Kodiak--It's Not For Wimps

Suddenly Jake motioned frantically, and I stumbled down to the edge of the hill and saw three deer we`d surprised moving across a flat bench 75 yards below us. I grabbed an alder branch, steadied the rifle on my wrist, and as soon as I saw antlers I shot, dropping the buck instantly. The two does with him seemed bewildered, and lingered as we approached. He was a nice 3x3, a good start towards filling my three tags. Jake made short work of caping and quartering, and we scrambled down to our tents along the beach just before dark.

Gear for a trip like this takes some thought. Really good wind and rain-proof pants and coat are a must, as are well fitting knee high rubber boots, since there are lots of marshy areas and stream crossings, not to mention snow and ice. A shooting stick is a good idea as well, and really good quality optics will make the difference when deciding on stalking a buck from a mile away. I was lucky that Jake had a Swarovski spotting scope; we never made a stalk without first checking out details with the scope. Waterproof gloves and a face mask also made a difference in comfort in the brisk wind.