Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska sitka rut....when??

Okay, you will be on the Sourdough and either Rick or Roark will probably be running the boat. They are good hands and have been doing the Olga Bay thing for many years. Expect very tall grass and smaller, less steep hills than most of the rest of the island.

I MUCH prefer to drag deer rather than cutting them up and packing them out. Bending over a deer trying to hurry and keeping it clean is tough. There are several incidents of hunters distracted that way being attacked by bears. I am not much worried about that, but I try not to tempt fate any more often than needed.

Also, the time spent cutting is time better spent either dragging back to the beach or hunting. In the rut you are hunting every minute your head is up because they can be anywhere. Boned deer is a bitch to keep dry and you will lose a lot more meat that way.

I make short drag lines and carry at least two. I braid a heavy bronze swivel in and a loop at one end. Drop guts, wrap the drag line around the antlers, cut a handle from a convenient alder, tie it very short and start walking. The swivel is important because sidehilling is very common.

I have butchered many on the hillside and did so for years, but I'll never do another that way.

A space blanket, small candle, lighters, and a trioxane fuel tablet are also critical, IMO. If you have a marine VHF radio you should bring it also. They may supply them on the boat.

Good glass is very important. I usually carry 10x42 Zeiss Classics and figure they are about perfect. You can and will see deer a lot farther than you can shoot. A walking stick to rest your glasses on and help on the uphills is a good thing, but a PITA on the drag down the hill...

Look for the throat patch! It is usually the most obvious thing. They will let you walk right past them in an alder patch.
art

thanks thats very helpful. that is interesting about why you drag the deer. i planned on boning them, probably cuz its the only way to do it in idaho.

Bring a rifle too.

I usually tie the drag line around the head, for obvious reasons...

yeah i remembered the rifle but what do you think about the bullets?

What do you mean? If you go around the antlers, sometimes it feels like the deer isn't even there.....

Don't worry Art I drag by the antlers too.

Does?

I'm on the road now for Whittier. Freezing rain right now so the roads should be fun. If all goes right, hopefully be shooting some deer tomorrow. Would be nice if they are rutting...

PKZ125-110300-
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
400 AM AKST THU NOV 10 2011

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT...
.TODAY...NE WIND 20 KT BECOMING NW 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS
4 FT. SNOW AND RAIN.
.TONIGHT...NW WIND 30 KT DIMINISHING TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS
6 FT SUBSIDING TO 4 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
.FRI...N WIND 10 KT. SEAS 2 FT.
.FRI NIGHT...NE WIND 20 KT. SEAS 4 FT.
.SAT...W WIND 25 KT. SEAS 6 FT.
.SUN...NW WIND 20 KT. SEAS 4 FT.
.MON...N WIND 15 KT. SEAS 3 FT.

$$

PKZ129-110300-
PASSAGE CANAL
400 AM AKST THU NOV 10 2011

...GALE WARNING TODAY...
.TODAY...W WIND INCREASING TO 35 KT DURING THE MORNING. SEAS 2 FT
BUILDING TO 5 FT BY EARLY AFTERNOON. SNOW SHOWERS.
.TONIGHT...W WIND 30 KT. SEAS 5 FT. FREEZING SPRAY.
.FRI...W WIND 15 KT BECOMING E 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 FT.
SNOW. FREEZING SPRAY.
.FRI NIGHT...W WIND 20 KT. SEAS 3 FT.
.SAT...W WIND 30 KT. SEAS 5 FT.
.SUN AND MON...W WIND 15 KT. SEAS 2 FT.
$$

You have good time!

Art-


Do 6' seas equate to 12' waves?

That little equation gets twisted around everywhere you go... in HI they claim to measure just half the wave... 6' seas here are 6' of wave front.

Gotcha. Thanks.

Hope Matt is having a good time... in a sheltered spot...

PKZ125-130300-
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
705 AM AKST SAT NOV 12 2011

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...
.TODAY...N WIND 15 KT BECOMING W 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
SEAS 3 FT BUILDING TO 5 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN AND SNOW.
.TONIGHT AND SUN...W WIND 35 KT. GUSTS TO 55 KT OUT OF BAYS
AND PASSES. SEAS 9 FT. FREEZING SPRAY.
.SUN NIGHT...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 5 FT.
.MON...N WIND 25 KT. SEAS 5 FT.
.TUE...N WIND 30 KT. SEAS 6 FT.
.WED...NE WIND 25 KT. SEAS 5 FT.

$$

PKZ129-130300-
PASSAGE CANAL
400 AM AKST SAT NOV 12 2011

...GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...
.TODAY...W WIND 15 KT INCREASING TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
GUSTS TO 45 KT NEAR WHITTIER IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 FT
BUILDING TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW.
.TONIGHT AND SUN...W WIND 35 KT. GUSTS TO 55 KT NEAR WHITTIER.
SEAS 5 FT. FREEZING SPRAY.
.SUN NIGHT...W WIND 20 KT. SEAS 3 FT.
.MON THROUGH WED...W WIND 25 KT. SEAS 4 FT.

I bet the deer are in a sheltered spot.

this may be a stupid question to you guys up there in AK, but what time is the sun rise and sun set this time on Kodiak island? not exactly, just trying to figure out how many hours a day we can hunt.

Thanks.

We are losing about 5 minutes per day, which will make a difference during your hunt... 9 to 4:30 is sunrise-sunset timing, but the dawn and dusk is fairly long and twilighty... assuming the clouds are not too deep. I think you will be arriving just about on the full moon.. going into the dark of the moon... It will get really black dark by the end of your hunt.

Do not push the back end... get on the boat before dark if you have any sense! Bring a headlamp and batteries.

Here is the current weather forecast for the area:
http://www.arh.noaa.gov/wmofcst.php?wmo=FZAK51PAFC&type=marine

PKZ197-150300-
400 AM AKST MON NOV 14 2011
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE NORTH GULF COAST+KODIAK ISLAND WATERS+
COOK INLET...
A 1003 MB LOW 50 NM SOUTH OF YAKUTAT WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY
AND DISSIPATE BY TUE EVENING. A 1004 MB LOW 60 NM SOUTH OF KODIAK
ISLAND MON NIGHT WILL TRACK TO 60 NM WEST OF YAKUTAT TUE NIGHT AT
987 MB.
$$

PKZ132-150300-
SHUYAK ISLAND TO SITKINAK
400 AM AKST MON NOV 14 2011

...GALE WARNING TODAY AND TUESDAY...
.TODAY...W WIND 35 KT. SEAS 13 FT. RAIN AND SNOW.
.TONIGHT...W WIND 30 KT. SEAS 12 FT.
.TUE...NW WIND 20 KT BECOMING N 35 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
SEAS 10 FT. SNOW AND RAIN.
.TUE NIGHT AND WED...NW WIND 50 KT. SEAS 15 FT.
.THU...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS 11 FT.
.FRI...W WIND 15 KT. SEAS 5 FT.

$$

You like W and NW as they are drier weather. SW is never good there and NE is where most serious storms track...

http://classic.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Kodiak,%20Alaska&wuSelect=WEATHER

Moon is last quarter on the 18th. FYI.

Pard is leaving for Kodiak tomorrow on the ferry.

thanks again guys. looking forward to this hunt.

Hope you are having a good time...

PKZ132-211500-
SHUYAK ISLAND TO SITKINAK
400 PM AKST SUN NOV 20 2011

...STORM WARNING MONDAY NIGHT...
...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING MONDAY NIGHT...
.TONIGHT...N WIND 35 KT DIMINISHING TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SEAS 13 FT. SNOW SHOWERS.
.MON...N WIND 30 KT BECOMING NW 45 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 14 FT.
FREEZING SPRAY.
.MON NIGHT...NW WIND 50 KT. SEAS 14 FT. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY.
.TUE...NW WIND 50 KT. SEAS 17 FT.
.TUE NIGHT...NW WIND 50 KT. SEAS 16 FT.
.WED...NW WIND 40 KT. SEAS 12 FT.
.THU...NW WIND 25 KT. SEAS 9 FT.
.FRI...NW WIND 30 KT. SEAS 9 FT.