KODIAK DEER RIFLES
By
Hank Pennington

Shorter days, plenty of salmon in the freezer and cool mornings add up to one thing on Kodiak.
It’s time to get serious about deer hunting!
Even if you’re waiting for leaves to drop and grass to brown, it’s certainly time to start making plans and getting your gear ready.
And top of the list is your rifle.

For some folks that means nothing more than a range trip for sighing in.
But preparing a rifle for hunting deer on Kodiak can mean a whole lot more than a few rounds down the bore. Last year’s hunts may have you considering changes, the urge fed by a PFD dividend check burning large holes in your pocket.
I’ve learned a lot about rifles in almost 35 years of hunting deer on Kodiak. My insights will be a big help to newcomers as well as experienced hunters who aren’t happy with the performance of the guns in their rack.

You may not need a new rifle even if the weather and rough terrain have pointed out shortcomings in your old favorite. But I’m betting that the ideal rifle from other parts of the country doesn’t quite measure up against all that Kodiak can dish out.
Kodiak’s weather is an obvious challenge. And not only does it seem to change several times a day, it also changes as you climb a mountain. Good weather at sea level can be accompanied by wind, rain or snow within easy climbing range on a day’s hunt.
And if you hunt in remote areas you also have to factor in exposure to saltwater.
If your rifle’s finish and especially it’s sights can’t keep pace with the challenges you’re in for a lot of heartburn, and in worst cases even heartbreak.
Kodiak’s rapid changes in temperature and humidity will teach you more than you want to know about scope quality. “Bargain” scopes are prone to fogging up, but even the best aren’t completely immune.
You can beat the system a bit if you’re careful about bringing cold guns directly into heated cabins, boats, cars or houses. Sudden warming can suck humid air into scopes that aren’t sealed well, whether the leakage is due to design in cheaper scopes or simple wear and tear of an expensive one.

In either case, it’s a good idea to case a cold gun before bringing it into a warm area, then allowing it to warm completely before opening the case. If you fail to do so you aren’t likely to see any fogging while it’s indoors, but be prepared for fogging when you take it back out into the cold.
If you have any doubts at all about the trusted old scope on your gun, now is the time to deal with it.
But what do you do if a scope fogs while you’re on a hunt?
You have two choices. Take the scope off or go home. If your rifle isn’t fitted with open sights along with a scope, your options are reduced from two to one.

If your rifle isn’t currently outfitted with open sights as well as a scope, it’s a good idea on Kodiak. On hunts off the road system I go so far as bringing along a second gun with open sights and a receiver sight. Mine has saved the day when someone else in the party suffers a scope failure, but in truth I like to switch to it rather than using my scoped rifle when the weather sours.

Guns rust on Kodiak! And I don’t care whether they’re blued or stainless. That’s right. Even stainless steel will rust if you aren’t careful.
Good cleaning practices along with good protective gun oils will go a long ways toward preventing rust, but that may not be enough. Many hunters on Kodiak now spend the extra money to have their rifle’s metalwork refinished. Whether based on Teflon or some other high tech substance, most result in a dull black finish that not only prevents rust but also eliminates reflections.

Even with a good waterproof scope, backup sights and a good finish, your rifle may not be ready for all that Kodiak has to dish out.
Along with the extremes in weather there are extremes in terrain to deal with. You may find the deer far out in the wide open spaces where long shooting demands the utmost in shooter skill and rifle accuracy. But later in the same day or on the next morning the deer could easily move into cover. Really tight cover.
You can face 400 yard shots and 40 foot shots on the same hunt, much less on the same day. And along with that your shots can range from deliberate carefully rested long shots to very fast shots in the close cover more like shooting quail with a shotgun.
An obvious question is whether the zoom range of a variable scope is sufficient for both challenges. I shade my choices in scope ranges toward the lower end of the scale because I really like hunting in close cover. Others with a yen for long shooting may select scopes with more power at the upper end of the scale.
But in either case, the ability to adjust your scope’s magnifying power to match the conditions of the moment is key to a versatile Kodiak rifle.
But the question of managing both long and short shooting goes beyond the question of scope power.

You need to pay special attention to the balance of your gun and how well it fits you. Rifles that are best for long range shooting tend to be heavier and have longer barrels, while those that are best for fast shooting in close cover tend to be lighter and shorter.
Fortunately there are lots of rifle models that strike a compromise between the two. In my experience barrels in the 22-inch range are the best compromise, while those 24 inches and longer lean more toward long range specialties and those shorter than 22 inches lean toward short range uses.

The bigger issues, no matter what the barrel length, are balance and fit. If a rifle is muzzle heavy it will be great for steady and deliberate offhand shooting, but slow to swing and aim when you have to shoot quickly. Rifles with their weight shifted back so the center of gravity falls right between your hands swing and aim very quickly like a good shotgun, but can be a challenge for longer offhand shots.

In my experience guns with the center of gravity shifted back between your hands may still be the better choice for Kodiak, provided they fit you well. Length of pull has to be short enough to allow you to mount the rifle quickly when wearing heavy clothes, plus the height of your scope or sights has to be adjusted so the gun is ready to aim and fire the moment it hits your shoulder. With no shifting of your head to find the sights!

If you read between those lines, I’m saying that a gun balanced and sighting for fast shooting can still be used for long range shooting, but a poorly fitted gun that’s weighted and balanced for better long range shooting isn’t going to do well for fast shots in close cover.
Do you notice something odd about my description of the ideal Kodiak deer rifle?
I haven’t said a thing about caliber! How’s that for a departure from standard in gun talk?
In my experience caliber choice is a highly personal matter. There are bunches to choose from, with some ideal for long range shooting and others better for close conditions. Some are suitable for the largest game, while others are pretty specialized for deer-sized game.

You’ll have to make your own choices between them. I admit that I feel good shooting is much more important than bore size when protecting yourself in the unlikely event of a bear attack.
But I’ll go one step further and say that good tactics go even further than bore size in preventing injury to yourself in bear country. Keep your eyes open for bear sign and shift your hunting areas when you find it. Don’t leave game meat unattended in the field. And don’t make a mess if you’re camping.

Certainly select a rifle caliber that you feel will help protect you in a worst-case scenario. But if you use good common sense and avoid attracting bears in the first place, you are less likely to get into a shooting match with one.