Moose, Caribou and Grizzly Hunting in Alaska

Alaska offers moose, caribou and grizzly hunting.

The state of Alaska is a heavily forested state that is home to a variety of wildlife. Among it's big game animal population are moose, caribou and grizzly bears.



The Alaska Department of Fish and Game overseas wildlife management in the state and issues hunting permits for big game animals. Hunters must meet certain requirements and have proper permits to hunt moose, caribou and grizzly bears in Alaska.

General Hunting Requirements

Alaska requires licenses and tags for hunters. Alaska residents age 10-15 are exempt from licensing requirement.

Prices for hunting licenses and tags vary based on the residence of the hunter and species being tagged. Prices for Alaska residents are the lowest, followed by nonresident US citizens, with non-resident aliens paying the most.

Hunter tags are required for certain species and they must be placed on the animal after it has been killed. Hunters can use a tag designated for one species and place it on another if the cost of that species' tag is less than or equal to the original tag.

Non-resident citizens must have an approved hunting guide or a relative with Alaskan citizenship when hunting grizzly bears. Non-resident aliens must have an approved hunting guide for any big game hunting, including moose, caribou and grizzly hunting.

Obtaining Permits

High demand and the need to maintain a healthy population limits available hunting permits for moose, caribou and grizzly bears. Permits are limited to draw hunting and Tier II subsistence hunting.

Draw hunting permits are done by a lottery system. Hunters pay a fee to enter the lottery and permits are awarded by a drawing.

Tier II subsistence hunting recognizes the need of hunting as part of the subsistence culture in Alaska. Only Alaska citizens are eligible for Tier II permits. Certain hunting districts with low animal populations are restricted to Tier II hunting only.

Nonprofit conservation groups are given big game permits to raffle or auction off, with proceeds shared by the state and sponsor organization.

Moose Hunting

Western Alaska is home to a large population of trophy moose.

Moose hunters bag 6,000 to 8,000 moose statewide annually. Moose hunting produces 3.5 million pounds of meat per year.

Alaska is home to a large population of trophy moose. Male moose can grow trophy antlers as young as age six and the average moose has trophy antlers between ages ten and twelve. Trophy moose can be found across Alaska, but are most common in the western portion of the state.

Caribou

Caribou travel in large herds across Alaska.

There are 32 large herds of reindeer in Alaska contains over 950,000 animals. Hunters in Alaska harvest 22,000 caribou every year. A full grown male can produce 100 pounds of meat.

Caribou are the only deer species in which both male and females have antlers, with male caribou are preferred because they have larger antlers than females.

Grizzly Bears

Grizzly bears are often hunted by tourists.

Grizzly bears, also called brown bears, are found throughout most of Alaska. Around 30,000 bears are found in the state. Hunters harvest an average of 1,900 bears per year. Most of the bears, approximately 1,200, are bagged by nonresident hunters, while the rest are taken by Alaska residents.

It is illegal to shoot cubs or to shoot a mother bear in the presence of offspring.

References

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: 2010-2011 Alaska Hunting Regulations
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Moose Hunting in Alaska
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Caribou Hunting in Alaska
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Brown Bear Hunting
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Alaska Hunting Permits