it was. You know? Hunting on
Prince of Wales has been diffi-
cult the last two years, so the
fact this one existed for me to
track down with the help of my
buddy Dan, was all that mat-
tered.
In August, it was Dan who
had taken a buck when we
were roaming the island. As
happy as I was for him, I did
wish the 4x4 had shown itself
in my shooting lane. But you
have to control the urge to be
jealous, because that’s the sort
of thing that ruins the hunt-
ing buddy relationship. If your
hunting buddy is just some
dude you are around when you
head out to fill a tag, it can al-
most feel like a competition.
Dan didn’t even emerge
from his truck with his rifle
whenever we looked through
the muskegs or clearcuts. It
was my turn even though he
had a few tags left himself.
Maybe it’s because I have
known him his whole life, or I
was close friends with his sister
in high school, or maybe both.
It could also be that we have
the understanding that in a
world that seems increasingly
negative and selfish, it’s good
to practice the simple ethic of,
“your turn.”
I slung the deer on my back
and hiked back up to the truck.
That night, Dan, his girlfriend
and our buddy Jesse came over
and we recapped the season
in the garage next to my skin-
less deer. In our part of the
world, everything was good
and peaceful. If there was ever
a reason to be a hunter, it’s a
moment like that.
While hunting blacktail
deer in Alaska’s Prince of Wales
Island is a destination hunt for
The author, left, and hunting
partner Dan and his 4-point killed
in August.
many hunters in the lower 48,
I’m going to take a minute to be
honest with anyone who wants
to hunt here. I know it will
sound like the typical local who
wants to discourage people
from hunting where I do, but
it’s similar to me watching a TV
show about massive mule deer
in Idaho on public land and ex-
pecting to get one myself on the
first try. As a fellow hunter, I’m
telling you that Prince of Wales
is a special place and getting a
Unit 2 deer tag means you will
be hunting rich blacktail lands,
but don’t expect to be alone and
don’t expect to shoot a Booner.
Both are absolutely possible but
nothing is a sure thing — even
in rural Alaska. I talked to a few
hunters who, after a week in the
alpine last year, were headed
home to Washington with just
a forkie.
Blame the crowds, the
wolves, the late March snow,
whatever, 2017 was a rough
year for some locals too. There
were some really big bucks tak-
en, but non-scientific observa-
tions produced a general feeling
that the numbers had dipped.
Knowing all that, Prince of
Wales Island is medicinal in
its thick, forested beauty. It’s
inhabited by kind people who
appreciate your gratitude for
visiting the island in the way
of thoughtful conversation and
patronage at their lodges, inns
and local business. Do-it-your-
self and guided hunts out of
Craig, Coffman Cove, Klawock,
and even Ketchikan (Unit 1A,
but outfitters often hunt Unit
2) annually put clients in front
of bucks of a lifetime. Treat
this like a challenge, be a good
predator.
Sitka blacktail deer are
www.westernhuntingjournal.com
69