Kodiak early vs late

[weaver]

Hunted deer in November last year and had a blast. Planning another trip for 2018 and considering going in August.
I'd like to hear​ pros and cons for going early vs late. Weather,bugs,bears,deer behavior ect.


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[dihardhunter]

Go on the Alaskan hunting forum over at Outdoors Directory and punch in some keywords to search this very topic. A ton of Kodiak experience represented on that forum and some great insights on this topic. Myself, I'm partial to the early season on Kodiak, but that has been my only experience too. Quite simply, 16+ hours of daylight or 8-10 hours of daylight - that was an easy decision for me.

 

[BRWNBR]

I love late season! Little snow,
The cold temps, the rut, Deer moving all over the place, thick coats,
Prime foxes, tent time with friends makes a great trip! And I’m not taking up valuable aug or sept
Time when other animals are in season then. Deer are there for a long time,
Sheep moose caribou are only open for a little while.

 

[dihardhunter]

Jake, I would almost assuredly share your opinion if I had AK resident opps available to me/my budget.

 

[BRWNBR]

I hear ya. I think bottom line is manage your time and money and go whenever you can! It’s still gonna be a riot of a trip!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I've never gone as early as August, but I have gone as early as early September and as late as late December. I have heard that the tall grass can be a major PITA in Aug. As far as bugs go, I think if your around the salt, they won't be much of an issue but up higher (which you'll probably want to be because the deer typically are higher up earlier in the season), and around fresh water, they can definitely be an issue. Bears may or may not be an issue, there's just too many factors that influence that, so I can't really say. As far as deer behavior, generally speaking, higher in elevation the earlier you go, and they tend to start going nocturnal in Dec. Weather conditions can be just about anything. The one time I went in early Sep. we experienced snow at 3000', and the one time I went in Dec. there wasn't any snow on any of the highest peaks (approx. 3200'-3600'), around us. The vast majority of my time on Kodiak has been in Oct. and high winds/rain is very common during that month, but then, high winds/heavy rain can happen any month of the year on the rock.

 

[Outdoors1]

I'm a big fan of the early season, when the deer are up high in goat country. A deer/goat combo hunt is a kick in the pants and produces some of the best eating meat around

 

[GLB]

I prefer to go in November. The rut is on and the possibility of snow is a plus. The earliest I have hunted there was in October.

 

[TEmbry]

My answer depends on what your other fall plans might be. If you are a deer hunter back in the L48, November may be more valuable to you than August. For AK residents, I think the choice is easy. November. Plenty of daylight to still get out and kill deer, but plenty of camp time as well with buddies. Still leaves August/September wide open for Sheep/Moose/Bou.

Alaskans have such a short fall we look for opportunities to extend it any way possible.

 

[Nick Muche]

Late October or early November in the rut for me, being able to interact with the deer, call them, rattle to them and just seeing them chase doe's makes it much more fun. I'd also never give up precious time in Aug or Sep to head there as I'd rather be sheep or caribou hunting during those months. I've been down there in Late July and the grass was tall and the bugs were bad. I'd just opt for the cooler weather and a more exciting hunt later in the season.

 

[Broomd]

My heart says late, it's a fun hunt during the rut.......my head says 'hell no' with the bears. I loathe them and have had enough interaction in late November to justify it.
Deer/goat hunted Kodiak in '15 and it was earlier and perfect timing for great deer hunting; and the bears were on the creeks gorging on salmon. Nary a bear in sight.
No brainer for me.

 

[AK Troutbum]

My heart says late, it's a fun hunt during the rut.......my head says 'hell no' with the bears. I loathe them and have had enough interaction in late November to justify it.
Deer/goat hunted Kodiak in '15 and it was earlier and perfect timing for great deer hunting; and the bears were on the creeks gorging on salmon. Nary a bear in sight.
No brainer for me.

Sounds like we share similar opinions regarding Kodiak bears.


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