Hunting Alaska as a Resident?

[kad11]

What is it like hunting Alaska as a resident (let's say you live in/ near Anchorage) in terms of cost and time?

From what I understand, sheep and goat hunting is pretty expensive and probably a week or more time commitment. Are there areas that guys drive to and then hike in to hunt sheep? Or is everything pretty much fly in?

Is it common for residents to take a weekend to go hunt moose or caribou? What about black/ brown/ grizzly bear? Deer?

Is there such a thing as day hunting or quick overnighters in Alaska?




As background, I'm working on a graduate degree in environmental engineering (taught HS math and science before that) and will be starting the job search in less than a year. I moved to MT six years ago and quickly became addicted to western big game hunting. As a teacher I was limited to hunting Saturdays and could usually squeak in three to four "day hunts" per month from Sept - Nov. A typical day of elk hunting for me involved hitting the trailhead 2-4 hrs before first light in order to be 5-8 miles in. I would hunt all day and then hike out at the end of shooting light. This style of hunting worked fairly well for me and is the only type/ duration I've ever been exposed to. With the impending career change I'm excited to explore some new country and moving to Alaska (with my wife and young daughter) is one of the considerations; staying in MT or looking for work in WY or ID are also on our short list.

I'm just looking for descriptions of the types of hunting that are available so that I can develop realistic perspectives/ expectations; I would be eager to soak up as many opportunities as possible, but I would also be balancing hunting with spending time with my young and growing family as well as a non-seasonal job.

Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide!

 

[hodgeman]

Hunting varies greatly for residents depending on where you live.

When I lived in Anchorage, I typically took weekend trips with a lower success rate, traveling 4-5 hours to simply get to and from a hunting area takes its toll in terms of time and cost. If I could have swung the cost back then- an air or boat charter would have been the way to go. Remember that AK game densities are actually pretty low so you might need to look and glass a bit longer than in other places with higher densities.

Now that I live quasi- remote, I hunt lots of weekends and even do frequent day trips in the manner you describe. I've taken a number of caribou on basic day hunts and most of my trips are weekend hunts with a fairly high success rate. I hunt/fish/trap about 60-80 days a year, more or less year round. One thing to remember is that out season starts in August and "shooting light" might be something like 20 hours out of the day.

If you locate in a population center- hunting opportunities are more limited and you can expect to travel further. Fairbanks is somewhat better than Anchorage in that regard but most Banks folks still have to travel to some degree.

Living outside of population centers will have more hunting opportunity but lots of other factors can be a hassle.

 

[Yellowknife]

What is it like hunting Alaska as a resident (let's say you live in/ near Anchorage) in terms of cost and time?

Speaking for myself, I usually do a couple 5-7 day trips per year, plus 1-2 day or weekend hunting trips. I'm based out of Fairbanks, so the day trips are easier than they might be for Anchorage. Caribou and to a lessor degree moose are relatively easy for me to get with a short trip. Goat, sheep, brown bear, blacktail and larger bull moose have required more travel.

As a side note though, make sure you have any job prospects pretty well nailed down before you commit to Alaska. We are firmly in a recession right now, and technical careers are certainly feeling it.

 

[Dameon]

I lived in Fairbanks as a kid in the early 90s when my dad was stationed at Eielson AFB. We day hunted for moose near or on the base every weekend all season. We would drive outside of Fairbanks to hunt black bears and we would fish for trout, grayling, and salmon as often as we could during the summers. Our typical summer vacation entailed a week at the Gulkana River to fish for kings, a day or two at Chitna (Copper River Gorge) to dip net for kings, and a week to fish for pinks and cod in Valdez. We also liked to stop at Lake Paxton to fish for lake trout and take a tour through Denali on the way down. We got PCS'ed to North Carolina right before my Dad was to sign a contract on a new home in Salcha outside of the base with 15 acres. We tried for years to move back to Alaska right up to the time I left for college. The problem was always finding a civilian job up there. It was always my dream to move back, but I doubt there are many opportunities for bioinformatics and genetic research up there. If you are able to find a good job and move up there permanently, I am truly jealous.


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[kad11]

Thanks for all the input so far; I really appreciate it.

 

[Bmcox86]

If you have access to a boat, you could do weekends for bear/deer/goat easily.


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[SLDMTN]

In 2016, my moose, grizzly, black bear and caribou were all day hunts on the weekend or evenings. It took several trips to fill each of those tags but weekend hunts can be successful if you've put in the time to learn areas.

On the flip side, I spent 7 days straight and another 3 day weekend looking for sheep and struck out. There is plenty of competition in road access areas and most have low density.

There are draw tags close to Anchorage that are definitely night and weekend huntable.

 

[duchntr]

I weekend hunt for spring and fall bears in southcentral as well as a yearly meat run denali hwy caribou. Longer 5-10day trips for sheep and goat. Nearest deer are avail in PWS but you need an ocean boat to get to them. Yes you can kill a sheep and goats from the road you just have to want it and have realistic expectations.

 

[kodiakfly]

Ever watch Alaska State Troopers? You know the guy with no shirt driving a four wheeler down the middle of the road smoking a cigarette?...that's your hunting competition within 60 minutes of town and less than 1500' up/out from the road. Then you've got the legit hunters who aren't interested in working too hard. They're your next level of competition. If you want to get out and experience the Alaska everyone thinks about, it's a boat or plane ride or a significant hike. So hunting in AK isn't just walking out your backdoor and shooting a bear. The other thing is money and it's been mentioned before, but it's just as expensive for us to hunt as it is a non-res, aside from getting via Delta to Anchorage and then guide fees depending on species. Point is, it still costs me $2500 to fly onto the island I already live on to go goat hunting away from people.

That said, yes, you can hunt deer on day hunts, understanding people will be out with you. Goats and bear hunts can be had in a day as well in the right places, but also...people.

 

[kad11]

Thanks for all the help everyone. How long do you have to be an AK resident before you can buy hunting/ fishing license at resident rates? I looked on the AK F&G website but couldn't find it... I know I had to wait 6 months for MT.

I spent one summer during college working on a gill-netter for sockeye, but was on the water 90% of my time in AK. I've been dreaming about going back ever since.

 

[Boreal]

Thanks for all the help everyone. How long do you have to be an AK resident before you can buy hunting/ fishing license at resident rates? I looked on the AK F&G website but couldn't find it... I know I had to wait 6 months for MT.

12 months for resident license.

 

[Nick Muche]

Moving to Alaska was the single greatest thing I have ever done in terms of bettering my quality of life and being in a place that I can do so many things it's not even funny. Other places in L48 are great, but Alaska is still better.

From Fairbanks, I find that I can hunt pretty much everything you'd want to, by driving and hiking. Some species, as Yellowknife eluded to, will require more time or a flight, but you can do plenty without the flight. Time...well, you will want time but I still am able to have meager success from the road system on weekends and if you want it bad enough you'll find a way.

Further you get from town, the better.

Some may not agree with me but I find the hunting in Alaska to be easier than anywhere else I have hunted. If you work hard at it, research properly and plan correctly, you'll likely have an opportunity at success.

Best of luck.

 

[Ray]

As already noted, living here and hunting is what you make of it. If you bow hunt and obtain certification then more in town opportunities open up to you. Special seasons and locations for moose mostly.

The thing to keep in mind about AK is that its more than 1/3 of the land area of the L48 and has fewer miles of road than Rhode Island. AK is a biological desert. The largest biomass is vegetation, then insects, then probably birds. Edible four legged critters are a drop in the bucket. The bucket is twice the size of TX making that drop hard to find. Also keep in mind that if you live anywhere near Cook Inlet, you are on two roads with half the population of the state. There will be people. Lots of people.

Now to that graduate degree, what is your plan for that? You looking to get into the cleanup and investigation business? Or are you wanting to push paperwork? I'm in the cleanup industry, and can provide some insight on what it going on up here.

 

[Ray]

Thanks for all the help everyone. How long do you have to be an AK resident before you can buy hunting/ fishing license at resident rates? I looked on the AK F&G website but couldn't find it... I know I had to wait 6 months for MT.

There is the website and then there are the PDF regulations on that website. Download the entire regulation book and read every page.

 

[ben h]

I've never hunted Alaska, but I did build a cabin for a client on the South end of Bristol bay in 2006 and on our flight trips in from King Salmon, I really was surprised how sparse the game actually was. The area was HUGE, but it wasn't like there was stuff all over the place, like I had imagined. I can see how, you'd really have to work at it, to be successful or even have an opportunity. Fishing during the runs, is super easy to be successful; even I can do it. Good luck in your Environmental field and if you guys need any Civil Engineers, shoot me a PM.

 

[kad11]

Thanks Boreal for the residency answer.

Ray, my research for my thesis deals with using chemical solutions that are capable of forming a "natural cement" to seal leaky wellbores... that's the hope at least. I'm also interested in remediation although I haven't taken any classes on that yet. I've enjoyed my classes on water and ww treatment. I would prefer to stay away from a lot of permitting work, but am willing to do what I need to do to support my family. Also, thanks for the heads up on the PDF.

 

[kad11]

I'm hoping to revive this thread with a few new questions.

I think my wife and I are going to fly up to Anchorage and spend about a week exploring/ hunting for job opportunities/ deciding whether AK would be a good fit for us. We are looking at coming up the second half of August and would love to get some suggestions for hiking and wildlife viewing. I'd appreciate any advice on Kenai Fjords NP, Denali, Wrangells-St. Elias, etc. Should we expect pretty rainy conditions this time of year?

I'll be contacting several environmental/ civil engineering firms beforehand and hopefully getting to meet with some folks in person during our trip. Has the state's recession shown any signs of letting up? Has oil activity increased in response to the new administration?

What does the future of resident sheep hunting look like in AK? I've read a fair amount and it sounds like there are very few people happy with the current situation, but it doesn't sound like there is a clear or widely-supported solution moving forward.

Thanks for any advice you might be able to provide!

 

[archer wapiti]

What does the future of resident sheep hunting look like in AK? I've read a fair amount and it sounds like there are very few people happy with the current situation, but it doesn't sound like there is a clear or widely-supported solution moving forward.

You really going to make a decision on where you live on the prospect of sheep hunting in an area where regardless of the situation you'll have the best opportunity to hunt native wild sheep in the U.S?

It seems like you're excited about moving up there. If you can find a job, and you wife's willing, do it. I lived up there three years in Fairbanks. Loved it and regretted moving. I never hunted there - didn't have the equipment when i was a student, but dipnetting at Chitina for reds was a summer ritual. Living up there's not for everybody, and can put a serious strain on relationships if one spouse loves it and the other one just wants to leave. There's generally no middle ground on that in my observations of people up there. People generally don't hang around and stick it out because even though it's not right, it's not that bad. Constantly changing day length, long dark winters, and ferocious mosquitoes get to some people.

I don't see from your post that you've lived up there before. Don't go in August, go in November - January. See how you like it then. It's not the cold that gets most people, it's the lack of light. Learn to play hockey if you don't already, and learn to Nordic ski if you don't already.

 

[Boreal]

August in Anchorage can be beautiful, and it can be depressing. We sometimes get a rain spell that will sit for weeks. Few years ago we had 63 consecutive days of rain, that was tough. But let's hope for beautiful. Once you're in Anchorage, it's easy to get to Alaska. Lots of hiking around the bowl, and easy to get to some truly spectacular landscapes in a few hour drive. Denali, Wrangells, etc. are farther but always worth it. Fall colors on the tundra are spectacular. August is sheep season, and Alaska is one of the few places with general season sheep hunts. You'll work and pay to get there, but you can go. In a previous life, I worked for an ecol consulting firm. PM if you want more details.


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[VernAK]

And please don't judge Alaska by what you see in Anchorage.