|
 Nowhere else
offers so many opportunities, and such prolific and diverse wildlife, in
a breathtaking setting! Sitka Blacktail Deer hunting is one of many
exciting activities at Larsen Bay Lodge. There are many reasons to
consider coming to Alaska to hunt Sitka Blacktail Deer. For some avid
deer hunters it is an opportunity to take a different species of deer.
For others it is the opportunity to just hunt in Alaska!
Whatever your motivation, deer hunting in
Alaska is a tremendous value! Compared with the cost of hunting other
Alaskan big game, deer hunting is less expensive than a caribou hunt,
half the cost of most moose or goat hunts, 1/3 the price of most Dall
Sheep hunts, and ¼ the price of an average brown bear hunt! There is
even more value when you consider the current limit on Kodiak Island is
3 deer per hunter! So for about the same cost as a guided hunt
elsewhere for whitetail or mule deer, you can instead come to Larsen Bay
Lodge and experience the adventure and beauty of Alaska, take three
Sitka Blacktail Deer, see a myriad of land and marine life, catch snow
crabs, duck hunt, and even throw in some fishing! Where else can you do
all that?! …Much less at such a reasonable price?
Though the Sitka Blacktail Deer has a
smaller rack than most deer species, they are arguably the most handsome
of the deer species. These stocky little deer have a dark, almost black
forehead with a double white throat patch and rich chestnut colored
antlers. To make the Boone & Crockett Record Book the minimum score is
108. Many deer taken at Larsen Bay Lodge have exceeded that minimum.
The deer season opens August 1st
and closes on December 31st. During August, Kodiak Island is
lush green, living up to it’s nickname – The Emerald Island. At this
time of year the deer are still in velvet and most of them are
 in the higher
elevations. But the thick lush vegetation makes it difficult to hike
after them and they are equally difficult to see. September frosts
begin to reveal more deer and it is easier to get around. The Blacktail
frequent the gravel beaches on the coast to eat the kelp that washes
ashore as winter approaches. October snows begin bring even more deer
from the interior of the island to the coast as food becomes more
scarce. In November and December greater snow accumulations force more
deer down from higher elevations to the milder sea level where browse
and kelp is readily available. As a result, herds of deer are
often found right along the beaches!
With the liberal deer limit, you can shoot
the first good buck you see and then try to improve on it with your next
tag. To make things even more convenient, you can buy your deer tags
and any other licenses you might need right at Larsen Bay Lodge.
Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of cold
weather. Kodiak is much milder than Anchorage and other parts of Alaska
because it lies in the warm Japanese Ocean Current. Even in December,
Kodiak is milder than many parts of the lower 48 states. |
