Blacktail Deer (Sitka) in Alaska
hunting regulations.
Hunting regulations change. The information on this page reflects what we know about species presence and hunt availability based on state agency listings. For current season dates, bag limits, weapon restrictions, tag requirements, and reporting obligations, verify directly with Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You are responsible for confirming current regulations before hunting.
Blacktail Deer (Sitka) is general season in Alaska. The agency above sets season dates, bag limits, and zone boundaries — those change yearly. Verify before you hunt.
About the species
Sitka blacktail deer inhabit Southeast Alaska and the islands of the Tongass — Admiralty, Chichagof, Baranof, Prince of Wales — plus Kodiak Island where they were transplanted in the 1920s. They're the smallest of the blacktail subspecies, mature bucks averaging 110-150 pounds. Adapted to coastal rainforest and alpine meadows, they shift seasonally between high-country summer range and low-elevation winter forage.
Alaska runs Sitka blacktails as a general-season hunt with relatively generous bag limits, especially on Kodiak. The rut is mid-November and concentrates bucks in alpine basins before the snow drives the herd to sea level. Access is the sport — float planes, skiffs, and long deck-stomping miles up creek bottoms. It's a bucket-list deer hunt for many serious whitetail hunters precisely because the country is unlike anything in the Lower 48.
Want the picture for this species across every state? See Blacktail Deer (Sitka) regulations by state. Or browse every huntable species in Alaska.