New member, moving to Alaska!

[Wapiti151]

Hi all,

New member here, after reading posts for what seems like forever I figured I would finally join.

We are moving to Anchorage next year and will probably be in Alaska for 4-ish years. Don’t know anyone there and looking to get some advice and hopefully make some connection! For my first hunting season I want to focus on Blacktail and Caribou.

Looking for some advice for DIY Blacktail And Caribou hunts. Thinking unit 6 for Blacktail, but any good hunting there around Whittier where I don’t need a boat or a plane?

Thanks for any input on deer or caribou! Want to start planning early. Won’t be there for many seasons, so want to make them all count! Will wait on moose and sheep until I am a resident.


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[Marbles]

Welcome. Anchorage is a great city, 30 minutes from Alaska. I'll PM you with hunting information, I don't have a ton, but enough to get you stared better than me. Drawing applications are open now until December 15th, so apply for some hunts. If I remember correctly sheep, goat, and brown bear require guids for nonresidents, but everything else you can do on your own.

Are you military?
When will you get up here next year?

Not the advice you are looking for, but I'll share anyway.

Make sure to check crime maps before renting a place. One or two streats over can make a big difference.

Studded (due to the ice) winter tires are worth the investment. Personally I really like Nokian tires. You can probably pick them up cheaper in the lower 48 than up here, assuming moving them with your household goods will not be a problem.

I highly recommend driving up through Canada if you have the time.

 

[Wapiti151]

Thanks for the reply! Oh wow, learned a lot already. I am not used to drawing apps already being open for next year! I will have to dive in.

I am not Military, work mostly remote for a big non profit. My wife is in a CRNA doctorate program and she has her clinical residency at the Native Hospital there in Anchorage. We have a move to Texas (she is getting her degree from TCU) in between now and AK. With that being said, we will be moving in July and will in fact be driving up through Canada as we have two dogs. Her residency is 16 months but we are looking to most likely buy a place and stay for at least two years after she graduates. Looking at Eagle River pretty hard right now, I am not a city guy and don’t really want to live right in town.
Thanks again for the info! Didn’t think about snow tires, I am running Michelin ATs right now, may have to look into that more.

 

[Marbles]

Alaska Drawing Hunt Information, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Home Page, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Official Home Page for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Welcome to the ADF&G Store - State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game Online Store

www.adfg.alaska.gov

You will need an AK hunting license to apply for hunts, but you can purchase one for next year right now, so no money will be wasted.

At the end of the draw hunt supplement it gives you the odds from the previous application period for each hunt.

I run snow rated AT tires (Goodyear Duratrac) in the summer, they don't really compare to a dedicated winter tire. Same holds true for the snow rated all season tires (Continental Pure Contacts) on the car.

Eagle River is nice. Anchorage does not reall feel like a big city because of how spread out it is. I live on the edge of it and have moose and bear walk through my yard. A quater mile walk puts me in the woods. The commute from outside of Anchorage can suck as there is only one road, so if it gets shut down due to a crash all you can do is wait. That said, housing gets cheaper as you get out of the Anchorage Bowl.

 

[Wapiti151]

Great, will start applying!
Yeah that was the biggest factor for us, the prices on homes really seem go up drastically in Anchorage. Am worried about the commute though, in that she will most likely be going in early in the mornings for surgeries.
We were looking up towards the north side of town originally, by a big Northern Park if I remember right? It was close to the hospital, but wasn’t sure about the area...then Eagle river caught our eye.

 

[Wapack]

I’m a new member here myself after lurking on here for years I finally got an account. I live in Homer AK. +1 on the studded snows comment. I think with a small game license (non resident 60ish) you can qualify to apply for tags and save a little cash on the regular hunting license.

 

[JohnnyR]

I go back and forth about studded tires. Have used them for years on SUV's and trucks.
They are the best on ice and really hard pack snow, but on our 2500HD we're now running dedicated snow tires and it's worked out fine the past two seasons.
General opinion is that snow tires have improved a lot in recent years and studded tires aren't as essential as they used to be.
Lots of ice driving? I'd still want studs.
Don't Put Studs on Your Tires This Winter | Outside Online

 

[Buck197]

Im jealous, care to adopt me and carry me huntin in Alaska, if you hunt alot I may even call you dad!! Welcome. Amazing group of golks here.

 

[Wapack]

I go back and forth about studded tires. Have used them for years on SUV's and trucks.
They are the best on ice and really hard pack snow, but on our 2500HD we're now running dedicated snow tires and it's worked out fine the past two seasons.
General opinion is that snow tires have improved a lot in recent years and studded tires aren't as essential as they used to be.
Lots of ice driving? I'd still want studs.
Don't Put Studs on Your Tires This Winter | Outside Online

We’re I’m at road maintenance is not near the same as where I lived in the lower 48. I live in Homer lots of ice haha. I agree if it weren’t for that there is not an advantage.

 

[GLB]

Blacktail deer look at Zacker Bay Kodiak, one of my favorite places to go.

 

[Weavergm]

Are you PCSing to JBER?

 

[Kaleb W]

Blacktail deer look at Zacker Bay Kodiak, one of my favorite places to go.

Any reason(s) in particular why you recommend zachar bay for deer? I've hunted that bay in recent years as well as other parts of the island and have a drastically different opinion.

Kaleb

 

[skierhs]

Alaska Drawing Hunt Information, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Home Page, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Official Home Page for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Welcome to the ADF&G Store - State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game Online Store

www.adfg.alaska.gov

You will need an AK hunting license to apply for hunts, but you can purchase one for next year right now, so no money will be wasted.

At the end of the draw hunt supplement it gives you the odds from the previous application period for each hunt.

I run snow rated AT tires (Goodyear Duratrac) in the summer, they don't really compare to a dedicated winter tire. Same holds true for the snow rated all season tires (Continental Pure Contacts) on the car.

Eagle River is nice. Anchorage does not reall feel like a big city because of how spread out it is. I live on the edge of it and have moose and bear walk through my yard. A quater mile walk puts me in the woods. The commute from outside of Anchorage can suck as there is only one road, so if it gets shut down due to a crash all you can do is wait. That said, housing gets cheaper as you get out of the Anchorage Bowl.

Is there anywhere else to look up previous draw odds for hunts? I aam also looking at moving up to anchorage, from Montana once I take the Bar, and have been diving into hunt options etc. but cant seem to find any draw offs wherever I look.

 

[Htm84]

I’m not aware of a specific place that list odds for the same tag year to year, but if you look up the Alaska draw supplement the odds are listed on the last page. You have to look up each supplement year to year.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/web/nocache/license/huntlicense/pdfs/2019-2020_draw_supplement.pdf2849D3191DDC7BE063302C101A2389C0/2019-2020_draw_supplement.pdf

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/web/nocache/license/huntlicense/pdfs/2018-2019_draw_supplement.pdfFF247E2ABD58108CBDFBF705465E9CF0/2018-2019_draw_supplement.pdf

Is there anywhere else to look up previous draw odds for hunts? I aam also looking at moving up to anchorage, from Montana once I take the Bar, and have been diving into hunt options etc. but cant seem to find any draw offs wherever I look.

 

[Marbles]

Is there anywhere else to look up previous draw odds for hunts? I aam also looking at moving up to anchorage, from Montana once I take the Bar, and have been diving into hunt options etc. but cant seem to find any draw offs wherever I look.

What @Htm84 said.

This is the last page of the 2021-2022 supplement. It gives you the hunt number, followed by the number of applications, then the number of available permits, then the odds based off of those two. The data is for the previous year (so in this case the 2020-2021 regulatory year that ends June of 2021 (in AK a regulatory year runs June to June, which is why the supplement title covers 2 years).

 

[skierhs]

Thanks. Somehow I never came across that.

 

[GLB]

Any reason(s) in particular why you recommend zachar bay for deer? I've hunted that bay in recent years as well as other parts of the island and have a drastically different opinion.

Kaleb

I have hunted in Zachar bay 3 times and have always had a good hunt. We would always kill 2 deer apiece if not tag out. Last time I went about 4 years ago 4 of us brought 8 deer back. We would always work our way up high hunting the bigger bucks.