I have this urge to harvest a Sitka buck. I know non-residents can now only harvest one annually, which is fine by me, but wondering if any of you guys have hunt/guide recommendations. Thanks in advance.

For more or less a sure bet, go on a boat based, transported hunt ( not guiged) on Kodiak Island. They can be pretty affordable. Go during the rit in mid to late November.
Southeast Alaska during the rut is also good, but logistics will be a little harder.

Larson Bay Lodge is a good outfit. they can accommodate you from a DYI drop off, to a fully guided hunt. I used them for 11 years as a DIY drop off. very successful every year.

For what it is worth (I've never hunted Sitka blacktails although I grew up hunting Columbian blacktails), everybody I have talked to who went on a hunt on Kodiak island was successful.

Lots of snow can put them right on the beach. Yes this is more harvest than hunt.

Great picture drasselt. An old Kodiak guy once told me “If the bottom half of my scope isn’t filled with water then I gotta climb too high to get them “. I agree on DIY hunt on Kodiak.

I've hunted there in early October, before the snow, staying at the cannery in Zacher Bay. The cannery closed years ago, and the place was being used as a camp for hunters. Accommodations were pretty good, considering the location. Bunk beds, hot stove to dry your clothing, and a hot shower.

We did well hunting, but had to climb a lot, almost to the tops of the mountains, to kill a buck. I got two in five days, the best being a three-point Western count.

That's a great photo, Drasselt.

Jim

I guided bear hunters on Kodiak for many years. I LOVE to deer hunt there.

Having to fight bears for your venison always puts a little spice into an otherwise dull deer hunt!

Here's a couple bits of advice: The more you pay for your charter flight (and thus the farther you go from the City of Kodiak,) the better (less crowded) it will be.

Choose locations that have "hard to pronounce" Native/Aleut names for the bays or lakes where you will be put in. As a rule resident hunters are embarrassed to walk into an air taxi service and not be able to pronounce a place name! For example, anybody can pronounce Karluk Lake... thus it's normally crowded with deer hunters. But if you hunt at Kizhuyak Bay, chances are it won't be as crowded! Works (almost) every time!

Yer welcome....!

Pete

Thanks for all the input guys. Keep it coming.

I also have to recommend Kodiak island and if you are on the southside you might even bump into a caribou to harvest. Lots of fox and ducks as well. Southern end of the island seems to have higher numbers and bigger bodied deer.

I'm heading up this October for a bow hunt. I will be hunting the Southwest end, staying in a small cabin perched on the ocean. Hopefully I will have some good intel in 2 months. Blacktail Bob's base camps

Michigander -- Be interested in any info you can pass on once you've had boots on the ground.

I hear that there is a buck behind every tree down there at Bob A's cabin on that bluff....!

Pete

Should be a good year to come, numbers up,and last winter not to hard on them