag and that was mostly downhill. He was the largest bodied Sitka I ever shot in PWS

Decent Sitka blacktail but still small deer. Killing 2 or 3 would be a lot more fun then killing one of either of those.

[andrew_in_idaho]

If you want to save money a DIY deer hunt on POW/Petersburg/Wrangell/Etolin can be done for better pricing. Milk run tickets are cheaper, more reliable with weather, better availability for USFS cabin rentals, and less winter kill then Kodiak.

Nothing to see here. Kodiak is the only place to kill Sitka blacktails


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk