As some of you know I'm a die hard hunter, if it's legal to harvest I'll hunt it. I'm the type of hunter that never really stops. I scout, shed hunt, habitat management, and trophy management. I grew up a taxidermist son so I've always been around it. Since I can remember one animal has always been at the top of my hunting bucket list. That is the Sitka blacktail deer, it is in my opinion the most handsome of the deer species. Although they are not the most impressive antler wise, their looks are more than make up for it. Anyways I can finally say its happening, I'm going to Alaska this fall to hunt Sitka's. I'm going to start this journal from start to finish. So from training to gear selection I'll talk about it all, to whom ever wants to listen .
Step one: outfitter selection. So I had a really hard time with this because I really want to do this hunt as a do it yourself hunt. I had one problem, no one to go with. My dad and I always have hunted together but since his neuropathy he can not hunt. Most places will not let solo hunters hunt because of the dangers. I finally was able to convince an outfitter to go semi guided. I will be going to Kodak Alaska with Munsey Outfitters. Mike has been more than helpful with all questions and runs a rock solid outfit. He gave me a list of past clients that were awesome people and had nothing but good things to say about him. Now that I'm booked, now the work begins. I asked Mike M what was the most valvuble piece of equipment to bring and he told me my lungs. So let the training begin, and if you guys have good programs I'm all ears.
Since everyone on here is a gear junkie I'll go over everything I'll be bringing. I'll put it in bite size pieces so none of us black out from gear overload. First up are optics; I again talked with the outfitter and he said that good glass is a must but a pair of binos and if I want a range finder but a spotting scope is not necessary. I'll be bringing my swarvoski SLC 10x42 and Vortex ranger 1000. My binos I have had for about 10 years and in my opinion if you can afford them there is nothing better. However they have about doubled in price in the last few years. I've glassed all day with zero eye fatigue, that's when you can tell the difference between good optics and great ones. If your just throwing them up quick to look at something, most people can't tell $100 glass from $2000 glass but when your staring at the same hill side for 2 or 3 hours that's when you see not all glass is created equal. As far as my range finder I just got this one last year. So far I'm happy with it. The display is bright and it reads pretty fast. It's by no means the top of the line but it suits my needs. Plus I really like the pocket clip that thing comes in handy. This leads me to a question, when you guys go on a trip with electronics do you pack extra batteries for everything, just replace them before you leave, or hope for the best?
I would never hope for the best on an adventure like this. I would put in new batteries and have a spare set as well. I am really looking forward to this thread.
For batteries I carry an anker 25000ma battery pack and rechargeable batteries with a charger that will run off the anker. I use a nitecore charger for my lithium batteries and I'll have to check the one I use for nicad (eneloop) it's at my office. I have charged my wife's and my phones for a week at a time with the anker.
I try to get things that use the same batteries so I don't have to carry a ton of different ones. But as @JAD said I'm not risking it, new batteries and spares, I'll look into chargers as well
In. I'm a biologist, and when I lived on the left coast (OR) I fancied trying my hand at Sitka. (I never did, and no longer live there, now in the land of white tail and moose.) I've read some amazing stories about their biology, ecology and behavior. They are among the most elegant of deer, IMO, from what I've read. I'll be following this with interest. Curious to read what gun/caliber you've chosen. Good luck!
Soon, maybe this weekend I'll be going over my choice of weaponry. As a side note I walked 3 miles yesterday to kick off the training. I did so with the boots I plan on wearing. Nothing crazy all blacktop for now I wish I had somr decent hills near by to go up and down.
My family is planning a Colorado & Utah trip in June. We are planning some hikes as part of the trip and I have begun walking daily after getting home from work (since the first of the year). Your baseline starting point for conditioning was significantly better than mine. But I am up to 3 miles on my daily walks now and pushing 5 miles on weekends in the woods. Boots are broken in. And I am fortunate to have some trails that will replicate our vacation plans.
I was going to ask the school if I could do that, do think that is a pretty reasonable substitute? Stairs vs uphill terrain
I think it would be better than nothing. Stairs or a stairmaster will not be as hard as walking most hills/terrain. Your ankles/feet won't need to balance as much.
So lets talk weapons. I'll be taking my Tikka T3 Lite in .270. It's outfitted with a leupold vxiii 3x9 scope. I've said it before in other threads but I've seen this caliper take almost every animal in North America, including a moose at 400 yards. I've shot a .270 most of my hunting career and I'm convinced it's one of the best all around calibers. I'm not knocking other calipers but I've seen way too may people over gun themselves and develop bad habits. I reload for my rifle and know it inside and out. I've shot well over 2,000 rounds through this rifle from 50 - 400 yards, my limit is 400 yards as of right now. I have not practiced enough to comfortably shoot past that. Ok off my soapbox. Back to the gun, my .270 has a synthetic stock that was cerokoted. It also has a SS barrel and action. I also put on leupold scope caps. I really like that it is clip fed as well. It's nice and light to carry all day and the synthetic stock and SS is basically weather proof. I'll get more specific on my reloads as well. For a side arm I'll have a S&W 500 with a 4" barrel. It is a stupid huge caliper but it's my dads and free to take. I've shot it before and it's accurate but it's a beast. To be honest I'm on the fence about bringing it. I could see if I was bow hunting but I'll have my rifle, do I really need a side arm? I guess better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Here is a picture of my boom stick.