Deer season closes amid gales

[Field-dressed]

Gol dammit bleepin' sumbbichin weather! (Can I say that?) I was hoping to refresh The Hunt forum with a tale of late season deer hunting. You know, freshly fallen snow, fair winds, post-solstice sunshine, deer prancing near the beach...but all I get are gales. The season closes today amid 40 knot winds, 6 foot seas, and rain. I'm not even going to the harbor for a look. CURSES!!!

Time to tune up the predator calls.

[Art Eatman]

Now, wait a minute! What do six-foot seas have to do with deer-hunting? Ya got swimming deer up there? Do you spear 'em, or use a hook'n'line? Baited with apples? :)

I gather you travel by boat to where Bambi hangs out?

I looked on my map, and from what I recall about Alaskan weather, your vicinity has a lot of squally stuff this time of year.

IIRC, Florida is still going, and I know for sure it's warmer down there, this time of year...

:), Art

[BadMedicine]

In alaska you nearly always have to travel by boat to hunt the sitka blacktails. These are alot smaller than the columbian blacktails found in the states. Mostly the live on the coastal islands (kodiak, montague, hawkins, hitchenbrook, etc). They were transplanted on kodiak and the surrounding islands in the 20's or 30's I believe. Before, they were only located in the far southeastern part of alaska (near sitka I presume:D) and the surrounding islands, and coastal areas there. Fieldressed is from cordova (I believe) Which is right next to both hawkins and hitchenbrook islands. .Alot of people cruise around the islands, or coastlines on boats and glass the rugged mountains, find a deer, and go blast it, or shoot it from the boat, except in unit 1-5 (the southeaster "panhandle") because it's illegal to shoot from boat there. This can save alot of time because of how dense and rainforest like alot of the islands are. I can't wait to go on my first hunt for one of these. thay have the coolest looking little antlers. formed like a whitetail, but really small and curvy. The record isn't very big either, I'm not sure how big, but I'm thinking about 110??? maybe wrong. they've also got pretty small bodies. My dad popped a fork-horn on his bear hunt that was about the size of a rottwieler.That probably whythe limits are 4-5 in some areas. And because they don't get a huge amount of hunting pressure. It was a good eatin' deer though:)

[bronco61]

You're right on all accounts BadMedicine. Here in Cordova, we have to hunt Hawkins and Hinchinbrook islands to get to the deer. There are a FEW on the mainland but not enough to go looking for. We get 5 tags each year and one for Kodiak thrown in.
The weather has been REALLY bad the last two weeks solid. Today was the first day with good weather. Figures....its the first day hunting season is closed!!