Alaska Hunting trip

[Guest 73challenger]

A couple hours ago me and a friend came up with the idea to go to Alaska in the summer. Has anyone done this before? Id like to hunt and go camping. We would like to stay in a cabin/lodge not anything fancy. We would like somewhere that has a shower and a bed. Can this be had at a fair price? How much would a guide be? I'm not sure if this is a realistic idea for a couple college students though. I think I would invest in a marlin 1895SBL in 45/70 if I went. Thanks a ton!

[Jasongar8]

Have you ever been to Alaska before? What do you want to hunt?

[Guest 73challenger]

No, I have not. I was thinking grizzly/brown bear. But, I was also considering black bear, wolf, sheep, or goat. I really just want a good trophy with a story behind it and the experience

[Jasongar8]

You can't hunt brown or grizzly without a guide unless you are a resident of AK. Most of the grizzly hunts I have priced have been $6k+, brown bear are over $12k with most being $15k. You also have to have a guide for sheep and goats and the both are going to be $10k+. I would look into a caribou hunt if I was you. It is going to be a lot cheaper and you can do it unguided. But you are still looking at a couple of thousand plus your cost to get from TN to AK.

[ShaunM]

I've been to Alaska did some offshore salmon fishing but never hunted there.

[Punisher84]

I've always wanted to go to Alaska, not necessarily to hunt, just to see it. I'd imagine for a decent hunt you're looking at several thousand as Jason mentioned.

[Jasongar8]

I've made three trips up there to fish but have never hunted. I have researched hunting up there a lot, but have never got a trip together.

[Punisher84]

I've made three trips up there to fish but have never hunted. I have researched hunting up there a lot, but have never got a trip together.

When I hit the lottery I'm game lol

[Guest 73challenger]

Hmm... Sounds like hunting isn't going to happen. I'm going to see if I can find a cabin to stay in for a week or two. This may be a totally unrealistic idea :-)

[Warbird]

You can't hunt brown or grizzly without a guide unless you are a resident of AK. Most of the grizzly hunts I have priced have been $6k+, brown bear are over $12k with most being $15k. You also have to have a guide for sheep and goats and the both are going to be $10k+. I would look into a caribou hunt if I was you. It is going to be a lot cheaper and you can do it unguided. But you are still looking at a couple of thousand plus your cost to get from TN to AK.

These prices are pretty close. Dall Sheep, the cheapest to hunt, is actually going to run at least $12k. More likely $15k. Stone sheep by the way can be had for the bargain price of $35-50k. That is w/o travel expenses, which will be quite high into any areas that have sheep or goat.

There are a couple of areas to hunt black bear, but it is not recommended unless you are a very experienced woodsman, without a guide.

Bou can be hunted in some areas during the summer. However they are also not easily reached. Best chance is probably north of Nome. I am sure you can easily find out, but I have no idea of the cost of hunting bou in the summer. I have only hunted them in the fall. It would be cheaper, but I would guess the total cost would still be a couple thousand dollars. I can tell you this, if I had only a couple of weeks to spend in Alaska and I wanted to see some of its most beautiful scenery, I would definitely not head to the area north of Nome. That's just my opinion.

The worst thing about Alaska in the interior during the summer, are the skeeters which are numerous only in the hundreds of millions and are large enough to nearly be big game themselves.

Alaska is a stunning place, especially if you head away from the touristy areas and see the real country. It is a place any lover of the outdoors must see at least once. I have been lucky and have seen every area of the state from the southern most to the northern most point and quite a few spots in between. Alaska and southeast Africa may be my two favorite places on earth. If you have the time and some money, I can promise you, you won't ever forget the time spent in Alaska. But, I would not count on hunting there, unless you have some dough to spend or are a very experienced outdoorsman. It is not a forgiving place and many of those who perish there, do so because they think they are better in the bush than they are, or were rather.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Warbird

[Guest GunTroll]

I think those are words of wisdom right there!

[whiskey]

I lived there for 3 years. I would not bother hunting unless you have a ton of money to spend. If I were to return to Alaska on vacation, which I recommend you do if you can swing it, I would go fishing. It's still going to cost a bit, but probably do-able.

Check into the Russian River and the Ninilchik River. You can try to time a fishing trip to hit the best salmon run, but it is best to just go up there with a good bit of flexibility and willingness to travel to where the fish are.

For me, I would just fly up there with my clothes and a large caliber pistol, maybe a sleeping bag, since I own a good one. I would rent a car, buy a tent and air mattress and fishing gear. I would just drive to where the fish were running and camp nearby. This has to be the cheapest possible trip. I would love to do this in a couple years when my kid is old enough to appreciate it.

[Guest The Driller]

dont shoot Sarah palin lol

[Ghooge2008]

Holy Hell, and I thought hog hunts close to home were expensive!