Why has the deer population in Kodiak gone down?

Last winter was brutal. The snow was extremely deep and caused a high winter kill rate. I talked to a lot of locals and one guide and they all said that deer numbers were terrible all over the island.

Great thread Jeff you guys had one heck of a year ! What 2 {catagories} do you need to complete the super 10? Does MT. still offer thge come home to hunt deal ? That ranch is awesome. I can see why you'd leave AK. to go home to MT. to hunt.

Jeff just curious,i know you dont need a large caliber to kill a caribou or goat but with the chance of running into to a bear i'm wondering what you and your buddys carry.

Mountain lion & bison/muskox will complete the Super 10. I have a friend and an uncle-in-law who both have lion hounds so as soon as next year I may do the lion hunt. I actually drew a muskox tag in 2009, but due to a series of circumstances I wasn't able to go on that hunt. That was a serious kick in the groin and would have put me at 9. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I can draw again or get lucky in either AK or MT for a bison tag.

Yeah Montana has a couple of programs for former residents. I qualify for the non-resident Montana native licenses because I was born there, I took hunter safety there, and my parents still live there. I have to send in a heap of paperwork, but I can buy deer and elk licenses for 4x times the resident price. Last year was the first year of the program and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they continued it.

The ranch is awesome and I'm well aware of how lucky I am to have access to it. My wife's family homesteaded that area in the 1800's and her great-grandmother still lives independently just down the road.

300 Win Mag is my go to rifle most all of the time. Larry uses a 30-06 for everything and Matt uses a 7mm Rem Mag and a 338 Win Mag. Bears aren't invincible and your best bet is something you can shoot well. I don't have a lot of faith in handguns, but both Larry and I carry 10mm Glock 20's if we aren't carrying long guns. They're light, quick to draw, and hold a lot of lead. I have a Surefire light mounted on mine and it's great for lighting up the night when a bear is sniffing around outside. There were a couple of times on Kodiak where I grabbed that Glock, flipped on the light, and started yelling at a bear that was sniffing around our perimeter. It's not easy to get back to sleep after that happens.

Thanks Jeff,looking foward to seeing the thread on #9 and #10, good luck!

I should have that thread about #9 before too long. Alaska's permit drawing results came out today and I drew a Nunivak winter muskox permit. The season starts one year from today.

Awesome pictures Jeff. Thanks for sharing your season with us, I enjoyed reading about your adventures.

WOW!! Thanks for the great stories and pictures. I am simply in awe.