# Adak Island Hunt



## Chen_caerulescens

I shot a nice euro widgeon drake today along with some nice aleutian GWT. We are hunting Adak Island for the first time on an exploratory hunt for Sea ducks and eurasian vagrants. The hunting has been pretty good overall, but we have not been able to get any Pacific Common Eiders yet. They are our main target and hopefully we will get some soon. The Harlequin hunting is off the charts, the best I have seen anywhere. We have shot a lot of Aluetian GWT also, they are much larger then our teal back home and have different plumage too. Adak also has a unique subspecies of Rock Ptarmigan that we have also added to the freezer. I have seen some nice groups of Caribou but we are after the birds this trip. Adak is an absolute ghost town, less than 100 residents, but enough buildings and housing for probably 10,000 people. They even had a Mc Donalds. I have never seen a place like this before, I will post up more pictures when I get back home next week.

Here is a link to more about our hunt:

http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=755308


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## Ray

We only had 6,000 people out there at the peak in the late 1980's. The enlisted folks were stacked 4 to 6 in a 2 or 4 person room in some of the barricks. The McD's coffee was served at a temperature that nearly melted the cups even after the lawsuit. They made your food after you ordered it so it was never sitting around under a heat lamp. Still the same junk though.

I have yet to go out there now that it is nearly empty of people. 

We hunted a lot of P-brids, but didn't go after the ducks very often. Now looking back at it I regret not putting in some time on the waterfowl. Mom loved teal and there were enough of them out there, but Dad was a jump shooter and didn't like the whole sitting and waiting of "normal" duck hunting. We didn't have a dog out there and there was no vet then either.

Clam Lagoon was always a good place to set up on the rocky point near the hospital marker on the side of the road. Scoter central with all the herring row, muscles, and clams.

Nearly every lake/pond had a couple of GE's on it all fall.

One winter some strange asian swan showed up and staid in a lake on top of NAVFAC hill on the way to NSGA. It was a juvie according to the USFWS guys and very lost. 

I see on the other post that the Island X guys are out there. Are they thinking of expanding their opperation? Is that a RIB flown in or a real boat barged in? 

Is Chris doing some bio work or just up goofing off? I would like to meet Chris on his way back through Anchorage since he is from the same part of Nevada I spent my childhood in.


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## Chen_caerulescens

Ray,
We shipped out my Achilles boat, it is not a RIB. This is kind of an exploratory hunt to see what is available. I have had a good time and was able to get some nice birds, but I don't see a viable commercial operation out here. We still have a few days left to get some eiders, but the weather is pretty unforgiving. Not a lot of Common Eiders here, I wouldn't feel comfortable guiding here. Decent numbers of Aleutian Teal, but Euro widgeon are scarce. No sitings of other euro vagrants either.

Thanks for the info on Adak


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## Ray

Can you get out to "battle ship rock" in the bay off of Kuluk beach? It is exposed at high tide, but may not offer a decent place to hide. You should be able to hunt it like a rock shelf on the coast of Maine.

There were always birds on or around that rock. Mostly auklets of some kind in the summer, but larger birds were around there on the water on days I paid attention. We did not fish near there due to the rocks and loosing too much gear but it might have some good food for the eiders.

Too much habitat is the common Alaska problem. A little pressure and the birds are gone until more show up later in the day.

Without huge pots of government money there are not a lot of viable things to do on Adak. 

BTW we seldom saw emporer geese in clam lagoon, but when we did see them that was the only place. They did not hang around for photos.


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## Chen_caerulescens

We covered Kuluk Bay and then some with very few Eider sightings, the weather was rough today and looks to get worse over the next day or so. We have seen emps every day in Clam Lagoon, not many though. I have seen many more at other locations in the Aleutians and on the AK Peninsula. We haven't seen any scoters in Clam Lagoon, but we have seen a few hundred in Kuluk Bay. I have only seen 1 pintail here, though that their would be a few more around.


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## Chen_caerulescens

a few more pictures


















Going after eiders tomorrow morning....


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## D Stimac

Jeff,

I love that blurred Harli shot! Nice work


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## wal1809

Chen, I am from Texas. Well actually stuck here for 7 more years. I will retire at 49 and be ready for the rest of my life not tied to the office. Alaska is where we want to be. I read your posts and look at your photos all the time. Please keep keep up the good posting work. Remember this post for one day we will share a blind.


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## Chen_caerulescens

wal1809 said:


> Chen, I am from Texas. Well actually stuck here for 7 more years. I will retire at 49 and be ready for the rest of my life not tied to the office. Alaska is where we want to be. I read your posts and look at your photos all the time. Please keep keep up the good posting work. Remember this post for one day we will share a blind.



Sounds good, I am looking forward to hunting with you.


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## Chen_caerulescens

D Stimac said:


> Jeff,
> 
> I love that blurred Harli shot! Nice work



Thanks David, but I can't take credit for Charlie's picture, so kudos to AleutianKing for the Harlie pic


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## Chen_caerulescens

Pretty good last full day at Adak Island. Couple guys finished of their NR limits of Harlequin. Weather was to rough to go after eiders, and not a lot of them around here this early. In the Afternoon we got into the Aleutian GWT and Eurasian Wigeon. I ended up getting my personal best euro wigeon ever. Going to give the wigeon another try early tomorrow and then time to head back home.


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## Chen_caerulescens

Chen_caerulescens said:


> Not a lot of Common Eiders here, I wouldn't feel comfortable guiding here.
> 
> 
> 
> I guess I should clarify this, we hunted to early(early Nov.) to have decent numbers of Pacific Common Eiders around. I would not feel comfortable guiding for that species in early Nov.
Click to expand...


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## NaCl H2O

Pretty bird!


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## ryan9166

Wow is all I can say.... Unreal.


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## canman

gentleman,, my name is austin i live and hunt in tn and i was wondering if anyone had a euro drake widgeon and a drake harlequin they would like to send me.. i would love to trade some ducks i kill around here for those 2 birds.. i am doin a mount of all the ducks in the nation and those two are the two i need.. i would love to trade out with someone.. if you could help me out pm me or send me a message.. thanls and nice pics.. good luck to the rest of your season..


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## SDduckaholic

Trading ducks is illegal!! You can not trade a "gifted" duck for a "gifted" duck!
Just becareful! If someone wants to gift you one for nothing in return....you are fine!
I got back from Adak on the 15th of Dec. I may have an Aluetian greenwing and Halrey that you can have. I need to figure out how many I want to mount 1st!


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## SDduckaholic

Adak was a crazy place wasn't it?!!
I see you do some guiding in SD for Spring Snow's...where do you guide out of? Are you from here?


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## canman

ok i just wanna say those are beautifull birds yal are killing keep it up.


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## Chen_caerulescens

SDduckaholic said:


> Adak was a crazy place wasn't it?!!
> I see you do some guiding in SD for Spring Snow's...where do you guide out of? Are you from here?



Yes Adak was awesome and I am looking forward to our season out there next year already. Congrats on your success, you really shot some beauties.

I tend to go with the flow on Snow goose hunting. I have hunted from Yankton to the North Dakota Border. I am from WI originally and moved back from Alaska to WI to establish a home base, although I still spend more time away from "home" than actually at "home". I started hunting South Dakota in 99 and absolutely love hunting in that state. I look forward to Spring Snow goose hunting more than any other season, just love the challenge and the amount of waterfowl you see on a daily basis.


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## SDduckaholic

Sweet....
My favorite hunt every year is Spring Snows too....there is nothing like being out in Spring with millions of fully plummed waterfowl all around you!
We will have to share a hunt one of these days!


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## Chen_caerulescens

SDduckaholic said:


> Sweet....
> My favorite hunt every year is Spring Snows too....there is nothing like being out in Spring with millions of fully plummed waterfowl all around you!
> We will have to share a hunt one of these days!



For sure, look forward to hunting with you. Any secret tips for Island X? From the pics I have seen you seem to be around a pile of birds often


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## SDduckaholic

Pure luck.....they were everywhere that morning!! Are you headed out there with Charlie?


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## Chen_caerulescens

Yes, I will be on the Island on the 14th, barring any travel delays. I can't wait, it will be a lot warmer there then it is here now. I will be out there until the end of the season, so hopefully I will get a "lucky" day.


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## AleutianKing

Jeff Looking forward to you getting here,


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