Hunting near Wasilla?

[BrettAKSCI]

I just moved to hopefully Wasilla/ maybe Anchorage from Ohio last week. I'll of course be an out of state hunter this fall. What are some of the better hunting opportunities open to a guy willing to work hard, with some funds (read not unlimited), and unknown time off at this point. As an out of stater what can I do? What do I have a reasonable chance at? Should I stick to the small game and fishing for a year until I'm a resident or are there other options? Thanks for any input.


Brett

[Brian M]

Black bear would be a good option for you. Do some reading here about 14A and 14C black bear hunts. If you're willing to climb mountains to above treeline in late fall, you should have a great chance of getting a black bear that is feeding on blueberries - which makes excellent eating, I might add.

Welcome to Alaska and to the site!

[baitem907]

Wasilla Hunting

Brett,
There are a lot of lakes and rivers around here. You're going to love it!
My husband moved up here from Wisconsin and waited the 1st hunting season out and just fished. But he was chomping at the bit to get his sites on something. Around here (wasilla) you really don't have to go too far if you're not picky. There are black bear all over those mountains you see. Good Luck and Welcome to the Forum
Jess

[BrettAKSCI]

Thanks. Black bears were in my mind for sure, but I wasn't sure how feasable it wound be. What are some good resources for learning about black bear hunting in the Wasilla area. I'm willing to read and do what I need to, but I'm not sure what that is?

[baitem907]

Resource

Hang in there,
You'll learn a lot from this forum.
I would check out http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov for the regs for this area and see if it tickles your fancy.
Jess

[BRWNBR]

take just about any town and disregard hunting around it...hunting near wasilla....you'll have to redefine "near", some of us travel over 1000 miles to do a hunt, and driving 3 hours outa town is no big thing here, then your no longer "near" wasilla.
Basicly your budget will dictate how far and how long you hunt. black bear, some sheep and goat and very few moose (without a tag) can be had pretty close to civilazation if you do some pokin' around. Its not the plains of africa mind you, or denali park, some trips will be great and you'll just shake your head, others will frustrate you bad...
your success will depend on your drive mostly....and by drive i don't mean vehicle! lol good luck, the guys in here have just about all the expereience you could ask for from alaskans....

[Akres]

The Spring Permit Draw Supplement will be out very soon. Look at the hunts for drawings, that are near by. The special hunts that are not available to everyone, will be listed there. Those hunts are slam dunk for sure easy fill the freezer type deals. Life is short, don't wait til next year. Get 'em while you can.

[Montana Native]

Add Info

Welcome to AK...

As you have already read in the posts, the term "near" is a term not used too much here. To put it in perspective, with the influx of people new to hunting in AK (both resident/non-resident) the same questions arise. New people are often looking for the close to town honey hole we all dream about. To be blunt, if you can access it, odds are there are hundreds whom have already been there or will be there. You need to be willing to travel. The areas we have open now are increasingly put on the draw lists, further forcing the average Joe to more remote areas. There is a ton of useful information in these threads, please take the time to research them and I am certain you will find more info than you'll care to know! Secondly, taking the info I mentioned above, the cost of doing business (hunting) is not for the cheap (why do you think it costs so much to hunt in AK). The more remote, the higher the fee... Best of luck, and welcome to AK!

[Wyo2AK]

Not to repeat myself too much...

Get a copy of the regulations, and read through them several times. That'll answer a lot of your initial questions.

I also recommend a copy of the book Hunting in Alaska by Chris Batin, available in the store
http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/sto...products_id=25

There are lots of opportunities near Wasilla (which vary depending on what you consider near), but it takes some time and effort to figure it all out. I made posted a thread you may find helpful.
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/...ad.php?t=50172

Welcome and good luck.