How to Go Hunting in Alaska
"If money wasn't an object, where is the first place you would travel, and what would you hunt?"
We asked that simple question of our social media audience, and the overwhelming winner was . . . Alaska. As for the type of game, responses covered just about everything the land offers.
For the average person, the frigid temperatures and long nights are best endured from a safe distance with some nice filmography on the National Geographic channel, perhaps. However, for an avid hunter, conquering the vast and brutal wilderness of Alaska can put your hunting skills up to the ultimate challenge.
Here's why Alaska is a "bucket list" hunting adventure for many hunters.
Why Alaska?
The question should really be, "Why not Alaska?"
Of the 50 U.S. states, it is the final frontier and offers almost unlimited opportunities to hunt, including game you can't hunt anywhere else in the states.
Alaska's game includes:
- Brown Bear
- Caribou
- Muskox
- Sitka Black-tailed Deer
- Dall Sheep
Sure, you can find moose in states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Minnesota, but only Alaska claims it as the official state animal – and the Alaska-Yukon species grows bigger than any other.
Perhaps the best part about hunting Alaska is that you can do a variety of combo hunts, and lots of outdoorsmen do combo hunting/fishing trips that include salmon, trout, and halibut fishing. Hunters who hunt Kodiak or the Aleutian Islands often stay on boats, where crab pots and rods and reels provide the surf portion of dinners, and the hunters provide the black-tailed backstraps for the turf part.
So, Really, Why Not?
Well, there is a reason the phrase "if money wasn't an object" is a consideration for hunting in Alaska.
A non-resident annual hunting license will cost you $160, and $405 for a non-resident annual hunting/trapping license. Various non-resident annual hunting license/sport fishing license combos are $175 to $260.
Non-resident tags for big game range in price from $60 for a wolf tag to $2,200 for a muskox bull tag, $800 for a moose tag, and $1,000 for a brown/grizzly bear tag.
So far, you're probably saying, "Hey, I could save up for a while and do this!"
You Might Need a Guide
While you're saving, consider the one major cost that almost everyone will want to choose: a guided hunt.
Alaska is a huge state, and the game isn't standing shoulder to shoulder by the highways – even if the game is plentiful. Do-it-yourself hunters are mostly limited to driving the highways and making day trips from the road as far as possible and back during daylight. However, they compete with plenty of hunters in similar situations, and their odds of success are not good – especially on mature or trophy-sized animals.
Guide services can fly you or transport you by boat or horseback to prime hunting country. Your guides will know the habits and patterns of each animal you're after. Most importantly, guide services will know the very detailed hunting regulations in Alaska by heart, which is important to stay on the right side of the law.
So, your better odds of success come with a price. You could be looking at $1,500 for a deer hunt and up to $15,000 for a prime brown bear hunt. You can trim costs using one guide for two hunters or opting for sparse tent accommodations and foot power over four-star lodging and float planes.
No matter what, though, saving up for a guided hunt is recommended on your first hunt. After that, if you're bold, you might venture out with a friend and try to save some change. You'll probably need it for plane tickets, shipping costs for your meat and trophies, and taxidermy costs when you get home!
Resources to Plan Your Alaska Hunting Trip
Nothing ensures that you follow up on a dream like having resources around to constantly remind you: magazines, a notebook with ideas and packing lists, and more.
So, we put together a few links that you can bookmark and refer to when – not if – you start planning your Alaska hunt of a lifetime.
Before you go, make sure you've also taken the state-required hunter education course for Alaska! You'll need your hunter safety certification to purchase your hunting license.
Hunt Safely in Alaska (or Anywhere) With a Hunter Education Certification
Whether Alaska is on your ultimate hunting locations list or not, we want every hunter to return home from a safe and successful hunt – every time. Hunting in Alaska brings some different challenges and potential safety risks than hunting in other locations. However, with a state-approved hunter education course, you'll learn how to stay safe no matter where you hunt!
When planning your hunting trip, make sure your hunter safety certification is on your list of to-dos. It can ruin your trip to save money, and plan to be there on opening day if you haven't passed your safety course and can't hunt!
The good news is that your certification never expires. So, go ahead and check it off your list! Find the course for your state and start learning.
Originally published February 5, 2014. Content updated April 24, 2023.
