Trad Gang

I have some family members from alaska talking my wife and I into moving to the wasilla area. I understand the ability to do huge hunts in the bush for moose and such but my question is about smaller hunts.

Coming from Texas, what can be done for day hunts, or evening hunts?

I am a huge small game hunter so what is there to be done there?

And fishing? Is there year round fishing or is it seasonal? I always enjoyed fishing after work or on a saturday morning, is that an option?

Any opinions on this stuff?

Day hunts of any quality are limited for big stuff.  Should be lots of grouse and snowshoe hare during the up cycles that can be done on weekends but will be dark after most people's day jobs in the winter.

Fishing this time of year will be as much as you can handle going sleep deprived since we have 20- hours of daylight right now!  In the winter you gotta cut a hole first, think in terms of 4-5-6 feet!

As a former full time resident and longstanding part time resident, I can tell you two things: Alaska at its best is hard to beat, and there is a reason why I don't live there full time anymore! Your question caught my interest as I have a number of friends who have decided to move north recently, and I'll tell you the same thing I've told them. With a few exceptions, hunting and fishing from the state's limited road system is going to be frustrating or worthless. I have more fun in Alaska now as a Montana resident than I did when I lived there... and I had my own Super Cub parked in my yard when I did. I really hate to sound negative, but if you are interested in hunting and fishing regularly after work you are likely to be disappointed. Don

I agree with Don!  I have 5 big game animal species visible from my house BUT can only realistically hunt ONE of them cause of limited tags/opportunities.

Is very expensive and difficult to access quality hunting.

we are generally in an "up " cycle for hares right now, so there will be lots for a couple years, then fewer, and won't peak again for 7-11 more years.
i'll tell you, if i were to pick a place to live just for hunting opportunities it would be a toss-up between hawaii and montana .... sure wouldn't be here... (but i ain't ever leaving, either     :jumper:  )

Day hunts for deer and bears in the Southeastern part of the state are possible for the ambitious hunter that owns a skiff.

Hunts for moose, sheep, caribou, etc. tend to get much more involved but they don't have to be expensive fly-out hunts.  A whitewater raft or hardcore hiking legs and some careful planning can get you into hunting country that other hunters won't go.

Fishing is seasonal, roughly May- September.

Oh and I can hunt 5 big game animals (deer, black bear, brown bear, goat, moose) from my house and I don't have to draw a tag.

I moved up there in 06 and came back in a year and a half.  Definately not what you expect.  You can hunt all you want for bear and small game around there, but everything else is a major undertaking.

If it was just up to me it would be north western montana or northern idaho for the hunting and fishing... but my wife wants to live near family and all of her family just moved from montana. So Alaska or oklahoma for us right now... i would love to just experience alaska even if its just for a few years to learn a about a new place.

I just need to be able to keep myself busy outside, fishing, trapping, hunting, hiking, canoing... if i can find different things to do around the calender i'm good to go...

Winter = Trapping, snowshoeing, X-country skiing, snowmobiling... etc.

Kinda optimistic there Chris, lol.  Can hunt and quality are two drastically different things!

BTW, those are HALF day deer hunt you guys do since it takes 2 plus hours of your 7 hours of daylight to boat to the island, lol again.

I think that me and the homies (four of us) (including Chris above) arrowed something like 6 or 7 animals between us in the seven years that I was in Juneau, how's that for quality hunting!

btw i count birds as game animals

Coby,
I lived in Wasilla for 7 years and loved it. Most of the good big game hunting is by drawing/permit. There are open areas to go but you will need to fly/raft in and is a major undertaking. The logistics can get quite expensive. In the Mat-Su Valley where Wasilla is, there are small lakes all over and there is some good fishing in them. In the winter you can ice fish. The Salmon fishing off of the road system is little to be desired. I applied for subsistence dipnetting permits and dipnetted the Kasilof river down on the Kenai. You can load your freezer up. This could also be done on the Copper River. There are Ptarmigan and grouse which can be hunted close by and down in the flats you can hunt ducks.  I am headed back to Wasilla in 2 weeks after a 8 year absence for a visit. I'm looking forwrd to it.   By the way, drawing permits  up there for a resident was in my experience easier than it looked, I drew out 6 years in a row. 1 Sheep, 3 Mt.Goat & 2 Caribou tags!  When I looked at the draw results in the ADN, It seems as if the same people drew out quite a bit.  My 2 cents worth.

I spent 22 days in Fairbanks about 25 years ago sleeping in a tent with no floor, (military training) warmest day I had was minus 35 degrees F. coldest was minus 65 degrees F.
It is no place for wimps!

Well if we're counting birds... I've arrowed half dz grouse and half dz ptarmagin!

Chris, is that like a one per year average!  That would be looked at as poor hunting by most folks standards.  I am 1 and 1 in 8 years or one bird every 4 years, lol once again!

Toklat said "Most of the good big game hunting is by drawing/permit."  My success ratio on drawing permit hunts that I have drawn shows the opposite.  Many drawing permits exist cause ADF&G need to limit the numbers of hunter cause the resource can't handle more pressure.  Draw permits sometiomes indicate LOW animal numbers!

I have been applying for several draw permits for the last 18 years.
I have NEVER been drawn.
If you do not have an airplane or boat at your disposal, you will (generally speaking) be in stiff competition with other hunters for the available game.
Just our opinion.
Best Wishes

I'm glad I ran across this thread. I have about 2 yrs until I retire from my FD job. Sounds like a long way off, but I'm researching a couple of options, one of them being SE Alaska.

What I am thinking is the Petersburg/Wrangell area as my first area of interest. Bear hunting, fishing, blacktail deer, and generally exploring and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

My plan is to either buy or preferably build a small log home for the wife and I, and then get a boat that will allow me to travel the islands hunting and fishing, or whatever else trips my trigger. I have a couple of hurdles to clear before its a solid game plan, and much research to do yet.

I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask anyone who lives in or is familiar with that area, if you wouldnt mind me buggin you fora little info.

I would respectfully disagree on the fishing.  YOu can easily do some GREAT fishing trips in an afternoon if you live in an area like the valley (wasilla).  

As for hunting, Ive done some back door moose hunts, but would agree, you might be disappointed.

The grouse hunting is a riot, and atleast around here can be quite good.   Caribou is a LONG drive, as is most other things.....YOu can do some decent weekend hunts...including moose, caribou, and sheep off the road system.  It'll take time to find your niche but if you keep looking you'll get there.

I dont have a cub in my back yard, sure wish I did....You need to move back up Don, I can pack a mean load, though right now with a bum shoulder (partially torn rotator cuff) this fall is out...anything after that I'm game....slow and steady wins the race!   ;)

Don't get me wrong--Alaska is a great place, which is why I'm still up there four or five times a year. (If I could stretch it out to six months, I'd still be an Alaskan, Permanent Fund check and all!) But when it comes to abundant outdoor opportunities, I'd rather live in Montana and commute to Alaska, rather than the other way around. Another factor to consider: because of subsistence regulations, you better get used to being a second class citizen in your own state when it comes to fish and game. That's what finally drove me out. Don

I lived in Juneau for 6 years, from 1994 to 2000 and found the Southeast to be a great place for hunting, fishing, skiing, prospecting, exploring, etc., provided you don't mind being wet most of the time.

There was pretty much something to do year round.  Heck, I didn't even own a computer or a TV for all but the last 6 months I was there.  

Spring hunts were for black bear and spruce grouse.  

Summer was fishing (kings, silvers, cutthroat, halibut) and diving (crab, scallops)time.  Prospecting also took a good deal of my time.

Fall was for blacktail on Douglas and Admiralty, moose in St. James Bay, goats down in Ford's Terror, and the butt-kicker, elk on Etolin Island.
My daily fall hunts were for waterfowl.

Winter gave way to skiing at Eaglecrest, backcountry camping, diving (clear water), cross-country skiing, and honing the cribbage skills.

I had a blast there.  I've considered moving back, but am thinking the western Montana or Idaho might offer many of the same opportunities.

I did an occasional hunt up north (moose in McGrath, caribou off the haul road), but the variety in the Southeast kept me pretty busy.  I also had a great bunch of friends, which, come to think of it was one of the highlights.

Having never hunted blacktails, how do they compare with whitetails or muley's for hunting with a stickbow? Are they primarily a spot and stalk hunt, or are other tactics effective (SE Alaska).

been talking to the wife and extended family up there... looks like I'll be moving up there to be a teacher in a couple of years. Mat Su valley.

Can't wait to give it a go. I will miss my hogs and deer but figure i can chase them when i come down to visit the family for the holidays.

I'm excited to learn a new environment. I figure every bit of my outdoorsy knowledge only pertains to the swamps so i will be relearning everything.

Can't wait to chase some new critters with a bow. Bird hunting and small game sound like a blast.

QuoteOriginally posted by Autumnarcher:
Having never hunted blacktails, how do they compare with whitetails or muley's for hunting with a stickbow? Are they primarily a spot and stalk hunt, or are other tactics effective (SE Alaska).

Black tail hunting for me is a spot and stalk sport but black tails are.......well ....tiny! My saint Barnard is bigger than the average buck, at least where I was. That was several years ago, I haven't bothered to hunt them since. It would be a haul for me to get to them though.

There are 2 totally different parts of the state being discussed here though and I think it's important to remind folks how big our state is. The only way for me to go visit say Juneaulongbow would be to get on a plane. It is a 6 hour drive to homer Dave's from my house. When I visited at mid winters eve it was 38 below at my place but a rather comfy 15 below at his. It will take 2 days of driving before I even start my first stalk on my up coming Caribou trip.

Big game hunting dose disappoint most outsiders who are unwilling to do ALLOT of hiking and packing, sometimes ridiculous amounts of weight. Personally I find the fishing very disappointing but I'm a dry fly guy and hate crowds. For me the nearest decent fishing is about 6 hours away. I do like crabbing and fishing winter kings in kachemak bay with Dave but I'm not found of homer in the summer, to many people.

anyone else have some alaska comments?

I am definitly moving up there in 2 years... what do i have to look forward too?

There is some good hunting and fishing here (AK that is) but it is few and far inbetween and you will need LOTS of money to make it happen. The good stuff is accessed by way of a plane and or boat. You will need to have some VERY good friends with planes and boats or be able to hire  or have your own. If you think that hiring them is expensive them just go ahead an try owning your own!  :scared: $ You will then find out why the charter guys charge so much and why it is worth it to hire them. (if you find a good and safe one)
Hiking in from the road system is an option but you will find it is plenty tuff to do and to get REALLY remote and away from the crowds is just not possible. Alaska is way differnt than the lower 48, in most of it's terrain and in it's distances and it's dangers. You just cannot comprehend how big it is until you are here and try to see some of it.
An unfortunate fact is also that the hunting and fishing has been in a steady decline since before state hood. Since I have been in the state I've seen a dramatic change in the opertunities and how (relativly) crowded it is.      
All that said , it is a wonderful place and I'm not leaving. I just wish there were fewer people here ( and everywhere for that matter).

Just some of my $.02 worth