Alaska on a budget?

[elkmasterwyo]

A really nice trip your Dad,FIL and son will love is Prince of Wales for blacktail.Adventure Alaska has some real nice cabins you can rent and they come with a truck and boat.The fishing is crazy good.For deer, go in early August up in the alpine or wait till Nov for an easier rut hunt when the deer are down low.Getting to alpine is no joke soonly go early if your dad and fil can handle it.GET YOURSELF AND ALASKA AIRLINES CREDIT CARD.You will get enough miles for a round trip ticket free if they accept you.Plus, they give $100 companion fare each year.So 2 of you fly round trip for $100 plus extra bags from anywhere
I did moose last year for $3800 including everything except getting meat back.Caribou with 40 mile air cost me 5k 3 years ago.Every trip was worth every penny and I'm planning to go back to POW either this August or next year.Blacktail in the alpine is really fun and incredible scenary,moose hunting is a little boring,caribou hunting is in some awesome terrain/scenary with a lot of targets.Of those hunts, for a budget, blacktail is the way to go and enjoy some of the worlds best fishing as well

Thanks for the reply. Alpine is definitely out of the question, my FIL had a liver transplant a few years back and isn't in the greatest walking shape(2-3 miles a day would probably be max). How late is the latest you guys would dare go to on a blacktail hunt and stay in tents? From what I've read it sounds like the bigger bucks come down to the coast later?

 

[Flatrock]

Glass eye- Did you know somebody on St Paul's for king eider that you hunted with? Shoot many birds? I only know of 1 outfitter there but it costs 4 or 5 grand to hunt there.

 

[mixedbag]

Alwayshunting, you have one tough wife.Be prepared for rain and ALOT of it.When its not raining the bugs are crazy so get the best bug repellant you can.I've camped in a lot of places including Ak twice but I don't think I could enjoy camping on POW.I was looking into just renting a truck and staying in that and going up to alpine each day,but I know a spot where access to alpine isn't too bad.Good luck on your trip

 

[glass eye]

Glass eye- Did you know somebody on St Paul's for king eider that you hunted with? Shoot many birds? I only know of 1 outfitter there but it costs 4 or 5 grand to hunt there.

Being a small island and not wanting to compete with guides, we decided to go in early December so as to not ruffle any feathers. We knew it would not have peak numbers but figured we only needed a few. Saw plenty but they were always out of range except for once when my friend had a golden opportunity. A large flock flew just above the water and cruising the shoreline about 15 yards out. I watched from a different spot as he fired 3 shots and choked. He's a good shot but he blew it this time. I will do some things differently next time. I do not know anyone on St. Paul but that has never stopped me before, not afraid to take a chance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV5tkK3q8T4

 

[Flatrock]

Being a small island and not wanting to compete with guides, we decided to go in early December so as to not ruffle any feathers. We knew it would not have peak numbers but figured we only needed a few. Saw plenty but they were always out of range except for once when my friend had a golden opportunity. A large flock flew just above the water and cruising the shoreline about 15 yards out. I watched from a different spot as he fired 3 shots and choked. He's a good shot but he blew it this time. I will do some things differently next time. I do not know anyone on St. Paul but that has never stopped me before, not afraid to take a chance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV5tkK3q8T4

Cool video and looks like you got a couple nice birds! I'd love to do that someday but that's more of a 20 year plan for me.

 

[elkmasterwyo]

Awesome video, looks like a good time!

 

[Gellar]

"Budget" to me is probably similar to Glass Eye... Camp in the truck/tent wherever I end up for the night. b

We did a SE blacktail hunt last fall, cost about $500pp. Miles/rental truck/ferry ride.

Black bear hunts off the road system are another cheap option. Lots of places to hunt them, cost is airfare, rental vehicle, and a tag or 2.

Caribou hunts off the haul road, or 40 mile off the highway or a float. A few options there. Lots of hiking and a lot more work than 99% of hunters are willing to do for "just" a caribou.

Contrary to popular belief you can find moose off the highway as well... you might not like how far you have to pack it, but put on your big boy panties and get after it.

I could think of a 1000 places to hunt birds, in some really scenic places, you'd have it all to yourself too. Wolves, etc, etc. The list is really endless on "budget" type hunts. I usually run out of hunting season before I run out of things to chase.

Good luck with your planning.

Transportation is the biggest expense on an Alaskan hunt. If you are not partial to a species and just want to hunt Alaska cheaply, Black bear off the road logistically and financially would be the easiest in my opinion. You can fly to Anchorage, rent a car, drive to the Kenai Peninsula, camp at a Forest Service Camp ground and hike in from trail heads to glass blueberry filled hillsides.

 

[alwayshunting]

Alwayshunting, you have one tough wife.Be prepared for rain and ALOT of it.When its not raining the bugs are crazy so get the best bug repellant you can.I've camped in a lot of places including Ak twice but I don't think I could enjoy camping on POW.I was looking into just renting a truck and staying in that and going up to alpine each day,but I know a spot where access to alpine isn't too bad.Good luck on your trip

She has become a pretty tough hunting partner over the years. The rain will be something new for both of us to contend with. I am hoping the bugs are a little more manageable up in the alpine. It will be a learning experience for sure.

 

[elkmasterwyo]

Well, I've done a little hinting around all of the involved parties seems like they are all leaning towards being dropped on the S end of Kodiak for blacktail, and a chance at a caribou..........I've looked at Andrew air and also Seahawk Air. Anyone used either? What time of year would be best for this? Thanks everyone for all of the great info so far, and for steering me in the right direction.

 

[Dhosera]

2017 Fishing/Hunting fees just DOUBLED! Approved by AK just this week. FYI....

 

[MThuntr]

2017 Fishing/Hunting fees just DOUBLED! Approved by AK just this week. FYI....

Really?...dang, looks like I'll bump my plans back another year

 

[----]

The changes are in the PDF below-

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/home/pdfs/2016_2017_alaska_license_fees.pdf

Still a steal in my book...

 

[glass eye]

Ouch !

 

[Dave N]

I really need to hurry up and move there...

 

[alwayshunting]

I always felt that AK tag prices were on the low side compared to other states but just attributed it to the high transportation costs keeping them down. It will be interesting to see if this really makes a big difference in the number of people going there to hunt.

 

[Okbow87]

Pretty much just added 1k to any trip between tag increases and hunting license increase.

 

[mdunc8]

Pretty much just added 1k to any trip between tag increases and hunting license increase.

Am I missing something? I don't see the increase being that big of an issue (unless you're hunting musk ox or buying multiple tags). Maybe a couple hundred bucks for most species. However, my math and reading comprehension isn't great, so maybe I'm overlooking something.

 

[LCH]

Maybe will mean better draw odds. I'll be applying for the first time this fall.

 

[Bambistew]

To match inflation from 1993, the increase would have been 65%. The F&G has had some big cuts in the last year, and next year isn't looking so good either. They do the best they can, but in many areas we have habitat and game population information that is decades old, and in some cases longer than that. Our state is 3-6 times bigger than most western states, yet runs a budget of equal or less than those states. It costs money for management, we have good management, but IMO should have the funds to pay for world class management (what ever that means).

I haven't read the final legislation yet, but the resident increased for hunting/fishing licenses by nearly 2x over the original proposal. I think the price is reasonable, now if we can just get a handle on all those who get free or $5 licenses... I think the NR tags were also slightly bumped up over the original proposal. As I recall the original proposal was basically matching inflation from 1993. By going above inflation rates, we won't hopefully have to raise fees again for a while.

It costs money to shoot wolves and bears from the air, you should be thankful that we still have predator management. A sizable portion of these fees will be dedicated to predator control, if that helps with the sting...

 

[Okbow87]

Am I missing something? I don't see the increase being that big of an issue (unless you're hunting musk ox or buying multiple tags). Maybe a couple hundred bucks for most species. However, my math and reading comprehension isn't great, so maybe I'm overlooking something.

I should have been more clear. For hunts I have planned/in the works. Two caribou tags and a hunting fishing combo license is $750 more expensive now. One caribou, one moose, hunt fish combo is $825 more, and those are without adding an extra black bear or wolf tags.

Going to Kodiak and hunting deer obviously wouldn't be too much of an increase. I bought two tags when I went there last year. That only be about $400 more with the license also.