Season Updates
June 9th, 2007
Spring has sprung.......Steelhead fishing and Black Bear hunting
The Steelhead are still biting even though it is well into June. It isn't as good as it was earlier in the season but there are still Steelhead available to catch. We haven't been fishing hard. We've only fished a few spots right by the road. When we need a break from bear hunting we stop at a productive spot and we've hooked several this way. The heavy snows this winter helped to make sure we have plenty of snow melt to maintain the stream flows into June.
The Saltwater fishing has been picking up. The west side of the island has been doing fairly well. We expect to see the King Salmon just getting better as the month goes along. We again haven't been out because it is early but we will start hitting it harder soon.
As far as bear hunting goes we have seen a few bears but we have had to work for them. They have a lot more feed now that there is plenty of grass and plant growth. This time of year they don't move very much. They find a nice area with plenty of feed and cover and just spend their days in that general area. The bigger grass flats and meadows haven't had the bear traffic like they did earlier in the season. I had a nice boar at 30 yards last week. I went to full-draw with my bow but I didn't take the shot. I keep thinking about a larger bear I saw earlier in the season and hope I can get another chance at him. I'll probably regret letting this one walk but that is hunting. We did see a bear in a clearcut last night but it was about 250 yards away. I will be hitting it harder this week so I'll keep you updated. We also have a few guests arriving to do some Black Bear hunting. I'll let you know how they do.
The deer have been growing their antlers very quickly. We even saw a buck with his eye guards already grown. The does have also been dropping their fawns. We see several brand new fawns every day. That means that the bears will start responding to a fawn call soon. I have used a call several times but all I get is deer crashing through the forest from every angle. I called in a velvet buck from over 100 yards out all the way in to 25 yards and he just stood there looking at me. The deer up here respond to fawn calls very well. I will try to get some video of a deer coming into a call. I can't wait until August when the deer season starts.
Kenji King
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska