Etolin Island elk hunt

Etolin Island is a tough hunt in that what it looks like on Google Earth isn't what it looks like in person. There are hidden cuts and cliffs. When you drop out of the alpine, it's thick and disorienting. We chose an alpine lake for the Oct. 1-15 tag thinking they might still be high, or we could drop down on them from a better vantage point.We only ended up seeing a bear, but two people shot nice bulls the same time we were there. We were a little northeast of where the herd was and both people came in from the shore.So it would have been nice to bag an elk, but the weather was good and we got plenty of exercise. There is spotty cell service up high on certain peaks. We flew RDM out of Ketchikan. The closest town to Etolin Island is Wrangell, which is served by Alaska Airlines, or Coffman Cove. However, Ketchikan is the cheapest to access and easiest to fly from, followed by Wrangell. Coffman Cove is a small fishing community without many opportunities or resources for fly out hunts.