My first trip to Alaska was supposed to be a once in a lifetime event. Before flying home, I knew that would not be my reality. Each trip I’ve made to Alaska has offered its own challenges. Kodiak seems to take those challenges to another level, both with weather and terrain. After our first trip to the island in 2022 (read that story here) I was ready to face these challenges again.
My opportunity came when I was invited on a boat-based hunt with Peninsula Saltwater Guide service by a friend. He had room for a couple more, so I invited Jeff W. and Steve H. They had hunted Kodiak with me on my previous trip and were ready for another adventure.
Peninsula Saltwater is a boat-based transport service. Captain Ross operates from a 65 foot boat named the Spirit. The boat can sleep up to six hunters, but we had only four as two from our group were unable to make the hunt. Jeff W., Steve, and I had hunted together many times before. Jeff J. was our fourth man. We became fast friends and have plans to hunt together again in the future.
Our adventure began with Island Air flying us to meet the boat on a pair of Beavers. Flying on these amazing machines is always one of my favorite parts of an Alaskan hunt. The weather was good and we saw some incredible scenery. Once we reached the Spirit we got our gear squared away and did some fishing. We caught several pollock and Pacific cod that evening while getting to know Ross and his deck hand Jim. After the sun went down, Ross fed us the first of many excellent meals.
The next morning, we split into two groups to begin our hunt. Once we had enough light, Ross dropped us off on the beach with his Zodiak raft. Both Jeffs hunted one area and Steve and I went to a different spot. Jeff W. and Steve were up to shoot first. We had sun and light wind–excellent hunting weather for Kodiak.
After climbing from the beach to a low bench, Steve and I began glassing and immediately found deer. The first several were does but soon a small fork horn appeared below us at 30 yards. Steve decided to pass on that deer and we moved further up the drainage.
Soon, we located a larger buck that ducked into the brush just before Steve got a shot. This buck appeared to be still cruising for does. We played cat and mouse in the brush but were never able to get a clear shot before he outdistanced us.
Around midday, we climbed a small knob to glass and located several more deer. Two were decent bucks, and one had a couple of extra points. Steve decided to take that buck and made a perfect shot at 200 yards with his M3 custom 7mm Rem Mag. Steve had his first Sitka blacktail buck, and we were both thrilled.
The buck we’d followed earlier that morning showed up and made his way toward the does on the slope above us. I was considering taking him with my pistol if he got close enough, but he circled just out of handgun range.
As we processed Steve’s buck and packed him back to the beach, we saw more deer. It was the kind of day when Kodiak shows all its beauty and potential. Team Jeff, as we named them, had a great hunt too, coming very close to filling Jeff W’s tag on a nice buck. Kodiak seems almost easy at times, but reality checks are never long coming on the island.
On our second day, the weather was colder, rainy, and very windy. Both groups returned to the areas we’d hunted the day before, but with quite different results. All the deer that were rutting and feeding on the first day were hunkered down in the brush. Steve and I put in a long day trying to glass and still-hunt the more protected areas. We hunted all the way up the drainage we’d hunted the day before, across a saddle, and circled back to the beach. We saw only a couple does all day. Team Jeff had better luck. They did not see many deer but saw a great buck at the bottom of a hill. Jeff W. lined up a 280-yard shot off his tripod with his 7mm PRC and the buck dropped. After a long wet hike, they made it back to the shore just before dark.
With similar weather on Day three, Steve and I hunted a new area–a low bench that was very thick and brushy. We worked our way around below the cliff face slowly and as quietly as possible but ended up only seeing one doe all day. Team Jeff also had a slow day. That night as we talked at supper, Ross made the decision to move the boat to a new area for the next day’s hunt.
The fourth day we woke to strong wind once again with temperatures steady and just above freezing. Steve and I hunted our way up and over a mountain. While climbing we saw several deer that were all heading toward cover out of the wind. Once we got over the mountain, we hunted our way across the slope, glassing the cover below us. Rain moved in and steadily increased throughout the morning. I spotted a couple deer moving toward a saddle 700 yards across the basin in front of us. When one skylined himself, I saw he had a wide heavy rack. I got Steve’s attention and we hustled over to the saddle. Once there we saw a deep, steep bowl with a V-shaped ravine running down it, and lots of alder pockets and salmonberry covered slopes. As we worked our way closer, using what terrain cover we could and glassing every couple steps, we began picking out does.
Several minutes later, I spotted the big buck again. The rain was picking up and blowing in our faces, making shooting difficult. We were out of cover and elevation to move closer; this was the only opportunity we were likely to get. I dialed my scope for the 380-yard shot and waited until the last possible moment to open my scope caps. Even with this, the rain quickly clouded my objective lens, and I had to dial my magnification back to 8x before I shot. The buck hunched up and took a step forward into some alders. I quickly wiped my lens and re-located the buck for another shot. I fired again but don’t think that bullet made it through the brush. As the buck stepped clear I dialed up a couple more clicks and sent the final 180 grain E Tip from my Rifles Inc 300 Win Mag on its way. The buck dropped on impact and began tumbling down the mountain. I had grossly underestimated just how steep the slope was where the buck was standing. He tumbled end over end about 50 yards before hanging up on a big alder.
I started toward the buck while Steve stayed behind to give me hand signals to guide me to the deer. As I crossed the first part of the ravine, I fought my way through the brush, using it for handholds as I did. With Steve’s help I finally found the buck and waved at him to start my direction. The buck’s skull plate had broken in his tumble, but he was otherwise intact.
Between the weather, slope, and remaining daylight, I decided not to wait for Steve to take pictures. I got my knife out and started working. When Steve arrived, I had almost finished processing the top side of the buck. I had to kick footholds into the mud and grab onto the alder each time I changed positions to work safely on the slope. Steve came down from the top instead of the way I had and said we could not go back up, it was just too steep. I got worried at that point; I was praying the terrain below us would let us drop to the beach without being cliffed out. If we were, it would be a dangerous trip back the way I’d come.
We finished getting the buck processed, loaded, and began our descent. I lost a microspike a few yards into the trip and Steve picked it up behind me. I kept going, there was no good spot to stop and put it back on. I had a microspike on my right foot and a trekking pole for my left hand. Between them I found traction to descend the treacherous mountain in the pouring rain. Once we reached the gentler slope of the alder jungle, we wound our way back to the beach and contacted Ross for pick up.
The warm dry boat was a welcome sight after our adventure. Once the buck was cared for and our gear was drying, we sat down for a well-deserved drink and shared stories with Team Jeff. Jeff J. had also tagged out that day on a respectable buck in a much better location than mine was! Steve’s onX Tracker showed that we lost 450 feet of elevation in 261 yards on that first descent. I learned a little more about not underestimating the terrain on Kodiak that day. We had found the adventure we came to Kodiak seeking.
The rest of the trip we had beautiful weather. We did some duck hunting but did not have much success. The weather was so nice and sea so calm that the ducks were too far from shore for us to shoot. We were not disappointed, enjoying the amazing weather and scenery was a wonderful way to end our trip. Kodiak holds some amazing wildlife; we saw several humpback whales and seals over those final days. We had a beautiful fox come close while duck hunting. Ross fed us an excellent turkey dinner on Thanksgiving night. The calm days of relaxation were a great close to a great trip.
The morning we were supposed to fly out the wind and rain had returned. Island Air came through and got us safely back to town. Some other hunters at the hotel said ours was the last flight they were able to make for a day and a half. Kodiak requires visitors to adjust to Mother Nature’s schedule; it’s all part of the experience.
As I grow older, finding adventure has come to mean as much to me as chasing giant antlers. Sitka blacktail don’t grow the epic racks like some other species can, but they live where adventure is easy to find. Kodiak is as challenging to my mental toughness and physical ability as anywhere I’ve ever been. It also holds some of the most beautiful sights I have ever been privileged to witness. I have every intention of being back to find another adventure in a few years.
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