Alaska costs

Joined
Nov 7, 2012
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S. UTAH
I didn't see a post on this. What were your costs outside the transporter/guide and airfare. Basically what did you pay once you got there and back other than those mentioned. Including hotel, food, shipping gear, meat prep, etc. Include weight of meat shipped if applicable.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
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Weiser, ID
I don't remember exactly but it wasn't what I'd call expensive. AIR B&B one night each way, couple Uber rides to and from airport, couple meals eating out, took all gear on the plane as checked bags, bought a couple fish box's and checked probably 100 lbs of meat on the way home. Maybe $5-600 per person?

Maybe @BRTreedogs remembers better than I do.
 

shanny28757

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
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115
similar experience here.
-2 nights in a hotel.
-2 days worth of meals
-couple airport runs to and from
-extra baggage fee for meat

expect at least few hundred extra dollars depending on where you stay, if you eat steaks or ramen, etc.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
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Central Oregon
Well we did it kind of the expensive way.
I think we spent about $750 each
Also bag fees have gone up since our trip.

There were only 2 flights a week and I wasn’t comfortable with trying to do all 3 legs in one day.
So we broke our flights up and stay the night in anchorage.
So this cost us the Air bnb and some on the flight’s. We broke up the flight on the way home as well in case we decided to do some other excursion around anchorage.

Also getting an Air bin was probably more expensive but we each wanted our own room and bathroom.

Something I didn’t think about in the way up that cost us a lot of baggage is we picked up our bags in Anchorage and checked them again the next day.

But you can check them to your final destination, which we did on the way home.
Alaska air requires all meat to be vacuum sealed now, which the transporter provided but it was a total pain and we lost a day of fishing to package meat.
Personally I’d only bring meat home again if it was sheep or moose.
And if moose I’d pay a broker to deal with it.
You can save money by donating your meat.
Not getting lodging in Anchorage
Not drinking beer
And checking whatever bags you don’t need all the way thru.
Also you could find a hotel that has a shuttle.
But over all with everything extra we did it was only $250 ish each more then the cheapest option.
 

hereinaz

WKR
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Dec 21, 2016
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Arizona
Yeah, plan on at least another $4-500 per person. Sounds right for our two different trips over the last few years. You might scrimp and save a little, but not much unless you sleep in the airport and eat PB and J you get at Walmart with your propane canisters.
 
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
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2,301
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Phoenix, Az
hotel on front and back end of hunt I would budget 500ish if double occupancy. You may need an extra night on either side depending on weather.
Eating out, beer and uber rides maybe $200.
Shipping meat back: I have checked 100 lbs of caribou meat on AK air. Used to be 100$ for one overweight bag + 2 fish boxes, so $150ish. On my moose hunt, I had meat processed by a processor and shipped back to me using trophy express. That came out to about $6.00 per lb all in, including processing, packaging and shipping. Getting horns and cape back varies as well. I was able to split a crate with a few other guys on caribou hunt drop shipped to one of our houses. That was $500 each. The moose hunt I was not able to split it with other guys and that was close to $600 IIRC using AK Trophy.

My totals
Hotels/food- $500-700
Meat- $100-$200 if checking bags If processing and shipping using and expediter $500-$1000 depending on amount of meat.
Horns and cape- $500-$1000 depending on what you have done and if you can split it with others.
Tip for pilot or outfitter- Depends on your style. My costs were $500-800
Shipping gear- I checked all my gear on my flights. Roughly $100 each way.
 

Cyril

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 17, 2021
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104
One other factor is where you are hunting out of. If you are hunting out of an Alaska airlines hub, it will cost you less, or similar to above with minimal hotel fees etc. If you need to book a flight to a remote village, it will cost you an additional $500 to $1500 round trip for ticket with no meat/trophy freight or fees. If multiple guys are successful, you may pay one way ticket out at a couple hundred to $750 each and may need to charter a flight back to guarantee your meat is on the flight with you or you will need to have an alternate plan for meat(cooler or freezer option in village and expediter in anchorage).
 
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