Alaska Hunting
Alaskans take their hunting seriously. For many it is a way of life, and for some, it is still a primary source of sustenance. As demand has outpaced the supply of game, regulations have been necessary to maintain a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Gone are the days when an Earnest Hemingway type could arrive in the Bush and begin stalking big game. Now she (yes, she: there are scores of outdoors women in Alaska!) must first read up on the most current regulations, secure the necessary permits, and enlist the services of a resident guide. Once hunting has commenced, she must also report her harvest to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), a government body the avid hunter will come to know well.
There are two main hunting seasons in Alaska, those for residents and those for non-residents. Residents get first priority; if the herd counts are low, non-residents are restricted first. Beyond this, there are four types of hunts, which may be open to both residents and non-residents or to just one or the other:
- General season - the least restrictive
- Drawing - limits the number of hunters
- Registration - doesn't limit number of hunters, but season closes when harvest limit is met
- Tier II - allows hunting when there isn't enough game to satisfy subsistence needs
Licenses and permits can in many cases be purchased online. See the ADF&G Web site:
http://wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.main
There are 10 main types of big game in the 2007-08 season:
Black bear - common, widely distributed
Brown/grizzly bear - larger than the black bear
Bison - very difficult to stalk and bring down
Caribou - 22,000 caribou are killed each year for food
Deer - Kodiak Island deer or Sitka black-tailed deer found in Southeast Alaska
Mountain goat - easy to approach, but inhabit difficult terrain
Elk - challenging to hunt due to weather, terrain, and forest cover
Moose - most popularly hunted animal in Alaska
Muskox - hunted only under limited permit
Dall sheep - hunting limited to mature rams in August and September
Alaska Hunting Regulations >>>