Fifty is a pretty big milestone in a man’s life, and my hunting partner was reaching it in 2022. After everything the last couple years had thrown at him, he wanted to celebrate his birthday on an Alaskan adventure. It took zero convincing to get me on board with the idea. I absolutely love Alaska and all the adventure the state holds. To mark his milestone, Chad chose the Kodiak combo with Ninilchik charters. The hunt they offer is absolutely off the charts with deer, ducks, fox, and deep sea fishing. My only worry was if a week be enough time to check every box. After all, you have to eat and sleep some of the time. As I boarded the first of four planes in Billings, Montana en route to Kodiak City, the plethora of possible species to harvest swirled through my mind. As they say, just getting to Alaska is an adventure in and of itself, and what an adventure this was going to be.
We arrived on the last flight to Kodiak late that evening and were eventually shuttled to the Best Western where it looked like the entire showroom of every major hunting clothing manufacturer had been dumped. There were hunters everywhere. After sorting and repacking our gear, we checked in with Island Air for our morning Cessna flight instructions to Larsen Bay. We then headed to the bar for a meal and some relaxation. The food never disappoints at this hotel’s restaurant.
The next morning, per usual Alaska standards, was hurry up and wait as small planes shuttled hunters in and out of the field. Hearing all the stories and seeing the trophies arriving really gets you excited for your chance to get out and hunt. As our turn arrived, we experienced an incredibly smooth flight to Larsen Bay, a rarity for Kodiak in December. We were immediately shuttled to the docks and our boat for the week, the Sundy. With introductions and some formalities out of the way, we got underway.
That very first evening, Chad and I were dropped in a cove to hunt sea ducks. The action came quickly and stayed steady until the end of shooting time. The Barrows goldeneye were not decoy shy, and we both checked that box multiple times. Some really good drakes went into the freezer for the taxidermists, and the rest were processed for the table. That night, Captain Brandon and First Mate Chase found a flat back bay to anchor up in for the night. Over a great meal, everyone on board got to know each other a little better. The next morning would be our first day chasing the Sitka blacktail.
Up early for coffee and a great breakfast, we packed lunches and each group was shuttled in the skiff to their desired shore location where slow spot and stalk hunting was the rule. Chad and I saw five does but no bucks that day. Deer tracks were everywhere and spirits were high as the day ended and the skiff showed back up. Every evening, we would exchange hunting stories and strategies over a great dinner prepared by the crew. Each of the first few days would be a repeat of the same thing. All told, one deer, one fox, and some ducks hit the deck. However, that was about to change. The weather cleared and the wind laid down, allowing us to go coastal. The entire trip was about to hit the fast track.
We started out early and hiked back in a few ridges, seeing deer all along the way. The snow was shin deep and the Alaskan tangle brush was no joke, but we slowly made our way back to a deep valley with a frozen river in the bottom. We had spotted a few does on the way in, but as the sun began to warm up the far hillside, we saw deer everywhere – two here, four there, a small group up there.
As we sat discussing how and even if we could get across the half- frozen river bottom to get to the bucks we could see, I looked to my right on our side of the valley and saw a lone deer. As soon as I found the deer in my binoculars, I could tell he was a great buck, one we needed to kill. I said as much to my hunting partner and immediately began gathering my gear to get after this deer. After I was given a range of 380, I decided I didn’t need to get any closer, but after two misses, I definitely needed to get closer. I thought for sure I had missed my chance and could not figure out what could have gone wrong. I grabbed my gear and headed downhill to see if I could spot the buck anywhere on the next hillside. I almost gave up even looking when I saw two does head up and over the same hillside he had been on. The rut seemed to still be going, and what mature buck wouldn’t follow a couple does? To make matters worse, as I reached the bottom, I realized it was a semi-frozen swamp and wet was the last thing I wanted to be two miles inland in the Alaskan winter. Thankfully, my gaiters kept me dry as I repeatedly sank in the muck.
To my surprise, when I gained enough ground to see around the bend in the hill, the buck was still feeding all alone at what I figured was about 250 yards based on my last location. I settled in and made a great shot on this old buck. At the shot, he humped up and headed downhill and out of sight. I looked back and got a thumbs up. Perfect! I headed back uphill to gather all my gear and go find my buck. I walked back across the hillside, expecting to see my buck lying somewhere on the hill, but there was no deer and no blood. I walked around, up and down, back and forth, still nothing. Something made me turn around and look. There he was bedded, watching me. I quickly finished him with a neck shot and hustled over to check him out.
When I got there, I realized I had walked within 10 yards of him as he was lying on a narrow ledge partially under an overhang and next to a little stream. As I pulled his antlers from the snow and grass, it was quickly apparent this was a better buck than I had thought. He was a perfect almost matched 3x3 with eyeguards. However, his greatest feature was his mass, which he carried throughout his frame. This buck had more mass than any buck of any kind I had ever killed. This one was definitely headed to Donny at Cedar Mountain Taxidermy back in Cody.
After quickly taking pictures, I began breaking the deer down and getting him ready for the pack out. This can sometimes be a nerve- wracking job in brown bear country. With one of us on guard duty the entire time, I made quick work of it and we got going. With heavy packs and big smiles, we retraced our steps back to the beach. We had just barely got ourselves and the deer loaded when we saw more deer on the hill above the beach. Quickly, we beached the skiff and the hunt was on again.
After a tumble into the ocean, a short stalk, and a couple shots, we had a second deer loaded in the skiff. There were deer everywhere, even on the beach. Everyone experienced success on this day. The boat deck was covered with deer. Every deer taken on this trip was some form of a 3-point, each different in its own way.
As the weather quickly deteriorated that evening, Captain B took us into a quiet bay, but getting there was very adventurous. It was like an episode of “Deadliest Catch” with dishes falling as the boat was tossed side to side. The captain did a marvelous job negotiating the rough sea. We had achieved our goal, a coastal day where the deer were plentiful and the weather was great. What a day to be a deer hunter on Kodiak Island!
The rest of the trip was spent checking the final boxes with some new duck species. I checked the harlequin box and even caught a couple cod on the very last day. After a smooth flight back to Kodiak City, we spent the next couple days relaxing, exchanging stories with other hunters, and repacking our meat and gear for the commercial flight home. What a great way to celebrate the milestone of 50 trips around the sun.
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