Bump Up Your Steel Shot
Unit 1
OVERVIEW 5 different hunts in Unit 1 ( divided into units A and B ) and different seasons and bag limits apply . Most of the hunting takes place on the Cleveland Peninsula near Prince of Wales . Unit 1A
AREA Cleveland Peninsula south of the divide between Yes Bay and Santa Anna Inlet .
LIMIT Two Bucks
AREA Remainder of unit .
SEASON Aug . 1 to Nov . 30
LIMIT Four Bucks Unit 1A 2016 Harvest Stats : 405 Deer Harvested , 655 Hunters , 0.6 Deer Per Hunter . Unit 1B
AREA Remainder of unit .
SEASON Aug . 1 to Dec . 3
LIMIT Two Bucks
UNIT B HARVEST STATS 116 Deer Harvest , 176 Hunters , 0.7 Deer Per Hunter Unit 1C
AREA Douglas , Lincoln , Shelter and Sullivan Islands .
LIMIT Four deer
BUCK SEASON Aug . 1 to Sept . 14
ANY DEER SEASON Sept . 15 to Dec . 31
AREA Remainder of unit .
LIMIT Two Bucks
BUCK SEASON Aug . 1 to Dec . 31
UNIT 1C HARVEST STATS 329 Deer Harvested , 880 Hunters , 0.4 Deer Per Hunter Unit 2
OVERVIEW Encompasses Prince of
Alaska offers liberal seasons for non-resident blacktail hunters . Rob Endsley , from Washington state , prepares his buck for the pack out .
Sitka Blacktail Seasons at a Glance
Wales Island .
SEASON Aug . 1 to Dec . 31
LIMIT 4 bucks
UNIT 2 2016 HARVEST STATS 3,419 deer ( 1.3 deer per hunter ) Unit 3
OVERVIEW Falls within the Petersburg management area . Four different hunts on Mitkof Island , Kupreanof Island , Kuiu Island , Zarembo Island , Etolin Island , Coronation Island , Woronkofski Island , Deer Island and Wrangell Island .
UNIT 3 ( ARCHERY )
AREA Mitkof Island , Petersburg Management Area
SEASON Oct . 15 to Dec . 15
LIMIT Two Bucks
UNIT 3 ( GENERAL SEASON )
AREA Remainder of unit .
SEASON Aug . 1 to Nov . 30
LIMIT Two Bucks
AREA Remainder of Mitkof Island , Woewodski , Butterworth islands .
SEASON Oct . 15-31
LIMIT One Buck
UNIT 3 ( RESIDENT ONLY )
AREA That portion of Kupreanof Island on the Lindenberg Peninsula east of the Portage Bay-Duncan Canal Portage
SEASON Oct . 15-3
LIMIT One Buck
UNIT 3 2016 HARVEST STATS 787 Deer Harvested , 1,017 Hunters , 0.8 Deer Per Hunter Unit 4
OVERVIEW Two different hunts . Hunting occurs on the ABC islands ( Admirality , howie daggs photo
Baranof and Chichagof islands ).
AREA Chichagof Island east of Port Frederick and north of Tenakee Inlet including all drainages into Tenakee Inlet .
BUCK SEASON Aug . 1 to Sept . 14
ANY DEER SEASON Sept . 15 to Dec . 31
LIMIT Three deer Unit 4
AREA Remainder of unit .
BUCK SEASON Aug . 1 to Sept . 14
ANY DEER SEASON Sept . 15 to Dec . 31
LIMIT Four deer
UNIT 4 2016 HARVEST STATS 7,199 Deer Harvested , 3,743 Hunters , 1.3 Deer Per Hunter Unit 5
OVERVIEW Two different hunts . General season and a youth hunt . Hunting takes place on the Yakutat Peninsula .
YOUTH ONLY SEASON Oct . 15-31
GENERAL SEASON Nov . 1-30
LIMIT One Buck
UNIT 5 2016 HARVEST STATS 21 Deer Harvested , 64 Hunters , 0.3 Deer Per Hunter Unit 6
OVERVIEW Congruent seasons for residents , and non-residents . Different bag limits apply to each . Most of the hunting takes place around Cordova , Valdez , Whittier and the Copper River Delta .
BUCK SEASON Aug . 1 to Sept . 30
SEASON Aug . 1 to Sept . 30 ( buck season ); Oct . 1 to Dec . 31 ( any deer ).
LIMIT Five deer ( residents ); Four Deer ( non-residents ) Unit 6B
UNIT 6B ( NON-RESIDENT ) 2016
HARVEST STATS 4 Deer Harvested ; 1 Hunter ; 4 Deer Per Hunter
UNIT 6C ( NON-RESIDENT ) 2016
HARVEST STATS 17 Deer Harvested , 27 Hunters , 0.6 Deer Per Hunter Unit 8
OVERVIEW Four different hunts available all taking place on Kodiak Island and surrounding bays . Hunts are divided into road management systems , archery and muzzleloader hunts , and general season .
GENERAL RIFLE SEASON ROAD
SYSTEM Aug . 1 to Oct . 31
LIMIT 1 buck
YOUTH ARCHERY , MUZZLELOADER
SEASON ROAD SYSTEM Nov . 16 to Dec . 31
LIMIT 1 Deer
GENERAL ARCHERY ,
MUZZLELOADER SEASON ROAD
SYSTEM Nov . 1-14
LIMIT 1 Deer
GENERAL SEASON BUCK ONLY
( REMAINDER OF UNIT ) Aug . 1 to Sept . 30
LIMIT Three Deer
GENERAL SEASON ANY DEER Oct . 1 to Dec . 31
LIMIT Three Deer
UNIT 8 2016 HARVEST STATS 8,179 deer ( 1.6 deer per hunter )
Bump Up Your Steel Shot
Depending on which state you hunt waterfowl and upland gamebirds will depend largely on your choice of shooting lead shot or steel shot . Most upland gamebird hunters prefer lead , while waterfowl hunters are required to shoot non-toxic shot . But if you ’ re hunting pheasants in an area that requires the use of steel shot ( state WAs , federal and state refuges ), you ’ re only option is steel shot . In that instance , you will want to shoot two sizes larger steel shot than lead . An example would be if you shoot 2 ¾-inch lead number 6 for pheasants ( 1 1 / 8 oz .), you would want to use number 4 steel shot to maintain a consistent ballistic efficiency . The same is true if you hunt with number 4 lead , use number 2 steel shot .
Steel shot is most effective at short range . Because it is lighter in weight ( steel pellets weigh one-third less ), steel shot retains less energy and loses its effectiveness the farther it travels . Simply put , it lacks the knock down power of lead shot . But when forced to hunt with steel shot , use number 4 steel to achieve a comparable ballistic efficiency .
And one final thought . Because steel shot patterns are tighter use an improved cylinder or modified choke as opposed to a full choke . pat hoglund photo www . westernhuntingjournal . com 21