Kodiak deer hunt 2017 questions

[Yellowknife]

So do you guys basically hunt Kodiak in your rain gear the entire time? I.e. should I just wear my Yukon all day with insulation gear as needed or wear base layer, attack pants, Yukon and insulation when needed?

Thanks!

When the sun is out, it's glorious and you certainly don't want to be wearing rain gear. Weather is also HIGHLY variable due to the coastal/mountain terrian and can switch almost from minute to minute on some days.

On the trip I just got back from, we basically lived in our raingear every day, but whenever we got the chance it got stripped in a hurry.

When it's nice... it's NICE


When it's wet.. it's WET.


Sometimes though, it's splits the difference... Last week there were several times I was in full sunshine AND being rained on at the same time.

Don't over think it. Regular synthetic/wool layers + a good set of raingear in the pack is the ticket... same as almost anywhere that gets weather.

Only other critical item I would recommend is a good set of gaiters. They help with the wet grass and dozens of swamp and creek crossings I usually end up doing.

 

[go4thegusto]

Can't say I've personally ever had a rust issues around the salt, have always had a stainless/synthetic. I'll run a bore snake a few times, fire a few shots and give it a quick wipe down/light oil. I pulled mine out of the safe yesterday and there's still blood on the barrel, but no rust.

A trick a guide taught me....take your rifle off the stock, wipe down with a good solvent ands then give it several coats of hard carnuba car wax buffing between coats. I even put beeswax inside inletting to seal that area. Should last a hard wet hunt but an oily rag in a film canister is a good idea.

 

[Daniel_M]

A trick a guide taught me....take your rifle off the stock, wipe down with a good solvent ands then give it several coats of hard carnuba car wax buffing between coats. I even put beeswax inside inletting to seal that area. Should last a hard wet hunt but an oily rag in a film canister is a good idea.

I'm not that ambitious. More of a tool for me than anything else, not that I'm neglectful. A quick bore snake job and wipe down is all she gets.

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm not that ambitious. More of a tool for me than anything else, not that I'm neglectful. A quick bore snake job and wipe down is all she gets.

Better than me. Can't remember the last time I oiled a rifle bore. Ruger 77 is still stacked in a corner from the latest trip. It got no oil before I left, and none when I got back. No rust so far, but that's why they invented stainless! For that matter, that particular gun hasn't seen a patch down the barrel since I bought it last year. Probably should clean it at some point...

That said, I used to do all that and more when I used blue/wood. I also own two older rifles with major pitting in carbon steel barrels from similar neglect (by previous owners). In the case of carbon steel, they need some love to have a long and happy life.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

A trick a guide taught me....take your rifle off the stock, wipe down with a good solvent ands then give it several coats of hard carnuba car wax buffing between coats. I even put beeswax inside inletting to seal that area. Should last a hard wet hunt but an oily rag in a film canister is a good idea.

+1 for the carnuba wax. You can use it on the outside metal (assuming a blued gun)to protect it from moisture. Coat the bolt knob, trigger, and any exposed wood, along with the outside of the barrel, receiver and bottom metal. Then wipe it off, and you are done. Carry a bore snake or cleaning rod with patches, even if just to get stuff out of the barrel.

Both times I hunted Kodiak I used ankle fit hip boots and HH rubber rain gear. There were still times I wished I was more water resistant!

 

[AK Troutbum]

thinking bear spray is worthless could be a very fatal mistake. It saves lives. there is no debating that.

To each his own. I'd rather take my chances with a 12 ga. and 3" 00 buck/slugs or even a heavy hitting revolver, over a can of bear spray any day of the week. It may work OK for chasing a bear off that's nosing around camp but the brown bear that's barreling down on you at break neck speed, with the intent on doing some serious harm.... well, like I said, you can have it. Most bear mauling victims, if they live through it, usually tell the same story of not having enough time to draw anything, gun or spray, but given enough time, I would rather be drawing a firearm rather than a can of mace.


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[Huntindog45]

To each his own. I'd rather take my chances with a 12 ga. and 3" 00/slugs or even a heavy hitting revolver, over a can of bear spray any day of the week. It may work OK for chasing a bear off that's nosing around camp but the brown bear that's barreling down on you at break neck speed, with the intent on doing some serious harm.... well, like I said, you can have it. Most bear mauling victims, if they live through it, usually tell the same story of not having enough time to draw anything, gun or spray, but given enough time, I would rather be drawing a firearm rather than a can of mace.


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the bear spray can buy you the precious seconds you need to get that shot off sometimes. With a Bear in full charge, or on you already you cannot get that shot but you may be able to get a cloud of spray in the air and buy yourself enough time or even better step to the side while the bear tries to get its bearings. i know someone who is alive today because of spray. and he was armed to the teeth. When it came down to it the spray was his only option because there was no way in hell he was going to get a shot off.

 

[Nick Muche]

thinking bear spray is worthless could be a very fatal mistake. It saves lives. there is no debating that.

Saves Bears lives?

Most just do not realize how fast it can all happen. If I was going to Kodiak on a rifle hunt for anything, I wouldn't carry spray. If I was going to Kodiak to Bowhunt, which I have several times, I'll carry a handgun (useless as bear spray but gives me piece of mind) and my partners usually have a big gun of some sort.

Bear spray on a charging brown bear.. almost comical, except it's not.

 

[Nick Muche]

When it came down to it the spray was his only option because there was no way in hell he was going to get a shot off.

I'd say a vast majority of the time...you have time for neither the spray or the gun. Kodiak is a very windy place, the spray would not be something I would rely on. Again, YMMV, and that's fine...just understand you're talking about your life being on the line.

 

[Huntindog45]

I have seen this university if calgary study sited often. And the guys i know both in montana where i have spent a significant amount of time and my friends who guide in brown bear country in Alaska tell me they wouldn't step into the woods without bear spray.

It does bring up the old funny joke about the best way to tell grizzly bear crap from black bear crap is it smells like pepper.
Either way i know when i am in grizzly country i carry both spray and weapon. Hopefully i never need either one.
The grizzly history of bear pepper sprays.

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[AK Troutbum]

I have very little experience with bear mauling's and or charges but I have dealt with two bear mauling victims in my line of work (one had a weapon the other did not), but in both cases they said that there was no chance to react.

I have been bluff charged multiple times by brown bears, resulting in my weapon being drawn but not having to be discharged.

I've been charged while in camp on Kodiak resulting in two dead brown bears.

A good buddy of mine and his duck hunting partner were attacked by a brown bear resulting in the bear being killed as it was climbing into the front of their duck boat. They both said that had they not been fully prepared, guns loaded and shouldered when the bear came through the brush, they would not of had a chance.

A buddy of mine was fishing and had a brown bear milling around on the gravel bar, got to close, shot it in the face with pepper spray, and the wind partially blew the spray back into his face. He said that from what he could tell (he was having a hard time seeing from his eyes watering so much and him coughing/choking), the bear went up into the grass behind him, rubbed his face around for about five minutes then came back out onto the gravel bar and my buddy left.
Anyway, those are my reasons for choosing a firearm over bear spray.


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[Huntindog45]

I also found my sons stolen bike in a homeless camp ..long story short...i need a new can of bear spray....those tweeks are probably still hurting


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[TEmbry]

Warm camp, good rain gear, and a tough state of mind. Anything else is icing on the cake for a Kodiak hunt. Beautiful but sometimes harsh place to camp and hunt. We will be down there Last Saturday of October through First week of November. Can't wait to whack some deer!

 

[TBossHSauce]

Ok from the sounds of it...rain gear is top priority. Oh and gaiters. I'll be carrying a .300 Win for the dirty work and a .22 revolver and a good pair of running shoes. That way when the bear charges I'll just shoot my partner in the knee cap and haul arse!

 

[dihardhunter]

Lots of speculation on how the deer fared through the winter with HIGH variation in individual reports (they are all dead to deer everywhere and looking healthy)...headed out end of August into September, taking dad and we'll have 2 tags apiece. Only generalities I can deduce is the NW side got hammered and some die-off should be expected in many other areas. I've found the one single factor that ensures I have a completely satisfactory hunt (regardless of success) is having realistic expectations before hand. I'm expecting bad weather days, expecting an unreal adventure, but really have no idea of what to expect given the high bar that was set by the deer herd last fall and looking back at some of the abysmal reports in years like 2012, 2007. We could have up to 10 days of hunting weather-pending with solid equipment, patience behind glass, experience in nasty terrain, etc., so I'm confident we can get it done. If it helps any, we are currently booked into the alpine off Uganik Bay but seriously considering a re-location towards the southern end, perhaps off Red Lake, Anvil, or Grant's Lagoon area. I was hoping for overall average of 4 quality opportunities in the 85-90" range, delusional or still realistic based on what people are seeing/hearing.

 

[Wrathchild]

From what I'm seeing in the field, our deer population had a really rough winter. That's on the road system though. I know there's some good wintering areas where they may have fared better. You'll find deer for sure. But finding lots of 100" bucks is gonna be tougher than the last few years. Along with your rain gear I recommend some kitchen gloves to go over your wool or synthetic gloves. It's special kind of wet here. Depending upon where you end up going, loppers for the alders/salmonberries can be critical as well as flagging tape to find your way back to camp. Bring a bear fence, but I wouldn't trip on a bear encounter. depending upon how our salmon runs turn out will determine how ornery they get with hunters. Kodiak is a really fun place to hunt, just be prepared for the worst weather imaginable and getting weathered in if your transporter can't get in to grab ya at the end.

 

[BRWNBR]

If your in a cabin save the extra weight and leave the fence and spray stuff focus on optics and hunting gear. Sometimes the cabins are a little shot out in the immediate area and you may have to cover some ground to find what your looking for.

 

[El Gavilan]

We had a funny encounter with a Kodiak brown bear and pepper spray. We were putting in a long term camp on a mountain top overlooking a heavy bear use area for a bear study. We flew in with the refuge beaver, got the plane tied off on the beach, unloaded all the gear and began hauling the gear up the mountain. When we returned to the beach for load number 2, we found that a bear had come through, torn into a duffle bag and bitten down on a super-sized bear spray canister. His canine had completely punctured the canister leaving a large hole in what was a full, pressurized can of bear spray. I wish I could have seen it happen, I'm sure his reaction was priceless!


Sent from the Arizona desert

 

[CIK]

Kodiak has a maritime climate so its always wet. In October there could also be snow on the ground. Especially up high. Good rain gear essential. I wear Kuiu here and it works. Recommend layering so that you can add or remove layers as needed. As of today no snow.

 

[IChaseCoues]

We went to Kodiak in 15 and had the typical September weather I guess. I'm glad I took the Yukon layer as I wore it a lot of the time since it rained all but two days we were there.
A pack cover is a great idea as mentioned above. I messed up and didn't put mine back on while packing out caribou. By the time we got to camp everything in the pack was soaked that wasn't in dry bags, and my pack is very water resistant!
So add to the list pack cover and dry bags for everything inside the pack!

In reply to the gun care question I had a brain fart big time when we went. I'm a hobby gunsmith and know my way around most firearms but am also from the usually dry and dusty part of the world. My firearms get a very light coat of protective oil on non-wear surfaces and a dab of grease on bearing surfaces. They for the most part are "dry" to prevent dust from sticking and we rarely have to worry about rust. My mistake was not thinking what environment we were headed to on the Southwest coast of Kodiak and what effects it would have on my rifle. On day 6 I nearly had to dismantle the bolt and trigger to get it to fire. Almost costing me a decent deer. Water had made its way into the trigger and bolt and rusted the chrome moly steel just enough to keep the sear from dropping and the firing pin from moving fast enough to ignite the primer.
After a few quick snaps of the firing pin with a pocket knife it functioned well enough to make a great shot on a good buck. My buddies rifle I built for him however didn't have a speck of rust inside but he did oil it well inside before the trip.

Oil the snot out of your rifle! Next trip up there I will have a rifle cover (didn't get around to sewing one up last time) a fully oiled rifle, and a can of oil at camp to touch up with.