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Permits for elk/caribou

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  devildog28 
#1 ·
My aunt has invited me to hunt this winter up in Alaska, which I think is the chance of a lifetime!!!

I looked at the online hunting regs but I was left with a couple questions. Do I have to take an Alaska hunter's safety certification or can my texas version work just fine? Do you have to enter a drawing for caribou/elk tags, and if so when?
 
#3 ·
In Alaska a non-resident only needs a guide when hunting brown bear, dall sheep and mountain goats. Consult the regulations for Second Degree kindred that can act in the place of a guide for a non-resident. That family member MUST accompany you in the field. For a alien non-resident, you need a guide for all big game animals. As for Hunter Safety certificate, you do not need one if you are over 16 years old. Drawings close at the end of May and can be done online, there is a spring supplement available online on the Alaska Fish and Game website if you wish to hunt those areas. There are plenty of over the counter areas as well. In the winter, most hunting is subsistance for Alaska residents only, or in some rather remote areas where a hunting trip can become a survival situation REAL quick.
 
#4 ·
Yeah I looked up the regs and would probably do a harvest hunt since the deadline is sun lol. And I noticed that most of the seasons are open during August-Oct. Too early for me.

But can you safely have a Caribou hunt down near Anchorage/Wasila/Eagle River? I found a an area (19) that has an open harvest season during thanksgiving. Would it pretty much be pointless then?
 
#5 ·
Well, the most accessible caribou would be the ones along the Dalton Highway, north of Fairbanks. Along the "highway" and I use that term loosely up here, there is a 5 mile corridor on both sides that is archery only. Beyond the 5 miles and you can use a firearm. Thing is that it will be mostly dark that time of year up there. During summer it is the land of the midnight sun, in winter, well it is the opposite in winter. As for the hunt in unit 19. There are no roads that go there. You must fly in to a town like McGrath and probably catch another plane. It will be cold and I would not suggest that hunt for a "first Alaska hunt."
The best bet that time of year is to go over to Kodiak or an island in Prince William Sound and a deer hunt. There is awesome duck hunting to be had in some of the bays too. By November most fresh water will be solid and there will be snow on the ground. Temps will be in the 20s to low teens for the highs and below zero at night in the Anchorage Bowl area beginning in November.
Good luck this winter.
 
#6 ·
Thanks waldo!

I've decided to wait until next march to go for a couple reasons. First is that my aunt lives in a Moose management area during that time, which means I don't have to get in a lottery. The second is like you suggested, the weather.

I got my hunting package from Alaska fish and game friday so I'm ready!!!
 
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