After spending the weekend with the fam, went out for a hunt this early AM. Last week to hunt before I head to the great land of Canada to visit the wife’s side is the family. (Toronto).

It was wet, but not as wet as it’s been. Started hiking in the dark. Worked over a pile of timber where I had killed a younger 4x4 last week. Just one doe this time. Headed over to a heavily timbered knob I have seen bucks at in the past.

Did a few doe bleats and and two does came out in the muskeg. Also heard some commotion in the thick timbered knob. The does kept looking at the same spot in the edge of timber behind a big tree which obscured my view. Was fairly certain they were looking a buck.

Took a chance and made a few grunts. Within seconds he was out of the cover. Went straight for me then the doe. Gave me a quick opportunity at a broadside shot and I put him down with a 140 Interlock out or my Kimber 6.5 Creedmoor.

Tougher pack out down steep old growth, with lots of blowdown. Pack was a tad under 90lbs when I weighed it at home.

Congrats !

Nice One! well done!

Nice buck! Got any pics of its balls?

Nice job! Good looking buck.

That buck looks pissed!

Getting suckered by a grunt call, then eating a 140grainer would probably rank right up there as the worst day ever.

Congrats, Calvin on a good deer. 😎

Dandy buck! Grats

good going Calvin

Great buck! Thanks for the post!

Have fun in Toronto!

Very nice!

Good buck man.

Nice buck Joel.

That 6.5 creedmore is like magic!

Damn nice deer!

Haha. It made a nice hole.

Btw, a Guy Cotten chinook, base of merino, with another base of kuiu peloton is not too [bleep] in the rain and hard hikes. Blows away just about anything else for waterproofness and durability. I run kuiu pants and they are ok. Don’t mind wet legs.

Great job Joel! Have fun in Canada, Eh!

A 90 lb pack means a nice Deer...
Great picture.

Cool double forkie!

Gettin er done 👍🏻 Atta boy Joel, great work !

Is it not amusing, how easy things get once you know, what you are doing? LOL. Nice matter-of-fact-delivery. Congrats.

Good sized buck.

Very nice!

Club of a deer.

Nice buck there Joel!
Those Blacktails look like some burly buggers. Are they very heavy? Getting a weight on one of those would be a bit tough I imagine.

I have had a huge number of them on a scale in the round and field dressed. Lots of difference in weights between different areas/habitat types. On Afognak or in PWS in the old growth a yearling buck runs just over 100# field-dressed. A really big buck might go 165 or so.

Out in the open on Kodiak I have seen many bucks in the 200#+ range. Yearlings are about the same as in the old growth. The fat across the rumps on these deer can be unreal.

Nice buck there Joel.

You feel a mature one on a pack out. I rarely get one out whole as I like to kill them in the woods otherwise I would try to weigh one.

Yeah, I was thinking of your location/style of hunting ie. backpack hunting. Lugging a scale in your pack is pretty unlikely.
Art, thanks for the information on weight. Are blacktails better eating than whitetail? Somewhere in my brain there’s a notion that it’s been said that they are better eating.

Nice buck!!!

They are outstanding eating... they blow the best whitetails out of the water.

That does it. I'm going to have to come back to Alaska and hunt those.
Time to save up some hunting trip money.

I think Alaskan Blacktail is the best-looking deer in North Amerian.

Gotta agree!.......If there's a better tasting deer in America, I haven't found it.

Passed on a 3x3 today I called into 29 yards. Had a heavy 4x4 on my mind that didn’t materialize. Brutal weather.

Nice buck, Joel!

Way to go Joel.
One of these days I hope to hunt deer up there.

Same here grew up eating whitetail & loved it !

Few years ago my sil & daughter put a fair amount of blacktail in our freezer, love it more. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Awesome. Looks like a lot of fun, though the 90 lb weight on the backpack....Yikes!

Amping up here for next years trip. This is real incentive!!!!

Very nice!

Ya working out? It’s not a 200 yd drag to the truck!!

Nice buck Joel! Was a little damp rut hunting this year huh?

With a moose and a bison in the freezer I just carried around my recurve and watched deer that I couldn't get a shot at!

I Need to get a moose next year. Rut turned out well. My Buddy and I both got 2 4x4s each. Passed on some nice bucks too. Probably still going but currently am visiting in-laws.

Congratulations. Nice Blacktail Buck.

Venison is not my favorite meat but there’s nothing like a fat Sitka BT for eating. I’ve shot lots of whitetail, mule deer and Colombian Blacktail like we have here but even they don’t compare to the Southeast AK Sitka BT. I’ve not had one from Kodiak.

Congrats

You’re not kidding ., 90 lb pack in steep ,rugged terrain !

Great Buck congratulations