How is the deer hunting up there ? Or are there even deer in Alaska ?

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I have been reading about that, from what I have read they have Sitka Blacktail deer, which is closely related to Mule Deer.

Also, not sure how old the ad is, black tail / blackbear hunt 6-people 6 days $2500 dollars. Now I am sure that does not include the cost to get there, get back, and your license.

Out of state Alaska License is 85 dollars, deer tags are 150, blackbear tags are 225.

See the link below

http://www.alaskagoodtimecharters.co...black_bear.asp

Give me a year or two to save up and I will go with ya!!!!

It's going to take me a couple years as well !

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South East Alaska is crawling with deer. Resident get from four to six tags per year, the season opens August 1 and runs thru the first week of January. Lots of opportunity.

You don't have to hire a guide and you can just jump in a boat or hire a plane and fly into the spot you want to hunt.

That's the only Alaska deer hunting I'm familiar with. I think there are lots of them on Kodiak Island, out west..

Grizz

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..., Grizz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI&feature=relmfu

http://www.brandtdary.com/goodtest.php

I'm not going near Kodiak island without a .416 or .458 of some sort, and a pro in that area.

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I was born up there, but my family moved us away when I was 2, I have got a big itch to go check it out. But it will take a few years to save up the cash.

I'm actually going to move up there most likely this upcoming spring. I would have no problem hunting deer in grizzly country with .338 with some nice 250 grain loads. Infact thats going to be my all purpose rifle up there.
If you go up there to hunt deer, it would be a good idea to hunt for something else too, like black bear, would be a good combo. Also once im an alaskan resident, i dont think i would have any problems with hunting big bear by myself.

Maybe you would indulge me a little. I lived in SE and hunted there from 1972 to 2004. I also thought a .338 would be a good all-round deer/bear gun. Not so. At least not for a bear stopper. The bullets are designed to function at normal hunting ranges, not to encounter a bear's anatomy at point blank range.

In my opinion, based on my experiences and those of my neighbors, the .338 is too much gun for deer and not a bear stopper, though it's a fine hunting arm and will take bears just fine, as long as they aren't running at you at 45 mph with the sole purpose of eating you. At that point the .338 starts looking decidedly puny.

I switched to 45/70 for deer at the end of my subsistance hunting days and my son took one with it. As opposed to the .338 the 45/70 doesn't ruin meat and it kills them just as dead AND it WILL make a point blank CNS shot without blowing up the bullet instead of the bear.

I carried a .44 magnum with 325g hand loads. I took a lot of deer with it, and knowing what I know now I believe that 44 load is a better bear stopper than the .338. It was my last ditch backup if a bear knocked my rifle away, something that is not unusual in those mixups.

I have done a lot of penetration testing and comparisons and now favor the hard cast bullets that Marshall makes for both hunting and stopping dangerous game. I know it's the minority view, but it is based on 32 years of field experience in Alaska.

I never shot a bear however, and glad of it. I only saw one that I would have shot had it been in season and if I had a tag and if I could afford to take off the time. There are many folks in Alaska with cavalier attitudes towards bears. It's interesting to me that most of the natives I know hate them and would just as soon kill all of them. It's only goofy white men who have romantic notions about bears. They're stone cold killers, nothing less.

Best to you on your move and life there. I love living in Alaska more than any place I've ever been, even when I only get to two weeks at a time these days.

Best,

Grizz

I would love to live in Alaska ! If I did, I think I would have a reason for owning a .460 Weatherby. But I would think a .458 Lott would be sufficient to stop a charge. But if there was a chance that 1000lbs of bad attitude with 3" claws was going to try and eat me, I'd take the big Roy cartridge...lol

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The hunt I was looking at was a deer / black bear combo.

In my younger days I would have been all in on a Grizzly or Kodiak Bear hunt, these days I can tell you I don't think I am interested in that anymore.

I have no doubt your big bore heavy bullets would work well, but i have to disagree with your view on a .338, with a qaulity 250 grain bullet such as barnes or winchester failsafe, you would surely penetrate all you want, One thing to keep in mind, which im sure you already know but a 250 grain .338 bullet has a higher sectional density than the following, 175 grain 7mm bullet, 200 grain .308 bullet, and a 300 grain .375 bullet. Im not saying the .338 is the best bear stopper, but from what i have read, the only reliable bear stopper is a bullet that penetrates the skull and destroys the brain. I'v read many reports of men getting mauled and or killed after shooting a charging bear with a .375 or a .416 so no doubt a .338 would feel puny in your hands.
I have no worries about using the .338 for everything, as it may not make much of a difference anyway if you dont make a head shot. I also have my doubts about the bears ability to make a charge after both its front shoulders are broke.

For a black bear/deer hunt in Alaska a .308 would suffice especially if it was in Prince William Sound. I personally use an AR-15 with a .45 Auto 1911 pistol. The .223 is excellent on deer and the ammunition is extremely cheap while an 8 round maqgazine out of my .45 is enough to stop a bear with 230 grain FMJ bullets I buy down at the store. One thing to remember about Alaskan deer though is that they are small, about the size of a large dog (about as high but not as stocky as a St. Bernard).

I've hunted the smaller black bear we have in the Pacific NW which are much smaller than the coastal black bear in AK.

IMHO anyone who considers a 45acp as a good bear gun deserves to end up as bear c**p.

And I'm afraid c**p is what you are feeding us my friend!

Black Bears in Prince William Sound, say by boat out of Whittier or Valdez or Cordova or Seward are about the same size/ body mass range as humans. 4 foot bears (nose to tail) going about 100 pounds to 6 foot bears that go 250.

So yeah, a .45 acp would work. Would I choose that as my sidearm in PWS for bear defense? No. Most the time its my GP100 loaded with 180 grain hardcast.

The Sitka Blacktail deer up here are small. Yes, 223 would work. I use my 06. One of the guys shoots either his .308 or 6.5 Swede. The other two shoot 7mm Mag and 300 Win Mag out there for deer. My wife takes her 30-40.

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and...
"That way lies madness".

It's an axiom that 45acp, like most hadgun rounds, are not guaranteed to even stop a man. A bear's hide is much harder to shoot thru than a man's due to the fat layer. And when wounded a bear's hide can seal up making tracking difficult. Why would anyone use a round that requires 8 shots to dispatch an animal? That is not ethical hunting.

A 357 mag w/ 180 or 200 gr hardcast bullets would be the minimum.

I don't think you have to go all the way to Alaska to hunt Darkies and deer.

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i agree why go through all the hassel of going to alaska for only black bear and deer? if your gonna go to alaska take advantage of something that can only be found there as well. IMO

Well, I hunt for the hunting, so I think a hunting trip in Alaska for black bear and deer would be a fantastic adventure. I would expect great hunting, in gorgeous country, without human presence to spoil it, and with lots of time to sit lots, watch lots, and enjoy the place itself.

Now, if all you think about when you go hunting is killing something, and hopefully something bigger than before, or maybe different than before, then you are missing the whole point of hunting.

Anyone who thinks hunting is pointless without bigger and better dead things at the end of it, is a very sad type of hunter indeed. No one will be able to continually shoot something bigger next year than last, or something not hunted before, so your frustration and disappointment can only grow with each passing "unsuccessful" season.

Too bad. I would love to hunt in Alaska, even if it was for "only" deer and black bear.

Well if you want an enjoyable experience then grab two or three of your buddies or your wife and kids and pay your way on a boat for a week. If you would like I can set up a meeting with my grandpa. He owes and fishes a 53' delta and might be interested in doing a deer hunt lthis year or the next. I'm willing to bet the only exspences would be fuel and groceries. In my opinion the scenery in Alaska during the fall simply cannot be beat.

I absolutely love pictures from Alaska, especially pics from planes and helicopters. Usually always my wallper on my PC.

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