# Hunting Alaska



## BassHunter25 (Feb 19, 2013)

My Dad has always wanted to go to Alaska on a hunting/fishing trip.  He has decided he wants to try to plan one.  He was wanting to hunt Moose, but what else is there to hunt there?  He is not crazy about shooting a bear.  

Anyone have any inside info.  What kind of cost is he looking at? 

Thanks.


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## huntfish (Feb 19, 2013)

Your dad is looking $10,000+ for Alaska moose.   Other animals - Wolf, Caribou, Mt. Goat, Dall Sheep.


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## tnbrute (Feb 19, 2013)

And forget about a DIY hunt. Out of state hunters are required to have a guide.


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## ttwodog (Feb 19, 2013)

Talk to Jerry Russell with Russell outdoor guides he has hunted Alaska several times and would be a great resource.


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## Gadestroyer74 (Feb 19, 2013)

you might wana have a nice pocket book and be prepared to ruff it and walk


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## holton27596 (Feb 20, 2013)

im heading up in 7 years when i retire, and im setting aside 30,000 for the hunt/fish. moose and bear. that ought to give you an idea of the cost. been looking at this for a while and it will be the one and only chance i get.


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## BassHunter25 (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks

This is something he has always wanted to do.  Two things that I don't think he will be expecting is the cost and how much walking he will have to do to hunt any of those species.  From what I have seen hunting Bear along the river would be the least strenous.

The worst thing about the cost is that I am sure he doesn't wanna go by himself and I can't afford it.  So, he would have to pay for me if he wanted me to go...............  That makes it pretty expensive.


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## bullsprig1100 (Feb 20, 2013)

Non-residents are only required to get a guide for certain species such as Brown Bear, Dall Sheep and goats. You can still do a moose, caribou, black bear, deer hunt without a guide as a non-resident. See attachment:  http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.guidereqs

$10,000 is a good starting point, even if you decide to go on a DIY expedition. Price goes up from there. There are several outfiters that do these types of drop offs, but you better do your homework first or risk having an expensive rafting trip.


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## Jasper (Feb 20, 2013)

Lots of books and info out there including Dennis Confer's "Hunt Alaska Now". Do LOTS of research, make LOTS of calls, talk to as many people as you can who have experience. Alaska is an incredible opportunity; be prepared and make the most of it. Good luck!


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## IFLY4U (Feb 20, 2013)

I would recommend that you all try a caribou hunt first. Hunting moose is one thing, but packing a moose out is a whole different story. Alaska has a "Wanton Waste" law that the hunter must harvest ALL edible meat from a game animal. Alaska law enforcement interprets that law as in no more than a quart freezer bag of meat remaining on the carcass. They do take it very serious and will not hesitate to flying back to a kill sight and examining the carcass. That is not to discourage you from hunting Alaska, but hundreds of hunters are cited each year for wanton waste, with a great percentage of them being non-residents. Many folks don't realize that killing a 1600 pound moose a mile from camp or the boat includes many trips to bring out a 1000 plus pounds of meat. After harvesting a moose, what do you do with the meat? Transporting that much meat from a remote location back to Anchorage or Fairbanks may cost a fortune and transporting it from Alaska back to Georgia WILL cost a fortune. 

With all of that being said, I love hunting Alaska. I have been fortunate to hunt black bear, sheep, goat, moose, caribou, and brown bear. I have hunted it 4 times in the past 9 years as a non-resident for caribou and black bear. Three men can pack out the meat, antlers and cape of a caribou in a single trip. We  were flown in on a float plane for all of our past four trips which means that we landed on lakes or rivers. We used Papa Bear Adventures to fly us out of Bethel in order to hunt the Mulchatna herd. We harvested caribou on every trip and the fishing was excellant for arctic char, lake trout, dolly varden, and if we were on a river, salmon. On our last trip, we only ate dehydrated meals one time in 8 days of hunting. The rest of the meals were of fish and caribou. We transported our meat back to Bethel where we donated it to a church with the exception of 50 pounds, which we froze in a wax box and checked it with our luggage on our flight home. All or our clothes and gear were mailed home from the local post office. 

Our planning started 6-8 months in advance and included researching a quality outfitter, mailing all of our gear ahead of time thru the post office, parcel post which may take up to 6 weeks to get there. We would fly into Anchorage and stay at the Lake Hood Inn. If we were flying out of Lake Hood for Black Bear, Bill, the owner, would let us ship all of our gear to him and he stored it in his garage for us. We always planned to spend a full day in Anchorage because several times, our luggage was delayed arriving until the following day. We purchased all of our food at Wal-Mart in Anchorage. A bottle of A-1 steak sauce in Bethel Alaska cost $12 the last time that I was there. Passengers were authorized 3 pieces of luggage for in state flights. We would fly from Anchorage to Bethel via Alaska Air and spend the night there at the lodge of Papa Bear. We flew our to our hunting areas the next day in a float plane. Our last hunt was at Heart Lake, 100 miles from Bethel. The game warden flew in and checked our license and how we were caring for our meat. He was flying a super cub from lake to lake to check all of the hunters in the area. The fishing was incredible and I had to rebuild the drag on my reel with pieces of a cardboard box after the third day of fishing. We killed three caribou, saw a lot of brown bear, and had a great time.

We hunted black bear one year and it was much cheaper but the fishing was bad. We flew into Anchorage and flew out of Lake Hood to Green Lake on the Kenai Pennisula next to Tustameana Glacier. The hunting was good, the terrain was horrible, and there were no fish in the lake.

For planning purpose, you can count on transporting 3 people and gear in  Beaver airplane. If you go as a group of 4 or more, you will have to pay for several trips in the plane which is the most expensive part of your hunt. In addition to te bush flight costs, teh chances of sucess of 4 or more hunters in one location greatly decrease. Gear has to be top notch. Your life depends on it. I was hunting brown bear in the Alaska Pennisula one time when a storm with 80 mph winds moved in for 2 days and shredded my tent. After that, I bought a $500 expedition tent that seemed like a true bargain. Now days, we stick with name brands like North Face and Sierra Designs for our gear. I still use and old custom Camp Trails external frame pack that was a special build for Barneys Sports Chalet 25 years ago. I have an entire packing list from wool socks to binoculars established that I would be happy to share if anyone needs it. I carry a 300WSM Savage on my hunts and a .22 pistol for small game. I have hunted with calibers from 
.308 to 375 H&H magnum without a second thought. I once shot three caribou in about 10 seconds with a 30-06 and all of them dropped in their tracks.

I know that I have stretched this thread out, but Alaska hunting is something that I really enjoy. If you decide to make the trip, feel free to contact me and I will help you anyway that I can.
Gary


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## jerry russell (Feb 20, 2013)

Take Jaspers advice and get the book "Hunt Alaska Now". I have self guided there over a dozen times and as long as you properly prepare yourself and have quality gear, you can get it done. Clothing and tents that will get you by in Georgia can get you in trouble up there. I count on encountering winds of 60 MPH and have endured 100 MPH (see bottom 2 pictures). Rain is a constant in many spots.

 A caribou hunt is a great first time hunt and a blacktail deer hunt is another. I will second IFLY4U on not hunting moose on a first hunt. The logistics and game recovery are more than most 1st timers can even begin to imagine.
Do your homework on the various air services as there are some that are just plane crooks. There are also some great ones that will help you a great deal with equipment and your questions.

I have never spent more than $4K on a DIY hunt there and have been successful every single time. With proper planning and sharing of air transport services it can be done even a bit cheaper. 

Every man should try to get there once in their life. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. Just set your mind to the goal, get fully prepared and go for it.

Let me know if I can help with any questions.


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## ben300win (Feb 22, 2013)

Gee Thanks Guys! Now y'all have me wanting to go. Been planning to go for a while, but hung up on elk hunting and not wanting to skip a year of hunting to be able to afford to go to alaska. Went with the wife on an inland passage cruise in 2010. Very nice, but sucked that I couldn't hunt while up there. Lol. I too wanted to do the DIY moose thing and was talked out of it by a buddy that had been before. My biggest fear of hunting alaska is bears and getting lost or left by the fly crew.


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## River Rambler (Feb 22, 2013)

Out of all the posts so far, this one seems to best reflect my experience. 10K is way overboard. My 8 day coastal black bear DIY hunt ran me about 3500 including the taxidermy fee for a rug. 

It can be done. I would also highly recommend caribou. Very doable if you bow hunt too. North slope is a great place to start. North slope caribou hunting with a bow can happen right off the road. You'll need an international bow hunters certification to get your tag. I took the class at Ft. Mcpherson...2 days, no problem.

If you want to rifle hunt, you've got a lot walking to do because I think the buffer is about 5 or 7 miles. My brother has walked it out several times, but you BETTER be in shape and prepared, because it's not flat ground we're talking about...the tundra is like walking on a sloppy mattress with these hard mounds of grass everywhere called hippy heads. It will flat wear you out. You can get stranded in a storm out there and die in a heartbeat. They had two guys go after a group of caribou tried to chase them and got lost, dehydrated, and exhausted. Laying down in the cold out there is a death wish. They did and they almost died. A rescue helicopter is the only thing that saved them. These were military guys in their mid 20's stationed in AK, so just being in shape doesn't cut it. You need to be knowledgeable about the dangers in Alaska and honestly Brown Bear are the least of your worries. Climate and conditions will kill you. One mistake and you have no room to make another.

You'll need to seriously plan a year in advance if you are starting from ground zero. Work the Alaska hunting forums. Hunting and regs are sooo different than anything you've ever seen. There are square grids and each grid has it's own regs...and they change yearly.The ONLY good thing about their tags are there is a heiarchy of animals. A black bear tag will also cover a caribou and a wolf. All of which you are likely to see on the slope.

Good luck. Plan well. Don't underestimate the importance of good gear...borrow it if you need to. Cut costs where you can...share a rifle, pack light, carry a spot or sat phone if you go far out. Let people know where you are going. Propane can freeze. And like he said, once you kill something, the work seriously begins. 

It unforgetable and you'll NEVER EVER experience anything like it. 
















jerry russell said:


> Take Jaspers advice and get the book "Hunt Alaska Now". I have self guided there over a dozen times and as long as you properly prepare yourself and have quality gear, you can get it done. Clothing and tents that will get you by in Georgia can get you in trouble up there. I count on encountering winds of 60 MPH and have endured 100 MPH (see bottom 2 pictures). Rain is a constant in many spots.
> 
> A caribou hunt is a great first time hunt and a blacktail deer hunt is another. I will second IFLY4U on not hunting moose on a first hunt. The logistics and game recovery are more than most 1st timers can even begin to imagine.
> Do your homework on the various air services as there are some that are just plane crooks. There are also some great ones that will help you a great deal with equipment and your questions.
> ...


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## Gaswamp (Feb 23, 2013)

great thread


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## buckslayer09 (Feb 26, 2013)

That's a pretty place


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## Big Ras (Mar 14, 2013)

Basshunter Im from Alaska and will be heading back at the end of the year when my enlistment is up. If you have any questions feel free to pm me. And to everyone else if you ever even have the remote chance to go to Alaska even if its just a visit GO.


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## ruger man (Mar 14, 2013)

What part of Alaska will you be going to? I have orders to Fort Wainwright for the begining of next year. I hope it is as good as everybody says and I have been doing alot of research on the hunting and everything else I will need while there.



Big Ras said:


> Basshunter Im from Alaska and will be heading back at the end of the year when my enlistment is up. If you have any questions feel free to pm me. And to everyone else if you ever even have the remote chance to go to Alaska even if its just a visit GO.


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## Big Ras (Mar 14, 2013)

Well aint that the million dollar question...more than likely Palmer/ Wasilla area but possibly back to Juneau. Wainright wouldn't be my first choice but anywhere in Alaska is better than nothing. Im here to tell you the hunting and fishing is second to none.


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## groundhawg (Mar 14, 2013)

tnbrute said:


> And forget about a DIY hunt. Out of state hunters are required to have a guide.



This is not quite correct.  Only required to have a guide for hunting certian critters.


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## Sterling (Mar 20, 2013)

The hard part of a DIY is having the gear to use.  Out-fitters are a great source for supplies and resources for a good hunt.  They will not guide you, just provide your gear. Depending on how you want to eat, what you want to do with your trophy, and how comfortable you want to be a DIY black bear hunt can be done out of Anchorage and is affordable. Just remember that what your not wiling to pay for you make up in sweat and work.


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## BOB_HARWELL (Mar 27, 2013)

My wife & I did a wk. cruise & wk. inland bus, train tour 6 yrs. ago. We spent 13k & it was worth every penny. Alaska is breath taking, to say the least. It will burn into your mind forever. I agree with Big Ras,  
just GO.

          Bob


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## trout man (Mar 30, 2013)

Jeremy Toman is a hunting and fishing guide in southwest Ak that I met when I was a fishing guide up there. You might ask him a few questions. You can google him. I know the silvers are running when hunting hunting season starts because I have seen a lot of big moose in boats going down the river. Just a thought.


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## oldfella1962 (May 4, 2013)

ruger man said:


> What part of Alaska will you be going to? I have orders to Fort Wainwright for the begining of next year. I hope it is as good as everybody says and I have been doing alot of research on the hunting and everything else I will need while there.



I was stationed at Eielson AFB (right next to Fort Wainwright) in the early 80's. Never hunted, but my buddies did. I hiked and fished mostly. Anyway, moose were everywhere including on post, blacks bears common near populated areas and grizzly in the higher elevations a few miles out. Caribou within 20 miles or so of Wainwright (again at higher areas above the treeline mostly).

Common fish were salmon (during spawning) grayling, pike, and trout stocked in some lakes. 

Duck hunting is great too if that's your thing, but they tend to concentrate in certain areas.

If you like the outdoors, it's great about five months of the year, barely tolerable during the other seven months.


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