Alaska Hunting Photos

Alaska is well known for its wilderness and vastness. Along with all this space comes some of the most prized Big Game. Alaska is well known for its wilderness and vastness. Along with all this space comes some of the most prized Big Game.Alaska has 12 species of big game animals spread across 365,000,000 acres. Many big game species in Alaska make long movements between seasonal ranges. Because of this, Alaska doesn't lend itself well to day hunts or short weekend hunts for most big game. Another difficulty with Alaska hunting is the unpredictable nature of the weather. Planning at least a five-day hunt usually lends itself to the most successful hunts.

Black Bear Hunting in Alaska

Hunting in Alaska

Southcentral Alaska is home to the state's largest human population. It is also habitat for some of the state's densest populations of wildlife. Caribou are among the most numerous. The Muchatna caribou herd is one of the state's largest and fastest growing. It is generally found west of Cook Inlet.

Moose populations are thickly populated in portions of Southcentral, and Moose are hunted more than any other of Alaska’s Big Game species. Black bears are common in the area. One of the state's most famous Big Game animals, the Grizzly, is hunted on the Alaska Peninsula and in the Kodiak Island area.

Blacktail Sitka Deer

Alaska's original Roosevelt Elk transplant was made to Afognak Island, and elk are readily accessible for hunting. The elk originated from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington n 1928. Heavy timber and predominantly bad weather make Alaska elk hunting difficult and challenging.

Other hunting opportunities include the Sitka Deer, which are abundant on Kodiak Island and the Southeast’s Inside Passage. Mountain goats are found in good numbers in the coastal mountains from Kodiak eastward. Waterfowl hunting opportunities on parts of the Alaska Peninsula are legendary, and quite good elsewhere along the coast. Wolves are relatively numerous in parts of the region, and are even found near Anchorage, the state's largest community.

Beaver at Eagle River

When hunter demand is higher than a game population can sustain, permits often restrict hunting. Most drawing hunts are available to residents and nonresidents. Drawing hunts require an application fee and are awarded by lottery.

Nineteen species of furbearers are trapped in Alaska - beaver, coyote, arctic fox, red fox, lynx, Alaska or hoary marmot, marten, mink, muskrat, river otter, red, flying, and ground squirrel, least and short-tailed weasel, wolf, wolverine, woodchuck. Populations of most species of small game fluctuate between low and high levels. The government monitors the populations counts in key areas, observations during surveys for other species , and by talking with hunters, trappers, and other outdoors enthusiasts.

Wolf Hunting in Alaska

Access to the various areas can be challenging. There are fewer miles of roads in Alaska than the state of Rhode Island. While many may choose to hunt from the roads that do exist, these areas can become “overpopulated” with hunters quickly resulting in a low success rate for hunting. Other options include ATVs although it can be more inviting to run the ATV rather than actually hunt! Boats also provide another way to access Alaska’s backcountry. But as with the road system, the rivers can easily become overcrowded. Flying in by airplane for a hunt is what many Alaska hunters prefer. The upfront cost can be intimidating, but in the long run, the costs are relatively low considering that the success rate is much higher and you don’t have to buy, store and maintain the more expensive options of an ATV and boat.

Books of Interest:

Hunting in Alaska: A Comprehensive Guide - For starting research for a hunt of all species of alaskan game this is one of the best resources out there. After living in Alaska for 4 years, this book gave me the assets I needed to successfully hunt the Brooks Range, Interior and the Penninsula.

Hunting Hard: In Alaska - In "Hunting Hard...In Alaska!" Marc Taylor guides you through the necessary planning steps, and puts you in a frame of mind that will ensure a high impact hunt for caribou, bear, moose, mountain goat, or Dall sheep.