Sitka Blacktails!

Marshall · November 3, 2002, 07:08 AM

I just returned from my first deer hunt of the season. Our season opens August 1 and runs through the end of January. However, the mature deer usually stay up high until the snow pushes them to the lower elevations. Since I have a freezer full of moose I haven't been in any hurry.

I took a friends 12 year old son for an over night trip to a neighboring island to see if there were any big bucks down low yet. Unfortunately we are having a mild fall so they're still out of reach of my old legs. There are still plenty of bear around. However, I didn't shoot one. Just to much trouble to deal with by myself.

Any of you fellows make it to southeast Alaska this year for a hunt? You know we can hunt big game of one type or another almost year round here. Moose season is over, but there is still sitka blacktail deer, brown bear, black bear, mountain goat, wolves and an assortment of other critters. Not to mention waterfowl.

Have a good season!

BushRat · November 3, 2002, 09:14 AM

Winters been pretty mild here too! The rivers are usually frozen up by now, but not this year. Unfortunately, we don't have quite the selection of game you have.
I wouldn't mind a little deer hunting, but I'm not too familiar with your area. We're still hunting birds here, grouse and ptarmigan. Waterfowl are long gone. I already have plenty of moose and bear.

Field-dressed · November 5, 2002, 01:10 PM

Hey Marshall,
Here in Cordova we like to wait for the snow to fly before getting serious about deer. Looks like snow isn't not going to happen this year. The weather's been awful this fall, 1 warm storm after another. Suppose to be hurricane force winds today.

I've got friends coming over from Anchorage this weekend to hunt so we sorta have to go regardless of weather. I suspect the deer will be huddled up in dense timber in the high country.
I still need to get my young son out deer hunting at least once this year. Most of our bears have holed up but goat hunting should be good once the darn weather improves. If you have any pull with the weather gods, please send some snow north!
Dave

Marshall · November 5, 2002, 01:44 PM

Boy, Dave I wish I did. I've been trying to run down the coast from Cross Sound (check your chart) for a combo deer/brown bear hunt for a month now. Our weather has been lousy also and the ocean has been a mess until a few days ago. Flights have been canceled and travel has been a pain also. My wife got stuck in Juneau for almost a week. (I dread getting my credit card bill)
I'm gonna make a trip up your way one of these days. My boys have been in there a few times commercial fishing and give Cordova a good report.
Good hearing from you.

Field-dressed · November 7, 2002, 06:26 PM

Marshall, you said you didn't have clout with the weather gods. Well we got the weather! I'm headed out for deer this weekend into sunshine and frost. Hope you got the same down south. I'll post a report next week. If you visit Cordova look me up at ADFG, I'm the game biologist here.
Dave

Marshall · November 8, 2002, 10:31 AM

Good hunting Dave. Skies are clear here in Gustavus also.

bronco61 · November 9, 2002, 06:14 AM

Neato! Dave gets to go hunting for the next 3 days and I get to baby-sit his stupid dog!

I'll be expecting some backstrap buddy.

Keith Rogan · November 10, 2002, 04:42 PM

I just returned from the funnest morning hunting I've had in many years.

I haven't taken a deer myself this year, just taken out my 11 year old and let him fill some tags. I've been toting my new T/C Hawkins muzzle loader, but haven't really been hunting, just spotting for the kid (and toting out the meat...).
Anyway, here on the Kodiak road system (the area right around town) the rifle deer hunt ends on October 31st. To hunt rifle you have to take a skiff or a plane out into the boonies till the end of the season.
However, they do have a bucks only muzzle-loader season running till the middle of November and this year (having taken the silly class to be eligible for the hunt), I've been looking forward to some serious hunting with the Hawkins. Like you guys over in South Central, we've been deluged with the wettest weather ever recorded in these parts, so I haven't done any hunting for a while. This morning was BEAUTIFUL though, clear and bright and I found myself on top of a mountain at dawn spotting deer everywhere I looked. Shirt sleeve weather - Fantastic!
I spotted a HUGE buck from over a mile away and off we went (me and my son). I followed the buck for two hours and every time I put a sneak on him I'd crest some rise and he'd be in a new spot 200 yards away (probably laughing at me!).
I never got that buck, but that's OK - if I'd been rifle hunting I'd have killed him 20 minutes after the sun came up and that would have been it.
About 10:30 or so a fog bank rolled in off the ocean and visibility went from infinity to 10 yards in a matter of minutes. So, I'm home but my heart is still pounding from chasing that wily old deer.
I haven't felt like this for years. I'm absolutely exhausted from chasing that deer up and down through the alpine, but the added challenge of having to get that close made it more exciting than any hunting I've done in years. I just bought this muzzle-loader as an opportunity to get in on some late season hunting close to home, but I'm now a convert! This is a great way to hunt.

Oh, as we wended our way back in the fog it cleared below us long enough for me to spot a bedded deer down in a canyon. I couldn't tell if it was a buck or doe, but snuck and slithered and crawled down that steep incline for thirty minutes until I was only ten yards from it. I cocked my rifle and it put its head up at the sound - a doe. So, again no venison, but what a lot of fun and challenge to get on top of a deer like that.

I like it!

bronco61 · November 11, 2002, 03:51 PM

Great Story Kieth!! This weekend was AMAZING here too. Unfortunately, it's raining again today. I'm hoping it clears by this weekend so I can get out.

What caliber is your muzzle loader? I'm thinking of getting a kit myself. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Marshall · November 11, 2002, 04:02 PM

Hi Keith, sounds like you had a lot of fun. How did your son hold up? I love stalking critters and getting up close also. To me that is what hunting is all about. It has very little to do with the kill. I have spend many hours watching moose, deer and bear from a few yards away without ever firing a shot.
I've never been to Kodiak, but like Cordova, it is on my list.

Good hunting to ya!

Keith Rogan · November 12, 2002, 11:49 AM

I'm shooting a .50, but if I had to do it over again I'd get a .54. The way the Alaska regs are written limits your choices for most large game in calibers under .54. For instance, if I wanted to hunt caribou or black bear with my .50, I'd have to use conical projectiles even though patched balls are more accurate in my particular rifle.
None of this matters on deer.
As far as what type of muzzle-loader to buy, there are so many choices that it's hard to recommend one. I like a traditional style over these iniline muzzle loaders. The best buy (in my opinion) is the Cabella's Hawkins. These are high quality rifles made by Thompson Center, but sold at about half the price through Cabellas - I wish I had known that when I bought MY T/C!

The weather is supposed to clear again tomorrow and I'll be back up in the alpine looking for deer.

bronco61 · November 13, 2002, 12:51 PM

Kieth, thanks very much for the information. I have been looking at the Thompson Center's and like them. I didn't know about Cabela's. That's an awesome deal! I think I'll go with the .54 as I want go get a black bear with it.

November 3, 2002, 07:08 AM	#1
Marshall Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2001 Location: I live in a small bush community in southeast Alaska called Gustavus Posts: 103	Sitka Blacktails! I just returned from my first deer hunt of the season. Our season opens August 1 and runs through the end of January. However, the mature deer usually stay up high until the snow pushes them to the lower elevations. Since I have a freezer full of moose I haven't been in any hurry. I took a friends 12 year old son for an over night trip to a neighboring island to see if there were any big bucks down low yet. Unfortunately we are having a mild fall so they're still out of reach of my old legs. There are still plenty of bear around. However, I didn't shoot one. Just to much trouble to deal with by myself. Any of you fellows make it to southeast Alaska this year for a hunt? You know we can hunt big game of one type or another almost year round here. Moose season is over, but there is still sitka blacktail deer, brown bear, black bear, mountain goat, wolves and an assortment of other critters. Not to mention waterfowl. Have a good season! __________________ marshall

November 5, 2002, 01:44 PM	#4
Marshall Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2001 Location: I live in a small bush community in southeast Alaska called Gustavus Posts: 103	Weather Boy, Dave I wish I did. I've been trying to run down the coast from Cross Sound (check your chart) for a combo deer/brown bear hunt for a month now. Our weather has been lousy also and the ocean has been a mess until a few days ago. Flights have been canceled and travel has been a pain also. My wife got stuck in Juneau for almost a week. (I dread getting my credit card bill) I'm gonna make a trip up your way one of these days. My boys have been in there a few times commercial fishing and give Cordova a good report. Good hearing from you. __________________ marshall

November 7, 2002, 06:26 PM	#5
Field-dressed Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2000 Location: Alaska Posts: 148	Yahoo! Good weather at last. Marshall, you said you didn't have clout with the weather gods. Well we got the weather! I'm headed out for deer this weekend into sunshine and frost. Hope you got the same down south. I'll post a report next week. If you visit Cordova look me up at ADFG, I'm the game biologist here. Dave

November 8, 2002, 10:31 AM	#6
Marshall Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2001 Location: I live in a small bush community in southeast Alaska called Gustavus Posts: 103	Good hunting! Good hunting Dave. Skies are clear here in Gustavus also. __________________ marshall

November 10, 2002, 04:42 PM	#8
Keith Rogan Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 1,014	I just returned from the funnest morning hunting I've had in many years. I haven't taken a deer myself this year, just taken out my 11 year old and let him fill some tags. I've been toting my new T/C Hawkins muzzle loader, but haven't really been hunting, just spotting for the kid (and toting out the meat...). Anyway, here on the Kodiak road system (the area right around town) the rifle deer hunt ends on October 31st. To hunt rifle you have to take a skiff or a plane out into the boonies till the end of the season. However, they do have a bucks only muzzle-loader season running till the middle of November and this year (having taken the silly class to be eligible for the hunt), I've been looking forward to some serious hunting with the Hawkins. Like you guys over in South Central, we've been deluged with the wettest weather ever recorded in these parts, so I haven't done any hunting for a while. This morning was BEAUTIFUL though, clear and bright and I found myself on top of a mountain at dawn spotting deer everywhere I looked. Shirt sleeve weather - Fantastic! I spotted a HUGE buck from over a mile away and off we went (me and my son). I followed the buck for two hours and every time I put a sneak on him I'd crest some rise and he'd be in a new spot 200 yards away (probably laughing at me!). I never got that buck, but that's OK - if I'd been rifle hunting I'd have killed him 20 minutes after the sun came up and that would have been it. About 10:30 or so a fog bank rolled in off the ocean and visibility went from infinity to 10 yards in a matter of minutes. So, I'm home but my heart is still pounding from chasing that wily old deer. I haven't felt like this for years. I'm absolutely exhausted from chasing that deer up and down through the alpine, but the added challenge of having to get that close made it more exciting than any hunting I've done in years. I just bought this muzzle-loader as an opportunity to get in on some late season hunting close to home, but I'm now a convert! This is a great way to hunt. Oh, as we wended our way back in the fog it cleared below us long enough for me to spot a bedded deer down in a canyon. I couldn't tell if it was a buck or doe, but snuck and slithered and crawled down that steep incline for thirty minutes until I was only ten yards from it. I cocked my rifle and it put its head up at the sound - a doe. So, again no venison, but what a lot of fun and challenge to get on top of a deer like that. I like it! __________________ Keith

November 3, 2002, 09:14 AM	#2
BushRat Member Join Date: October 29, 2002 Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma Posts: 40	Winters been pretty mild here too! The rivers are usually frozen up by now, but not this year. Unfortunately, we don't have quite the selection of game you have. I wouldn't mind a little deer hunting, but I'm not too familiar with your area. We're still hunting birds here, grouse and ptarmigan. Waterfowl are long gone. I already have plenty of moose and bear.

November 5, 2002, 01:10 PM	#3
Field-dressed Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2000 Location: Alaska Posts: 148	Hey Marshall, Here in Cordova we like to wait for the snow to fly before getting serious about deer. Looks like snow isn't not going to happen this year. The weather's been awful this fall, 1 warm storm after another. Suppose to be hurricane force winds today. I've got friends coming over from Anchorage this weekend to hunt so we sorta have to go regardless of weather. I suspect the deer will be huddled up in dense timber in the high country. I still need to get my young son out deer hunting at least once this year. Most of our bears have holed up but goat hunting should be good once the darn weather improves. If you have any pull with the weather gods, please send some snow north! Dave

November 9, 2002, 06:14 AM	#7
bronco61 Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 1999 Location: Alaska Posts: 518	Neato! Dave gets to go hunting for the next 3 days and I get to baby-sit his stupid dog! I'll be expecting some backstrap buddy.

November 11, 2002, 03:51 PM	#9
bronco61 Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 1999 Location: Alaska Posts: 518	Great Story Kieth!! This weekend was AMAZING here too. Unfortunately, it's raining again today. I'm hoping it clears by this weekend so I can get out. What caliber is your muzzle loader? I'm thinking of getting a kit myself. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

November 11, 2002, 04:02 PM	#10
Marshall Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2001 Location: I live in a small bush community in southeast Alaska called Gustavus Posts: 103	Good going! Hi Keith, sounds like you had a lot of fun. How did your son hold up? I love stalking critters and getting up close also. To me that is what hunting is all about. It has very little to do with the kill. I have spend many hours watching moose, deer and bear from a few yards away without ever firing a shot. I've never been to Kodiak, but like Cordova, it is on my list. Good hunting to ya! __________________ marshall

November 12, 2002, 11:49 AM	#11
Keith Rogan Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 1,014	I'm shooting a .50, but if I had to do it over again I'd get a .54. The way the Alaska regs are written limits your choices for most large game in calibers under .54. For instance, if I wanted to hunt caribou or black bear with my .50, I'd have to use conical projectiles even though patched balls are more accurate in my particular rifle. None of this matters on deer. As far as what type of muzzle-loader to buy, there are so many choices that it's hard to recommend one. I like a traditional style over these iniline muzzle loaders. The best buy (in my opinion) is the Cabella's Hawkins. These are high quality rifles made by Thompson Center, but sold at about half the price through Cabellas - I wish I had known that when I bought MY T/C! The weather is supposed to clear again tomorrow and I'll be back up in the alpine looking for deer. __________________ Keith

November 13, 2002, 12:51 PM	#12
bronco61 Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 1999 Location: Alaska Posts: 518	Kieth, thanks very much for the information. I have been looking at the Thompson Center's and like them. I didn't know about Cabela's. That's an awesome deal! I think I'll go with the .54 as I want go get a black bear with it.