Kodiak Wilderness Preserve (Based on Kodiak Island, Alaska)

[glass orchid]

This reserve would be a second Alaskan map, based on Kodiak Island and the many nearby islands off Alaska's southern coast.
Here are the animals that could be included here.
Returning animals:
Roosevelt Elk
Mountain Goat
Plains Bison
Red Fox
North American Beaver
Rock Ptarmigan
Willow Ptarmigan
Mallard
Harlequin Duck
New Animals:
Kodiak Bear - Class 9
Feral Reindeer - Class 6
Sitka Blacktail Deer - Class 4
Snowshoe Hare - Class 1
Bufflehead - Class 1
Barrow's Goldeneye - 1
Surf Scoter - 1
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Common Merganser - 1
Common Eider - 1
American Wigeon - 1
Greater Scaup - 1
Emperor Goose - 1

One might ask: why Kodiak Island? Well, Yukon Valley doesn't nearly cover all of the wildlife that Alaska has available to hunt, since it's located in the interior of Alaska which has different wildlife from the areas along the southern coast. A lot of people want a second map with Roosevelt Elk, but the interior of Alaska doesn't have elk, only a few areas along the coastline, making it unrealistic to backfill Roosevelt Elk onto Yukon Valley. However, parts of the Kodiak Island Archipelago have Roosevelt Elk. In addition, Kodiak Island is home to the Kodiak Bear, the largest subspecies of Brown Bear in the world, along with the elusive Sitka Blacktail Deer. It also has many waterfowl species available to hunt, including several new ones. Of course, you also have other fan favorite returning species like the Mountain Goat and Red Fox. As you can see, this is a recipe for a very fun and interesting reserve to explore and hunt, with a strong focus on big game and waterfowl.

The species list here is a blend of various species that call the Kodiak Archipelago home. My intention here is not to base the map on one particular part of the Kodiak Island Archipelago, but rather to give the player a taste of everything the archipelago has to offer. Feel free to offer feedback in the thread if you have any questions or ideas.

[spare lynx]

This is a pretty good line up of species, and I like the fact that not only do I get to hunt Kodiak Bears on a reserve but also Emperor Goose (I think they look cool)

There are also beavers, rock ptarmigan & white-tailed ptarmigans (the beavers were introduced to the Archipelago in 1925) but the species list as it is looks good so far

As for weapons, whatever rifle comes with this reserve has to be big to handle the bears

[wispy silo]

I would love for beavers to be added

[glass orchid]

I'll add Ptarmigans and beavers to the list as well. As for what weapon will come with this reserve, I was thinking about a .375 H&H (which is apparently a pretty iconic caliber for brown bear hunting) since you'd need something with plenty of penetration and stopping power to drop those bears.

[spare lynx]

And I could use it on reserves like Vurhonga, Emerald Coast and my Arctic Reserve

[glass orchid]

Oh yeah, definitely. It would also be the perfect weapon for hunting Bison. It might be a bit overpowered for the Roosevelt Elk, but theoretically it could be usable for elk as well.

[spare lynx]

For sure

[digital bramble]

With a .375 H&H this could make Africa 2.0 with hippos a lot more viable due to the fact hippos and a lot of African Animals minimum caliber is .375

[wispy silo]

What would you all think about replacing the Rock Ptarmigan with the Sandhill crane ?

[spare lynx]

Sandhill Crane should be saved for a reserve on the Great Plains somewhere (or Texas)

[wispy silo]

@spare lynx I kinda get the Great plains but why Texas. Could you elaborate a little more.

[spare lynx]

They can be hunted there too if I recall correctly

Alternatively Sandhill Crane could be added to Yukon Valley

[wispy silo]

@spare lynx I got you. I thought you was thinking for maybe better landscape or something.

[glass orchid]

Here are some images of each of the new species that would be found in this reserve:

Kodiak Bear, Sitka Blacktail Deer, and North American Beaver

Snowshoe Hare and Surf Scoter

Long-Tailed Duck, Common Merganser and Emperor Goose

[wispy silo]

I love the waterfowl you chose

[digital bramble]

So many good choices

[glass orchid]

Thanks, I was trying to choose some waterfowl species that would be unique from most others in the game

[steep dirge]

Yes please, as an Alaska

[glass orchid]

I think the thing that makes this map suggestion work well is that it has something for everyone. If you like hunting big game, you get the Kodiak Bear and Sitka Deer as new species, along with a second map for hunting Roosevelt Elk, Mountain Goat, and Reindeer, and a third map for hunting Plains Bison. If you like small game, you get the Snowshoe Hare and beaver, along with another map for Red Fox. If you like waterfowl, you get several new species of waterfowl to hunt, along with a couple old ones. There's even an upland game bird species if that's what you like. There's something for everyone here.

[north depot]

I think this map is probably our only good bet for getting the Emperor Goose, so I'm all for it

[rich agate]

I personally was not for another north American map but this is definitely one I could definitely support! Have the snow weather events like the yukon also?

[wispy silo]

It would be sweet to have some kind of mission with the Kodiak Bear the way Layton did with Mr Black.

[glass orchid]

Snow as a weather option may be possible depending on what season it ends up being set in. If it's set in fall, snow could be a possibility. If it's set in summer, there would be rain instead (apparently southern Alaska gets a lot of rain, so we'd probably be hunting in the rain a lot on this reserve)

[wispy silo]

@glass orchid I personally would prefer the snow showers

[wispy silo]

The Kodiak Bear mission could have you track the Bear in the northern Lights. When the mission started at night the northern lights would be showing until you finished the mission. You could only complete the mission at night as well. The photos are of Kodiak Island at night. @glass orchid I hope you don't mind me posting these pictures.

[wispy silo]

bump

[glass orchid]

I like it.

[wispy silo]

bump

[hollow narwhal]

Personally, I love the idea, I just think we are more likely to get #1070045518002147458 because of all the upvotes

[wispy silo]

@hollow narwhal I hope we get that map. It's an awesome map. I'm pretty sure this is just an attempt for a later future reserve to get Roosevelt Elk on another map. We basically only have 3 options to get them on another map because of their limited home range. This Map and these 2 below are our only options for them to my knowledge.
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1112538712769839224https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1118594699612139550

[glass orchid]

Here's some examples of what the landscape of this map would look like

The shorelines and waterways of the reserve would be home to all of the various waterfowl species. The lowland sitka spruce forests would be filled with Roosevelt Elk, Sitka Blacktail Deer, and Beavers. The more mountainous forest areas would be home to Sitka Deer, Roosevelt Elk, Reindeer and Mountain Goats. The most mountainous areas would be home to Ptarmigans and Mountain Goats. There would also be grassland areas with Bison. The Red Fox, Kodiak Bear, and Snowshoe Hare would all be found across the entire map.

[fleet crow]

Another map with mountain goats and Roosevelt elk would be nice

[west hatch]

Rather than have Sitka Black tails just make them regular black tails . This would give 2 maps where blacktails and Rosie's can be hunted. This opens up the possibility for 2 more great ones ....

[late vortex]

But sitka and regular black tail are different

[west hatch]

Other than a slight size difference can you tell any other visual difference between a black tail and a sitka ? I personally think it's worth suspending disbelief slightly for another GO species.

There is also a Vancouver Island reserve suggestion here https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1112538712769839224 If both o these reserves are created we would have 3 reserves where you can hunt black-tail and Rosies .... Thie would almost make it a for certain that they would become GO's

[verbal mauve]

Or MI, but Michigan would be mostly reusing species so idk. I'd personally love a reserve in Michigan tho

[glass orchid]

I'd rather have Sitka Blacktails on this map, it's more precise and accurate to the location, plus they are slightly different from the normal Blacktails we have on Layton (which don't look that great anyway). If you want a new map for both the base game Blacktails and Roosies, the Vancouver Island map is the one for you. I don't want this suggestion to become too similar to that other suggestion either, so I won't change the Sitka Blacktails to regular Blacktails.

[wispy silo]

@glass orchid if we was ever blessed enough to get both maps it would give us two maps with Sitka as well.

[glass orchid]

One more new waterfowl species that could be included on this map is the Greater Scaup. There are apparently large numbers of these ducks in the Kodiak Island Archipelago, so this could be yet another new species for waterfowl hunters to enjoy.

[verbal mauve]

Its gorgeous, these would make awesome trophies :0

[west hatch]

fair enough but as for the way the Layton black tails look you would have to guess that if they added them to another map then they would do a make over. But I''l let the devs decide what is best for the game .... my vote is for all black-tails to be the same because the differences in how they look are minimum ....

[late vortex]

The antlers are slightly different but not by much

[west hatch]

Look my point is we have already seen EW do this with Mexican white-tails .... They have decided that all white tails are just white-tails because the differences don't really justify the expense of creating another model .... but overall I would love to see more reserves in the south west Alaska coast as well as in Canada .

[fleet crow]

That is true and they also did the same thing as with the bighorn as well

[glass orchid]

Just because they did that for the Whitetails on Rancho doesn't mean that they should have, and it also doesn't mean that they should do that type of thing again. I think the failure to differentiate between normal whitetail deer and the Coues Deer of Mexico was a mistake, especially since the next three maps after that had Whitetail Deer too. The failure of EW to change things up when it's completely possible to do so is (in my opinion) the thing that creates a lot of problems when it comes to the replayability of their maps.

[glass orchid]

I'll just lay it out for you like this, so you can see where I'm coming from.

Do you want to know how to avoid people saying stuff like "this is just Layton 2.0" and "another NA map"? Actually differentiate between the species and subspecies of animals on the different maps when you have the option to, and maybe people won't complain as much and will buy the maps more readily.

If EW would take the time and energy to make a proper Kodiak Island map, I sure do hope that they would differentiate between the deer on Kodiak Island and the deer in Washington/Oregon. You know why? Because I want to get the maximum bang for my buck when it comes to new species, and also Kodiak Island is known for Sitka Blacktail Deer, not the ordinary Columbian Blacktails that are already on Layton. When I get a new map, I want an authentic and different hunting experience, not just a map with as many base-game species for GO grinding as possible, because I really don't care for Great One grinding that much. If there's enough of a push among the community for Blacktail Great One, then EW will probably add a second map for the Layton Blacktails anyway to appease the people who don't like Layton. There's no need to try to jam a peg into every single hole regardless of whether it fits or not.

[verbal mauve]

THIS! This is exactly what I wanted to say but I couldn't find the words lol

[lapis lagoon]

Another resident Alaskan in support of a Kodiak island type map. My two species suggestions would be Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans. Make both a Class 2.

[lapis lagoon]

While there are no Bison hunts in Kodiak, I think bison could still be left in as a species. However, to your point here, they should be wood bison and not plains bison.

[glass orchid]

Are they Wood Bison on Kodiak? I haven't been able to find any sources that indicate which subspecies lives on Kodiak.

[lapis lagoon]

I don’t believe there are any bison on Kodiak. I think they could be included for the sake of the game though because it’s still Alaska

There are reintroduction efforts in other parts of the state so why not on this Kodiak-esque island? 🤷‍♀️

[glass orchid]

These articles seem to suggest that there are Plains Bison on private land on Kodiak Island, so the Plains Bison would probably fit best on this map. The inclusion of bison in this map idea is a little bit tenuous, but I think it would be better to include them so that players have more big game species to hunt. If it's really a big deal, then the storyline for the bison on the reserve could be that the bison are ones that escaped from private land and are allowed to be hunted to prevent them from overpopulating.
https://alaskaoutdoorssupersite.com/bison-plains
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/legal-battle-alaska-supreme-court-sides-roaming-buffalo-kodiak/2014/12/27/

[lapis lagoon]

Can’t argue with that. That story line could also be used with the ranch vs the wild elk on the island

[glass orchid]

That's also true

[lapis lagoon]

I like the idea of hunting the escaped ranch populations to save the wild ones. It could be the whole story line, really.

[wispy silo]

This map would be beautiful to hunt Elk on.

[digital bramble]

Bump

[digital bramble]

Bump!

[edgy pawn]

Blacktail and Roosevelt Elk Great Ones!

[glass orchid]

Roosevelt Elk great one would definitely be a nice thing to get with this map. A Blacktail great one shared between the Sitka Blacktail and normal Blacktail is possible, although I don't think its as likely.

[glass orchid]

bumping this back up.

[hard patrol]

One of the maps I want most fr

[glass orchid]

I would love to see this map eventually get added to the game

[hard patrol]

Kodiak bear would be insane

[hard stratus]

I don't know really if this map would be the real stuff I really want Ingame

[unborn kernel]

@glass orchid what North American maps would you want to see if you could say have as many NA maps as you would want

[glass orchid]

Personally, the main one I want at this point is an Arctic map, because it seems possible now for the Muskox to be added to the game. This Kodiak Island reserve or a British Columbia reserve in Canada would be great as well, just to give us another option for hunting species like Roosevelt Elk and some unique species that Layton Lake didn't include. The jungles of Central America/Southern Mexico would be a nice place for a reserve, although personally I think a South American jungle map would be more interesting and more popular. I would also like to get a map based in Montana, Idaho or Wyoming (to cover some of the western species that SRP missed out on) and a free range Texas game ranch (the exotics available there would be really cool to hunt). A map based in Southern Florida would be pretty cool too, although obviously that would have some obvious similarities to Mississippi Acres.

I'm obviously not expecting to get every single one of those, especially since it seems like EW is moving away from North American reserves currently. Both Emerald Coast and Sundarpatan have been based in much more exotic locales, which I think is a good thing.

[unborn kernel]

Sounds good I honestly thought you liked North America more than me but now that I know what maps you want I now realise that I want more than you 😂 I know it's very much unlikely that EW would make all of the NA maps that I want but they would still be cool to have in my opinion

[glass orchid]

I mean personally I'll buy whatever new map they make at this point, but I do think it's a good thing that they've been taking a break from North American maps recently. I really want a Canadian Arctic reserve the most out of all potential North American maps, beyond that I'd be fine with not getting very many more of them.

[grand nebula]

Kodiak bears are pretty big there. Maybe even consider it being a class 9? Just a thought

[glass orchid]

I think that would make sense. I'll change them to Class 9.

[quartz python]

Grizzly bear left, kodiak bear right. The ingame grizzly bear (which is supposed to be an inland grizzly) is drastically oversized since any north american brown bear is usually referred to as a "grizzly" and when you research the largest grizzly bears shot, it takes you to kodiak island, alaska, so I figure there was a confusion there on the devs part. True kodiak bears are very noticeably larger

Kodiak island is in my top 3 maps I want to see added to this game the most.

[glass orchid]

yeah a Grizzly Bear remodel/resizing is definitely needed, especially if we eventually get this map with the Kodiak Bears on it.

[deep zodiac]

In this map, it is very useful for us to introduce the cross fox for the new fur of the red fox.

[deep zodiac]

Brant (Branta bernicla)

Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)

Snowshoe hares are not native to Kodiak Island but were introduced to Kodiak in 1934. Biologists estimate approximately 100,000 snowshoe hares live on Kodiak Island. source: robinbarefield.com/snowshoe-hare-lepus-americanus/

[toxic slate]

That's a lot

[deep zodiac]

No limit and no closed season for hare hunting in Kodiak Island.

All caribou on Kodiak Island today descend from 32 domestic reindeer introduced to Lazy Bay in 1924 from Siberia. These reindeer were never removed and were later declared feral by the State of Alaska. Source: adfg.alaska.gov

[glass orchid]

I wonder if the snowy landscape teaser we saw at the end of the Winter Preview was actually for this map? 🤔

It's probably not, since a Canadian Arctic map is far more highly requested, but it would be interesting if it were

[naive needle]

Where in Canada would a Canadian artic map be?

[spare lynx]

Northwest Territories is my guess
Especially if its a call back to Whiterime Ridge in Classic since that map has both Polar Bear & Dall’s Sheep

The Canadian Arctic spans over all 3 territories and 4 provinces

But non-indigenous hunters can only hunt Polar Bear in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

And the Northwest Territories also has a huntable population of Dall’s Sheep

[glass orchid]

yeah NWT is probably where it would be located

[quartz python]

Fingers crossed. Literally reserving spots in my lodge already for dall sheep and polar bear just incase it's the summer map

[glass orchid]

bumping this back up again because it's been a little while

[neat cloud]

Any map that gets us more Rosies, remastered Grizz/Kodiaks, Reindeer, and actual Sitka Blacktails would be an absolute win. Make those Sitkas Class 3, though. They're small.

[glass orchid]

I would want them to be Class 4 personally, in terms of their weight the bucks can get up to the size of many Whitetail Deer. They'd be on the smaller side of Class 4 but imo I think they're still a bit big for Class 3.

either Class 3 or 4 would be fine I suppose, but 4 would make more sense in my opinion

[neat cloud]

No, they're smaller than Columbian Blacktails. There needs to be a size difference in-game, even if it means they need to change the bottom class ethical range of guns like the .270 and .308.

Subspecies matter, and they mostly get overlooked by The Hunter, unfortunately.

[glass orchid]

Yes, they're smaller, but in my opinion there's not enough of a size difference to necessitate putting them one class lower than all of the other deer species that they're related to. After all there is plenty of size overlap between the largest Sitka bucks and the average Whitetail Deer in some parts of the U.S. (especially further south where they don't get that big) so I think class 4 would be appropriate.

[floral kindle]

I'm not in favor of more North American maps....except this one and one in artic Canada. Kodiak Island has been something I love about the idea of US hunting since Cabelas games on the old PS3

[glass orchid]

obviously, if EW decides to change certain guns like the .270 and 6.5 to make them Class 3-7 weapons, then it would make more sense to have animals like the Sitka Deer in Class 3. If they don't though, Class 4 would make the most sense imo

[outer shadow]

Kodiak bear those who know :💀💀💀🥭🥭🥭

[neat cloud]

That's the problem - Rancho Whitetails should be Coues Deer, Mississippi Whitetails should be a bit bigger than them, and the other Whitetail maps should be bigger bodied deer.

Same thing for a lot of the moose maps. There should probably be at least three to four different subspecies of moose/European Elk in this game that range between Class 7-8, with Yukon and Medved having the biggest ones and Layton/Revontuli having the smaller ones.

[glass orchid]

I agree, that's a problem. A subspecies distinction for the existing species would really be helpful.

[blissful needle]

This would be a cool map. Would be perfect for driving a boat to navigate to different parts of the archipelago.

Though, what weapon could you have here? Like, maybe a big bore revolver in .460 or .500? Or maybe another type of rifle/shotgun that would fit with the environment?

[glass orchid]

My original thought was that a .375 would come with this map, but we have that now... so that one's off the table

I mean really any large rifle caliber that would be good for hunting the Kodiak Bear would be a good choice

[quartz python]

.50 alaskan would be pretty neat

[glass orchid]

that would be a great choice, very appropriate for this map

[glass orchid]

I think I might dig back into this reserve idea at some point and make a proper map for it. Maybe this weekend.

[blissful needle]

I think .375 would be good for bringing down large Kodiak bears which should be class 9. I mean, how would a 1600+ pound bear not be considered class 9

[glass orchid]

I agree that a bear that big should be Class 9. If you check the original post, I listed the Kodiak Bears as a Class 9 species (originally I listed them as Class 8 but that was before Grizzly Bears got changed to Class 8)

by the way, I'm currently working on a proper map for this reserve idea, to give a better idea of how it would be set up. I'm not sure when it's gonna be done, because it's been quite challenging to find good information about Kodiak Island's topography to base a map on. Hopefully I can get it finished up this weekend though.

[hard stratus]

I often watch street view and hunting videos like the meat eater show to get a feeling what a region is like and how it should be build as a map

[glass orchid]

yeah I like to use street view as a resource too, but the street view on Google Earth for Kodiak Island is very restricted to a few areas. That makes it a bit hard to get a feel for the lay of the land. But with the limited photos I have found, I've managed to get the map about halfway complete, so I'm making good progress on it.

[hard stratus]

Nice

[glass orchid]

I have the map for this reserve almost complete, I made a lot of progress with it over the weekend. I just need to finish up a few more details on it and come up with some names for the regions and subregions of the map. I think I'll be ready to post it here sometime this week.

[glass orchid]

Here is what I came up for as the map for this reserve. The main landmass is based on the northern region of Kodiak Island itself, while the large island to the north is a fictional island based on both Afognak and Raspberry Island in the Kodiak Archipelago. The smaller island in the northwest is based on many smaller islands in the archipelago, such as Spruce Island and Marmot Island.

The colors of the map show the different biomes on this reserve. The dark green areas would be dense Sitka Spruce forest. The light green areas are more open spruce forests broken up by meadows and clearings. The light yellow-green areas in the west are grasslands. The more reddish brown areas are alpine tundra areas, mostly treeless and covered by grasses, mosses and small shrubs. The gray areas are steep mountain slopes and rocky cliffs, and the white areas are obviously the snow-capped peaks of the mountains. The dark blue areas are parts of the ocean, while the lighter blue areas are freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds and creeks.

the many rivers on this map are where the Kodiak Bear's feed zones would be, where they catch the salmon that are heading back to their spawning grounds. These salmon runs also attract foxes that come to scavenge the leftover scraps that the bears leave behind.

because this reserve is considered to be a wilderness preserve, there would be no roads within it. The only signs of human inhabitation are a few outposts and small wilderness lodges along the coastlines and in a few other places, along with the remains of a few other structures that were built before it became a wilderness preserve.

[hard stratus]

Absolutely beautiful work! I think you could have a lot of waterfowl on that coast and islands, perhaps some bogs inland! I will now list all upland and waterfowl options!

Upland birds
-rock ptarmigan (great bird for high elevations)
-willow ptarmigan (upland bird suited for lower habitat)

Super Preferred waterfowl
-emperor goose (iconic species with limited range found on coast)
-long tailed duck (beutiful seaduck of both inland and coastal habitats on Kodiak)
-bufflehead (cute)
-harlequin duck (iconic and could get a rework suitable for both freshwater and sea)
-barrows goldeneye (great for streams and coast)
-white winged scoter (pretty seaduck)
-surf scoter (pretty but wonky seaduck)
-common eider (just to iconic to not include)
-black brant (beutiful goose of coastal areas, could be backfilled to salz)
-cackling goose (cute goose with interesting white neckband)

Preferred waterfowl
https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1316523455822299158 (iconic!)
-greater scaup (boring but plentiful
-lesser scaup (boring but plentiful)
-common goldeneye (on loads of map but great for freshwater)
-stellars eider (beutiful but illegal to shoot)
-black scoter (more boring then other scoters)
-king eider (cool but other locations would be suited better leave space for neccesarry species)

Other waterfowl
-green winged teal (boring and on loads of maps)
-mallard (BORING)
-northern pintail(somewhat rare on the map)
-snow goose (somewhat rare and not perfect habitat)
-ring necked duck (better on other maps and uncommon on Kodiak)
-canada goose (pretty rare on Kodiak and BORING!)

There some other options but they are all pretty low pop on Kodiak or not really hunter in this part of the world (puffins, guillemots and other alcids)

That was a lot 😮‍💨
But great map! Haven't seen many better planned maps and visualizations on here

[hard stratus]

For more waterfowl action check out #1311294022408736788

[glass orchid]

I already have the Rock Ptarmigan on the species list, along with the Harlequin Duck, Mallard (just because they are so common), Surf Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Common Merganser, Greater Scaup, and Emperor Goose. I will look into maybe adding the Willow Ptarmigan (it is Alaska's state bird after all) along with maybe a few more coastal duck species.

[hard stratus]

Wasn't to tell you to put all of them on lol. My personal list would be

-willow ptarmigan
-rock ptarmigan

-pintail (reskin mallard for freshwater lakes)
-barrows goldeneye (goldeneye reskin, freshwater streams)
-harlequin duck (reworked on streams)

Emperor goose (coast)
Black brant (coast, same behavior as emperor goose)

-white winged scoter
-long tailed duck
-common eider
-bufflehead

(All on coast with new behaviours (like different group sizes, model sizes and flight ways))

[chrome bolt]

No Dall sheep I thought I read they are in Kodiak area but guess not? If that's case then I'd prefer Canada map with Dall sheep and Polar Bears,Muskox

[hard stratus]

There are some ducks in-game that have unique behaviours and rigs and some that are clones of them selves, green winged and Eurasian teal beahve the same for example, no duck behaves like the Eurasian wigeon, if they make an American wigeon they can just copy the model, rig and AI only having to change the look, that's why that would be easier then a new species with a whole new flight pattern and model like an eider, that's what I mean by reskin

[glass orchid]

I believe there was an attempt to introduce Dall Sheep to Kodiak but it failed. There are healthy populations of Mountain Goats though, which are pretty similar. We'd need a map set further north to get Dall Sheep though, or they could be backfilled to Yukon Valley.

[hard stratus]

Canada!

[glass orchid]

yeah that's sort of what I meant

I mean I would love to get both a Canadian Arctic map and this map too, I think they're different enough that I wouldn't mind getting both of them personally

[chrome bolt]

Oh okay I gotcha I still like Kodiak idea though just not in replacement of Arctic Canada but this is a great pure Alaska map because your right Yukon barely has the game animals that Alaska offers

And we could get both I'd be happy with that.

[hard stratus]

I agree

[glass orchid]

I mean with this map we'd be getting potentially a lot of new waterfowl species, along with another map with Mountain Goat, Roosevelt Elk, Reindeer and potentially Plains Bison too. We could maybe get a Roosevelt Elk or Reindeer Great One with this map (along with a rework to their current models) which would probably be pretty popular imo.

it would be sort of like a more North American version of Revontuli Coast, which is sort of what I was going for here.

[hard stratus]

Mountain goat rework when?

[glass orchid]

that would be really great to get with this map too, give them more of that shaggy fur coat that they're known for

[glass orchid]

based on suggestions and based on my own research I've done now, I would like to add four more waterfowl waterfowl species to this reserve's potential species list: the Bufflehead, Barrow's Goldeneye, American Wigeon and Common Eider. All of these species can be found in many parts of the Kodiak Archipelago. I also added the Willow Ptarmigan to the species list because they are Alaska's state bird and can be found on Kodiak Island in lowland environments.

That now gives this reserve a total of 2 upland game birds and 11 waterfowl species, which would each inhabit specific areas of the map.

[hard stratus]

Splendid

[glass orchid]

also if we get Barrow's Goldeneye, then the existing Goldeneye that is in the game currently would need to have its name changed to the Common Goldeneye since that is the species that is depicted in the game right now. It would just be necessary to differentiate the two in order to prevent confusion.

[hard stratus]

Not to hard, they've done that before, see wild turkey.

I will now create range maps for all the birds on the map 🫡

[glass orchid]

I was actually planning on having the elk mostly be on the big northern island and not many other places, since from what I can tell they aren't really common on Kodiak itself, they're mostly just on the Afognak and Raspberry Islands

[glass orchid]

there we go, that's better

I think I'll probably make my own range maps for most of the remaining animals, but thank you for your contributions! Most of your range maps are pretty much perfect!

[hard stratus]

I make them just lik I personally do them, do what you want, and also take these as you want

I do not have opinions, on beaver, hare and fox but these are all where I have a ✨vISiOn✨ 💅

[glass orchid]

they're technically feral reindeer on this map but that range map is pretty good, I like it

[hard stratus]

Oops, as far as ik they came from the Alaska peninsula herd which is barren ground/porcupine

[glass orchid]

Here's what I would have went with for the bison range, since they're supposed to be escaped bison from a captive herd and have made their way into the preserve from the west.

[hard stratus]

If you excuse me I will play With a Kodiak island map, also yeah pretty similar to mine. But overall great distribution

[glass orchid]

yeah it's fine I just wanted to show what my own vision for it was

[hard stratus]

Yeah no go on, that's interesting discourse, nobody gets the vision more then the creator. Of you have opinions on others go 4 it. I mostly went by habitat, gameplay and some vibes

[glass orchid]

The purple areas here are where I think the Snowshoe Hare should be found

[hard stratus]

That's decent, I always thought moose were there but turns out the introduction failed.

[glass orchid]

The red areas are where I think Red Foxes should be found - mostly in the coastal forests, but also ranging up the the tundra in certain areas. Also one little section along the coast wouldn't have them just for the sake of variety - maybe hunters or fur trappers killed too many of them in that area and they haven't moved back into it yet.

[hard stratus]

What about a new or having one little island where in the story red fox are extinct mostly to protect nesting seabird but there are some left which you now need to shoot. Similar to bird island on rev

[glass orchid]

hmm, I mean I wasn't really planning on having anything like that. maybe the section of coast where they can't be found could have a story like that, but I was planning on having foxes on all of the off-shore islands.

[hard stratus]

Yeah no I get that, more like a thing for ew to decide but I don't think it makes a huge difference you can still have missions reducing red fox to protect bird populations without them going extinct.

[glass orchid]

yeah that's fair, makes sense to me

Anyway here's where I think beavers should be found on the map. They were introduced at some point and now live in most of the preserve's river drainages.

and maybe a few sections of the rivers might be blocked off by beaver dams too.

Here's the map of the different regions of the reserve. The northern island, Salmonberry Island, is named for the large numbers of Salmonberry bushes that grow on it. Directly south of it lies Alutiiq Shores, a large section of coastline that is named after the Alutiiq people, the native inhabitants of the Kodiak Archipelago. In the far west lies the Coldwater Basin, an area where all rainfall within the region eventually makes it into the Coldwater Bay, the section of ocean here that the region gets its name from. In the south-central part of the map is PaRanaq Peaks, a large mountain range that stands tall above the surrounding lowlands. It gets its name from the large number of Mountain Goats that live in these mountains, as PaRanaq is one of the names that the Alutiiq have given to the Mountain Goat in their language. In the southeast is the Tuntuq Highlands, which is named for the large numbers of feral reindeer that now roam in this area.

Here's a map of all of the subregions. I don't have the space here to talk about all of them in-depth so that will have to wait for another time.

[hard stratus]

Pretty epic

[glass orchid]

yeah I tried to be really creative with the names, using online resources to find words from the native Alutiiq language that would make for fitting names for some of the regions, along with just using normal English names for some others. The idea here is that certain areas were named by native people who had been there first, while other places were given their names by modern hunters and fishermen.

[spare lynx]

I guess I know what changes I have to make to my Whiterime Ridge Wilderness Map: Subregions

[glass orchid]

yeah that seems like a really good idea, they definitely go a long way toward making a map feel more like a real place.

I'm also going to go through and create actual descriptions for each subregion, like what you might expect to see in the game's codex.

[toxic orchid]

I’m new to the feedback thread.
Skimmed through the comments above- perhaps you could create boat paths with dock locations. On either side of a dotted line.
Referring to Rev:

Your map is so cool BTW!

[glass orchid]

I'm sure that this map would have those, but I didn't want to dictate exactly where they'd be on the versions I've made so far though, because that's a lot of information to take in. I might make a version of the map with them at some point though, thanks for your feedback!

[toxic orchid]

Yes, I see. How large is the map in km^2?

[glass orchid]

I haven't decided for sure yet, but if it were the same size as the older maps, it would be somewhere around 64 square kilometers in terms of its land area. It really wouldn't be too unrealistic for it to be that big, Kodiak Island is a pretty big island in real life, so a map that's the size of a normal COTW map would only cover a small section of it. Alternatively it could be a more mid-sized map, not as small as Salzwiesen but not as big as all of the others. The thing to remember is that a smaller map would need to have fewer animals, which might mean that it can't fit in all of the species that I'd like to see. So I think it's probably best to keep it at about 64 square kilometers.

According to Wikipedia, Kodiak Island has an area of about 9,311.2 km^2. A 64km^2 map would be only a fraction of a percent of that size, so I think a map that's about that big isn't unrealistic.

[toxic orchid]

Yes, a balance between different animal ranges, land compaction, biome diversity, sense in general. All the complications, but it’s part of the fun. I used to hand-draw maps. Then started playing on Google Earth.

64km^2 compared to Raspberry:

Reading your second comment: goodness.

[glass orchid]

yeah, that's what I was thinking too. A map of about the normal COTW size is big enough to have a lot of potential for hunting and exploration, while also not being unrealistically large. It's about the right size for a map based in the Kodiak Archipelago, and it's totally believable that a wilderness preserve could be set up on the islands that is about that size.

[toxic orchid]

Agreed. Very nice job - ambitious work. I’ve always dreamed of Alaskan elk (well I did once when I was about 9).

[glass orchid]

Since there previously was no range map for the Bufflehead on this map, I decided to make my own range map for them. Here's what that looks like.

[digital bramble]

If I’m being honest, a ton of the animals on Kodiak Island don’t have very large populations (really only the birds) so I could definitely see a mid size map work.

[glass orchid]

that's true, but a bigger map also means that animals will be distributed over a wider area so it kind of evens out in the end. It's really up to EW to decide what size to have the maps be, but I think it would be nice to have this map be the same size as the normal maps so that there can be both plenty of big game but also plentiful waterfowl. Basically I'd want it to be more like a North American version of Revontuli Coast, rather than trying to make it a North American version of Salzwiesen Park (I think there's a lot of other places on the continent that are better suited to that latter option than this one)

[glass orchid]

something else to remember is that about half of this map is just water, with a large section of the playable area separated from everything else by a pretty wide stretch of ocean. So while it might look pretty big, the actual explorable land area takes up less of this map than you would see on most maps for reserves that are in the game currently.

[glass orchid]

Reworked range for the Reindeer on this map - they'd mostly be in the southern tundra and grassland areas of the map because in this map's lore, they originally migrated into the preserve from feral herds living further south, and from there they populated some of the tundra areas along the sides of the main mountain range.

[glass orchid]

Now I'm going to post descriptions for each region and their subregions.

Region Summary: Alutiiq Shores
This region of the preserve is named in honor of the Alutiiq people, who are the native inhabitants of the Kodiak Archipelago. This region was heavily utilized by them for hunting and fishing purposes in the past, so it was officially named after them when the wilderness preserve was officially established. It features mainly lowland coniferous forests along the coastline of the Salmonberry Strait.

Subregion 1: Sitka Deer Bay
This large bay is one of the numerous bays, inlets, fjords and lagoons that exist along the coastline of Kodiak Island and the many other nearby islands. This bay gets its name from its large introduced population of Sitka Blacktail Deer, who roam the beaches and in the surrounding spruce forests. Sitka Deer Bay is a common starting point for many hunting expeditions, because a large dock and wilderness lodge lie at the northeastern end of the bay, making the area easy to access via boat or seaplane. The bay is also important to the local fishing industry, because its waters are home to both King Crab and Pacific Salmon. As a result, this bay and the land surrounding it are popular destinations for both hunters and fishermen alike.

Subregion 2: Humpback Coast
This long stretch of coastline lies right where the mountains reach the ocean. In some sections that lie further east, these mountains gradually slope down to sea level, creating many sandy and gravel beaches. Further northwest, the coastline becomes much more rugged, with many tall rocky cliffs forming a natural barrier between the land and the ocean. Humpback Whales can sometimes be seen breaching the surface in the waters off of the coastline, which is what originally gave this area its name. This natural phenomenon attracts many tourists each year. Some local guides even offer special boat tours, which promise curious tourists a chance to see the whales much closer up than what is possible from the shoreline. Unfortunately, this activity has the unintended side effect of stressing out these huge animals, so the preserve has placed limits on these boat tours and is currently looking into new ways to allow whale-watching without disturbing the natural behavior of these gentle giants.

Subregion 3: Napaq Forest
This stretch of coastal temperate rainforest is especially dense and hard to navigate. Here, the Sitka Spruce, the only conifer tree native to the Kodiak Archipelago, forms a monoculture of large trees with a closed canopy. These spruce trees only began to recolonize the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago relatively recently, after the end of the last ice age. They have been gradually spreading south across the islands ever since, at a rate of about one mile per century. This particular section of well-established forest is the oldest Sitka Spruce forest in the preserve, and as such, commercial logging in this area is strictly prohibited. The dense tree cover makes for a rather challenging area to stalk careful prey, but for the hunter who is willing to venture deep into the thick timber, great hunting opportunities await in a place that very few people have ever ventured into.

[digital bramble]

Were weapons ever talked about?

This map would be a fantastic opportunity to give the .45-70 some love but I’d also like to see EW shed some light on slug hunting.

[glass orchid]

I originally intended for the .375 to be the weapon that comes with this map, but we ended up getting that caliber later on so that isn't really an option now. I think there's still quite a few good options though. One of my favorites is the .50 Alaskan, which would be a very fitting caliber in my opinion. The game could really use some more lever action rifles, and the .50 Alaskan would be a great choice. It would probably be for Class 8 and 9 only, although I guess it could be a Class 7-9 as well, but it is a bit overpowered for some Class 7 animals in the game.

alternatively, a bolt action rifle chambered in .340 Weatherby would be pretty nice too. A rifle like this was in theHunter Classic, and was one of the best guns in that game. Here's a picture of it from the game's store.

I do think some sort of new large caliber rifle should come with this map though, because people will probably want some sort of new rifle to hunt the Kodiak Bears with. Alternatively, we could get a new shotgun for the various waterfowl species on this map, but I personally think that a new rifle would be the more popular choice.

anyway, back to the regions and their subregions...

Region Overview: Salmonberry Island
This island lies north of the section of Kodiak Island that most of the preserve is located on. The only way to access this island from the rest of the reserve is to take one of the many boat routes across the Salmonberry Strait, of which there are several that offer to take hunters to this remote island. This island is the only region of the preserve that has a resident breeding population of Roosevelt Elk. Its terrain is mainly dense Sitka Spruce forest that is broken up by a few small mountains, which have less tree cover and more open landscapes. Many waterfowl species can be found along the rivers and bays of this island.

Subregion 1: Aurora Lagoon
The western side of Salmonberry Island has fewer small rivers than the eastern side, instead being centered on a large inland lagoon. Here, a large peninsula almost completely cuts off this large body of water from the ocean. The waters of the lagoon are much more calm and tranquil than the rest of the coast, which generally has much rougher waters. It is a favored area for waterfowl, especially Buffleheads and Common Mergansers, who like the calm waters of the lagoon. This peaceful lagoon is also a very scenic location to view the Aurora Borealis at night, which is where the location got its name from. The surrounding forests and mountains are a good area to stalk both Roosevelt Elk and Sitka Blacktail Deer, although hunters will want to be on the lookout for the occasional roaming bear here too.

[west hatch]

S&W 500Mag Spikedriver .... better bring a shoulder pad

[glass orchid]

Subregion 2: Halibut Cove
The eastern side of Salmonberry Island has many small rivers that flow out into narrow bays. One of these bays is Halibut Cove, which is sheltered by small mountains that isolate it from the rest of the island. Local fishermen have managed to catch a lot of large Pacific Halibut in the waters east of the bay, and this reputation eventually led to the location being colloquially referred to as Halibut Cove. When Salmonberry Island was integrated into the Wilderness Preserve, this name was made official and it was applied to the surrounding area as well. The rivers on this side of the island are centers of biodiversity, with many land mammals coming to them to drink, and with salmon swimming up them to spawn. This attracts the local bear population to the rivers, and it’s recommended that hunters practice extra caution in this area to avoid provoking any bears.

[toxic orchid]

How nice

[glass orchid]

yeah, I tried to come up with some cool lore for each region and subregion

[toxic orchid]

Yes. Imagine the old fishing docks you’d see on a mission log. +2500 for catching a halibut.

[toxic orchid]

Just kidding that’s a lot of extra stuff. Maybe just shooting a bear in the region to play on the story.

[glass orchid]

if fishing were to ever get added to this game, this map would be great for it. I don't think we'll ever get fishing in this game but it's still interesting to think about it

[toxic orchid]

Beef that should have been in a pack with the moradi

[toxic orchid]

Yes like shooting a fish in the water with a 6 round spike driver .500 mag rifle lever

[glass orchid]

that reminds me, there was one time that I sort of thought about making a suggestion to add bowfishing to this game, but I decided not to make it a post because I decided that this isn't really the right game for that sort of thing

[toxic orchid]

Hm but the idea is attractive

[glass orchid]

it would definitely be interesting, but the amount of effort it would take for EW to add it probably isn't worth it

but it would still be cool

[west hatch]

Big Kodiak's would definitely feel it

[toxic orchid]

I guess not. But it’s possible. Mammals (rifles, bullets)
Birds (shotguns, pellets)
Reptiles (rifles, bullets)
Fish (harpoons, bows).
How different could fish be?

[toxic orchid]

Yes especially the hard casts

[glass orchid]

I mean implementing the bowfishing itself might be hard with the way that bows work in the game currently. It would also require EW to add boats that we can drive around on the water (since bowfishing seems to mostly be done with boats), and we haven't gotten a new vehicle in a long time so that's probably not gonna happen.

it would still be awesome though if they did add it though, could be a lot of fun to shoot a fish with a bow in this game

[toxic orchid]

Yes. I’ve played for only 30mins, but seems like the angler could have it. Too far off track, goodness.

[glass orchid]

that's okay lol, it happens all the time in these threads

[glass orchid]

Region Overview: Coldwater Basin
This is an area where all rainfall within the region will eventually make it into the Coldwater Bay, the section of ocean that the region gets its name from. This region has great diversity in terms of its landscapes, from coastal beaches and forests, to open tundra and grasslands, the Coldwater Basin has it all. This region is also home to the preserve’s population of Plains Bison that originally escaped from neighboring private land.

Subregion 1: Coldwater Valley
This valley lies between two tall mountain ranges, and is home to the Coldwater River, a river that is fed primarily by runoff and melting snow from the surrounding mountains. This river is known for its highly important salmon run, which attracts numerous Kodiak Bears to its banks in search of an easy source of food. The large river and its tributaries are important habitats for waterfowl, while larger animals commonly stop to drink along the riverbank. The surrounding area is mostly grassland because the valley hasn’t been colonized by Sitka Spruce forests yet, although the trees are starting to encroach onto the valley's outer edges. Nevertheless, the open landscape here is perfect for stalking animals across the grasslands, or for taking long-distance shots on animals from the ridges overlooking the valley.

Subregion 2: Fossil Shores
This section of shoreline surrounds Coldwater Bay, and is commonly visited by many different waterfowl species. Along one section of the shore there is a set of large cliffs made of sedimentary rock, with numerous fossils of various marine animals exposed on the surface of the rock. This fascinating natural formation is a popular tourist destination, with many people coming in the summertime to see the fossilized shells that are visible on the cliffside. The Coldwater River Delta can also be found nearby, where the river reaches its mouth at the southern end of Coldwater Bay. The hills and fields overlooking both of these natural features are home to many Bison, who now roam freely in this area. The calm beaches along the shoreline create a serene atmosphere that is perfect for those seeking solitude, while the ancient sea creatures embedded in the cliffs offer a unique attraction to paleontology enthusiasts. With plentiful wildlife and a nearly untouched natural environment, there’s something for everyone at Fossil Shores.

Subregion 3: Fox Island
This small island northwest of Coldwater Bay is a popular stopping point for several coastal waterfowl species. It is also home to many Red Foxes, who roam the beach scavenging the remains of dead marine animals that wash up onto the shore, and this fox population is where this island gets its name from. There are quite a few jagged cliffs along many parts of the island’s coast, which are quickly replaced by spruce forest further inland. This remote island has no permanent human inhabitants and is only accessible via boat, with two boat docks located at the northern and southern ends of the island respectively. Despite this, a population of Sitka Blacktail Deer has made it to this small island by swimming across the bay. As a result, this island is frequently visited by both deer hunters and waterfowl hunters alike.

Region Overview: PaRanaq Peaks
This is the largest range of mountains in the preserve, stretching from the southern edge of the preserve to the northernmost peninsula on the preserve’s main landmass. Most of the higher parts of the mountain range are dominated by alpine tundra, rocky slopes, and high snow-capped peaks. This region is known for its large population of introduced Mountain Goats, which led Alutiiq hunters to name the region after them.

Subregion 1: Qateriuk Mountain
This is the highest peak in the preserve and one of the highest mountains on Kodiak Island. It holds a special place in the hearts of the local Alutiiq community, who have used it as a navigational landmark for many generations. Its slopes are home to numerous Rock Ptarmigan, which is where the mountain originally got its name. The mountain’s snow-capped peak has a pyramid shape, making it easy to identify from a distance. The surrounding area has a few small glaciers on the nearby peaks, which are remnants of the large ice sheet that covered most of the Kodiak Archipelago during the Last Ice Age. Further down the slopes on either side, several moraines and glacier-carved ponds can be found on the open tundra, showing the effects that glaciation has had on the landscape in the past.

Subregion 2: Aniuq Ridge
A high ridge that extends north from Qateriuk Mountain, this area has a harsher environment than the warmer lowlands on either side of it. The highest part of the ridge is covered by snow year-round, which is where it got its original name from. Further north, the elevation of the ridge slowly tapers off until it reaches the end of the peninsula, where it transitions into the surrounding shoreline. The landscape along the sides of the ridge are covered in both rocky scree slopes and open tundra, which makes this a good area to stalk Mountain Goats. This ridge is hard to cross because of its rough rocky terrain and harsh conditions, meaning that it’s easier to go around it along the northern end of the peninsula where the terrain isn’t as steep. The rugged nature of the ridge makes it a good natural barrier between the eastern lowlands of the preserve and the grasslands to the west.

Region Overview: Tuntuq Highlands
This smaller region lies primarily on the mountain slopes and hillsides overlooking the eastern lowlands of the preserve in Alutiiq Shores. Here, the temperate rainforest slowly transitions into alpine tundra as the elevation increases. With this change in scenery, the wildlife also changes, with lowland species like Sitka Blacktail Deer and Willow Ptarmigan gradually being replaced by tundra species like the Reindeer and high-elevation species like the Mountain Goat. This small region has a lot of animals in it, but its rough terrain and transitional biome can make it challenging to hunt in.

Subregion 1: Kuskaanaq Plateau
This plateau is a flat open highland area that lies directly south of Sitka Deer Bay. As the plateau slowly rises higher and higher, the forests slowly thin out, before reaching the treeline where they are completely replaced by open tundra. The areas that do have patches of forest are great habitat for the Snowshoe Hare, which relies on stands of trees for cover to evade predators. Alutiiq hunters have had great luck hunting these hares here. By flushing the hares out of cover, they are able to easily shoot them out in the open, taking them with both rifles and shotguns for both their meat and fur. As a result, this whole plateau was named for the Snowshoe Hare, despite the fact that they aren’t very common at its highest parts that are above the timberline. These higher areas covered in alpine tundra are better for hunting a very different animal: the Reindeer, which populated this part of the preserve from a river drainage further south.

Subregion 2: Elderberry Hills
As these hills rise higher and higher above the coastal lowlands, the Sitka Spruce forests open up, making room for various shrubs such as Elderberry and Salmonberry in the clearings. These openings in the forest are often a relief to hunters who have grown tired of the more dense forests near the coast. However, while these more open forests make it easier to spot prey, it also makes it that much easier for prey animals to spot their pursuers. As one goes further into these hills, it becomes apparent that these aren’t just hills - they are the foothills of a larger mountain range further inland. Most of this mountain range is outside the preserve, but the first few tall peaks can be seen from this area, making for stunning vistas. The most adventurous hunters might venture up above the treeline, where they will be rewarded with incredible views of the entire eastern half of the preserve.

and with that, every region and subregion of this map has been described in full detail with images to help show you what I imagine they would look like. Of course, it hopefully goes without saying, but none of these photos are my own, and I don't claim any of them. They are ones that I found online, and they all belong to their rightful owners.

[wintry bramble]

Bumping this cause the idea is great!

[glass orchid]

with the new map being in Alberta, I think a Kodiak Island map is still possible because we still don't have a second map with Roosevelt Elk and the game still doesn't have Sitka Blacktail Deer.

[hard stratus]

Could represent the rainforests and more sea ducks

[glass orchid]

yep, the coastal areas are a lot different from areas that are further inland

[glass orchid]

still hoping to get this map someday 🤞

[west hatch]

EW Please give us the Grizzly rework we were looking for with AR... And create a Kodiak Island reserve DLC to pay for the effort ....

You can increase the weight of the Kodiak bears and even increase the diamond potential for this map only .... That should satisfy the purists who really want to see massive bears on this map....

The Yukon Grizzlies and any future Grizzly maps would have slightly smaller size and less probability of scoring dimes ....

[toxic orchid]

Kodiak reserve releases: Mom asks where you're going: "I'm gonna grind some Kod." "I told you to stay off of that Call of Duty game!" "But mom - they're just reserve missions, It's not like a duty - and it's Call of th-" "Son! No!" "But there's a new map! And a new weapo-" "You disappoint me son! No KOD for you!"

[glass orchid]

this could potentially be the second map with the North American Beaver, if EW chooses to do a second map with beavers (hopefully they will)

[glass orchid]

I decided to change the Reindeer to "Feral Reindeer" because that's what the Reindeer on Kodiak Island are.

[glass orchid]

bumping this back up

[rose hill]

HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS THREAD

[rose hill]

Would there be Stone sheep or are those only on the mainland

[rose hill]

nevermind

[glass orchid]

as far as I know Stone Sheep only live in Canada. However, on a related note, there was apparently an attempt to introduce Dall Sheep onto Kodiak Island in the 1960s, but the introduction failed and the sheep eventually died out.

It was probably because the climate of Kodiak Island wasn't right for them, they usually live in drier mountainous areas further inland while Kodiak Island is mostly coastal and gets a lot of precipitation throughout the year (if you watch any videos of hunting in the Kodiak Archipelago, it's often raining for at least part of the hunt). That also explains why most of the animals that have been successfully introduced to the Kodiak Archipelago are from coastal rainforest regions (like Roosevelt Elk, Sitka Deer, and to some extent Mountain Goat) because those species are the most well-adapted to the climate of the islands.

there was also an attempt to introduce Moose to Kodiak Island but that also failed. From what I've seen, the cause of the failed introduction is unclear, but the large density of bears (which are usually the main predator of moose calves on the mainland) is one possible explanation.

[rose hill]

we dont need anymore moose maps 😭 unless they do species disticntion, i mean they did it with elk so idk

[glass orchid]

yeah I agree, and honestly I'm kind of glad that Kodiak Island has no Moose, because I'm sure that this post would probably have more downvotes if I was asking for yet another moose map lol

[rose hill]

Made my own version of the map just for fun, if theres anything to add just lemme know

[glass orchid]

that looks really good, I really like the shading on it, and the big lake in the west has a really unique shape to it (or is that supposed to be a bay? I can't tell, sorry if I got that wrong).

I have just one question though: what are the scattered ponds in the northwest meant to represent? Is that supposed to be a swamp?

[rose hill]

a bay but it does look like a lake, the ponds are suppossed to be like a bog if sorts, if theres too many i can fix it easy peasy

[glass orchid]

I mean I personally would have made the bog area a little bit smaller, because while there are some bogs on Kodiak Island, there doesn't seem to be a lot of large ones. I also would have tried to include a larger river delta on the map because that would make for really good waterfowl habitat. Besides those minor things though, I think it's a good-looking map.

[rose hill]

well im busy right now but i can fix some stuff for sure!

[glass orchid]

that's fine, take your time! I appreciate you giving your take on what this map could look like.

[glass orchid]

This is the map that I originally made for this suggestion. I made a large separate island for the Roosevelt Elk to live on (which is based on Raspberry Island), but I can see why EW might not want to split up the map like that.

[rose hill]

New map, with some more fall colors and rivers

[glass orchid]

very nice, I like how the different rivers are connected. Those colors also seem a bit more appropriate to me. Nicely done!

[west hatch]

Would like this Map for remodeled Black Tail and Grizzlies .....

[glass orchid]

a map like this would be a dream come true. A second Alaska map with Kodiak Bears, Sitka Deer, and a variety of new waterfowl species, plus potential reworks for Roosevelt Elk and Plains Bison, and another map for hunting the now-improved Mountain Goats. I think there's a lot of potential here for a great map.

[west hatch]

Not much difference in Sitka and columbian Black tail except size ... Sitka's would be slightly smaller ....

Same with Kodiak's and mainland Grizzlies .... Do a Grizzly rework and make the Kodiak's larger .....

[quasi furnace]

I ain’t hunting mountain goats on a third map unless they get new fur variations

[glass orchid]

what new fur variations would you want to see for them?

[quasi furnace]

I don’t really know which ones exist tbh, i don’t want it to be another brown bears situation where you get all the rares super easy. But could be any rares as long as there are more than the ones that exist, most animals have like 4-5 rares nowadays

[glass orchid]

There could be a random event where you can see Humpback Whales breaching the surface out in the ocean, specifically in this area of the map. Obviously whale hunting will (most likely) never be added to the game, but being able to see them in the distance as a sort of ambient animal would be a cool addition for the sake of realism and immersion.

if we get this reserve, I'd love to get a new trophy lodge that is a big hunting lodge in coastal Alaska. Could reuse some of the plants, trees, rocks etc. from this map for background scenery, and maybe the lodge could have some terra mounts #1241417134832222319 so we can finally have some rocky diorama mounts for stuff like the Mountain Goats. I think this map would be a great one to introduce alongside a new trophy lodge (or add a new trophy lodge a few months after the map). Here's another post that covers an Alaskan-themed trophy lodge:
#1318956409878089748

[quasi furnace]

Yeah true it can’t be harder to add than the air balloons on Emerald Coast or the aurora borealis

[glass orchid]

yeah that's what I was thinking too

[quasi furnace]

This had nothing to do with that but i just want to say you make good suggestions on here, everything you post so far i’d really like to see

[glass orchid]

This new version of this map that I made has outposts (white dots with their names next to them) and also has the fast travel points to allow players to travel between the islands and the mainland of the map. The fast travel locations are shown as the dotted lines that cross the water, which would have boat docks on either end of them. Also King Crab Harbor is supposed to be the starting outpost.

[glass orchid]

Also, the Alder Overlook, Raven Hills, and Cuawak Ridge outposts would all have a lookout tower at them as well, making them double as both an outpost and a lookout point

[quasi furnace]

Would this map be mostly like a green wetland sort of?

[glass orchid]

no, it's a coastal forest region with some mountains and grasslands in certain areas. The dark green areas of the map are temperate rainforest, the lighter green areas are mountainous forest, and the yellow-green area in the southwest is grasslands. The brown areas are alpine tundra and the gray areas are the mountain slopes going up to the snow-capped peaks.

[quasi furnace]

ooh i forgot about those temperate rainforests, they are so calming and beautiful

[rose hill]

I think some like this or like grayer ones could be cool

[quasi furnace]

Yeah those look cool, not much in difference except the black spotted one but i looked some up myself. Seems like the mountain goat don’t get a lot of fur variations

[rose hill]

No, mostly white, gray or beige colored, but I do think they could make them even fluffier for alberta, and a summer coat for srp

[quasi furnace]

Cotw in general lacks environmental changes on animal, Askiy Ridge was first with the snow on the animals

[glass orchid]

those look nice, I'd love to see those as new fur types coming with this map

[glass orchid]

Here's a map of all the lookout points on this map. Most would just be natural high points on hills that offer a view of the surrounding areas.

[toxic orchid]

I don’t know if this has already been talked about, but in Way of the Hunter, Aurora Shores there is a SE island which I always thought represented a Kodak island aspect, not to say I think it is Kodiak island itself, but a representation of some sort. Did you ever refer to that for any research you did on this Kodiak Wilderness?

[glass orchid]

I did use WOTH a little bit for some inspiration, but most of this map concept is just based on the Kodiak Archipelago itself. I actually didn't have WOTH yet when I first made this map concept so I wasn't really able to play around with that at all. That being said, having played it now there's definitely some similarities between the map concept I came up with and the rainforest island on Aurora Shores in WOTH, but most of those similarities are coincidental.

[glass orchid]

I'm going to repost the full animal roster for this map

Returning species to be reworked:
Roosevelt Elk
Plains Bison
Harlequin Duck

Other returning species:
Mountain Goat
Red Fox
North American Beaver
Rock Ptarmigan
Willow Ptarmigan
Mallard

New Big Game Animals:
Kodiak Bear (Class 9)
Feral Reindeer (Class 6)
Sitka Blacktail Deer (Class 4)

Snowshoe Hare (Class 1)

Bufflehead (Class 1)

Barrow's Goldeneye, Surf Scoter and Long-Tailed Duck (Class 1)

Common Merganser, Common Eider and American Wigeon (Class 1)

Greater Scaup (Class 1)

Emperor Goose (Class 1)

[unborn kernel]

Emperor Geese are the coolest looking Geese or even Waterfowl species of all time imo

[wispy silo]

It would be Sandhill Crane for me. I would love to hunt them in game. I belive they can be hunted on Kodiak as well if im not mistaken

[unborn kernel]

I've seen and heard alot about them they're very cool especially whilst in flight

[glass orchid]

I think this map would be a waterfowl hunter's paradise, and it would have something to offer for big game hunters too, sort of like Revontuli Coast. If we could only get one new North American map that isn't a Texas game ranch, this would be my pick.

[west hatch]

I cant really get excited about a Texas game ranch .... The appeal of HCOTW is traveling to authentic locations to hunt Exotic animals ...

Maybe as a final map before moving on to COTW 2.0 they can release a high fence map with Animals they wanted to add but weren't able to ....

However Kodiak Island is definitely a place I've always wanted to visit and hunt ....

[glass orchid]

that's fair honestly, I mainly just mentioned a Texas game ranch because that's been a (relatively) popular map idea and there's some consensus among the community that a Texas map will be the last North American map that we still need. I agree with you though, I'd prefer more authentic hunting locations to hunt exotic animals in this game.

[unborn kernel]

As JJ pointed out I can't really get behind a Texas map hunting there feels abit ingenuine like other locations. Not saying there aren't genuine oppurtunities but Texas has been popularized with its exotic game. If you gave me permission to do so I could post the ideas I had made on Texas but this is your thread and I don't want to intrude.

[glass orchid]

you can post a link to your own map idea in here if you already made a separate thread for it.

[unborn kernel]

Thank you 🫡 https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1218475309779779604
This is it I made it into two versions which looking back on it now might not be as obvious as I had hoped 😄

[quasi furnace]

I also agree with this, we want genuine maps and locations, sure you can have Texas, but not a ranch. It’s kinda like going hunting farm animals, and they aren’t in their natural habitat which is kinda the most important thing: The location needs to have the animals native to that location to make it a real hunting experience.

[neat cloud]

In general, yes. But I would definitely want Aoudad on a Texas map. Just would prefer some mountains to hunt them in and not an exclusively flat map.

[quasi furnace]

I wouldn’t but that’s just where our opinions differ yk

[west hatch]

There are at least 3 or 4 more NA maps I would really like to see .... British Columbia because we need another blacktail map and remodel ....

Kodiak Island because we need a grizzly remodel and I just see the Kodiak's as being a larger and maybe more aggressive version of an inland Grizzly but the furs are basically the same ....

We need an Arctic map with Polar bears ..... and possibly a map based in Montana ....

[quasi furnace]

Ok would like to ask about what Montana would be like but we’re supposed to keep these threads on topic

[glass orchid]

Montana really isn't necessary now that we have Askiy Ridge, which has pretty similar biomes and landscapes, Alberta literally is directly north of Montana so it's just a bit colder really.

Also afaik Kodiak Bears aren't more aggressive than inland Grizzlies, at least I've never seen anything that would indicate higher aggression among Kodiaks.

if you want a more aggressive bear in the game, then they should really just make the existing Grizzlies and Eurasian Brown Bears more aggressive. And if we want hyper-aggressive bears then you're really only going to get that with Polar Bears on an Arctic map, maybe a little bit with Sloth Bears too if they got added to Sundarpatan.

[west hatch]

@glass orchid And if we want hyper-aggressive bears then you're really only going to get that with Polar Bears on an Arctic map,

The thought of hunting in white out conditions among very aggressive bears that blend into the landscape is a terrifying proposition .... Even more so if we had some more extreme penalties to simulate wounds and wild animal attacks ... https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1102890289774997574

[quasi furnace]

Bears do get aggressive if you surprise them, but just like real life, that doesn’t happen often because they usually smell you way before you can get close. Aggressive bears would be cool, but realism is cooler

[glass orchid]

here's another picture to show what the coastline of this map could look like

[quasi furnace]

Great duck hunting there

[glass orchid]

definitely, especially for sea ducks

[glass orchid]

I still think that this would be an amazing map. Here's some more examples of what the terrain on this map could be like

[hoary dune]

Maybe also Coyote too?!

[glass orchid]

they don't live on Kodiak Island or any of the adjacent islands

[toxic orchid]

I’m making my brother label Kodiak is. On his states and capital homework

[toxic slate]

Could we have Sea otters? They are hunted for cultural purposes

[spare lynx]

Thats more Southeastern Alaska from what I understand

[glass orchid]

yeah afaik that's more of a Southeastern Alaska thing