Moving to Alaska?

[colonel00]

Those are interesting comments, Mjm316. Where in the Midwest were you? I'm in the heart of the country in Kansas City and it's a challenge to find decent public hunting. There are public lakes where I duck hunt but trying to find a place to hunt deer is about impossible unless you want to risk the over-crowded and minimal public lands.

I think there is a big distinction between pheasant, grouse and deer (whitetail) versus mule deer, elk or as you mention sheep and moose. Hunting those animals is a week+ commitment anyway unless you just happen to have them in your backyard. For most big game hunts or fishing trips, we travel 12 hours plus.

 

[bud]

TEMBRY I loved your post about your sheep hunt, one of the best Ive read. Im also a native Kentuckian. Good luck Bkaufmann on your journey. I understand wanting to move just for the hunting, for me its the hunting and something else hard to describe. Wild places that are not ruined by man I guess. I left a good job and stable life. Moved to WY. Rough at first but turned out great. Best decision I ever made.

 

[AK Troutbum]

TEMBRY I loved your post about your sheep hunt, one of the best Ive read. Im also a native Kentuckian. Good luck Bkaufmann on your journey. I understand wanting to move just for the hunting, for me its the hunting and something else hard to describe. Wild places that are not ruined by man I guess. I left a good job and stable life. Moved to WY. Rough at first but turned out great. Best decision I ever made.

I moved up to Alaska, from Wyoming, when I was 23 years old (25 years ago.....Wow). I figured that if I didn't like Alaska I would go back to Wyoming and settle down there. My whole family now lives in Montana and Wyoming is just a little too close, so I guess I'll stay in Alaska. Wyoming still has a special place in my heart though.

 

[Mjm316]

Colonel00, I lived in a suburb of Minneapolis. I was fortunate enough to have 2 places to use in the Northern part of the state that has or had some excellent grouse and whitetail hunting (meat hunters) For pheasants it was usually my hunting buddy and I hitting public lands in the southern part of the state. Not the best hunting but we got out put boots on the ground and found birds. I was also fortunate enough to draw a once in a life time moose tag in Mn.
But I do understand what you are saying about elk or Mule deer being quite an excursion from where you are. Probably a little similar to up here as far as getting to or near a hunting area or starting point.

 

[KDF]

Bkaufmann, thank you for giving us all a chance to dream about big life-changing moves. It is a shame that we only get one go round on this planet. I am north of forty, and staring down the barrel of 2 college tuitions, so any move away from a solid job market just isn't going to happen for me.

The fact is that for most of us are going to work one job or another 5 days/week for 40 years. It is better to get paid well at it, so that you can afford to do some hunting. Cheaper housing usually means lower salaries (not always but certainly on average). If your key motivator is cheaper housing I would say be patient and your earning will catch up. On the other hand, if you decide to make the move I would love to come and visit (I will bring a couple of bottles of scotch and some oats for the horses).

 

[Becca]

Logistics is everything in AK. I've told many people that I hunted quite a bit more in the Midwest than I have in Ak just because of travel. Most of the time, a good trip is a week not a weekend or long weekend. I used to do day trips for pheasants grouse and deer nearly every weekend. Then you get into the time factor. Most good trips take a week min. A week for sheep a week for moose a week down to Kodiak a week for a fun fishing/float trip and everyone wants at least a week out of here in the winter. So you must pick and choose your trips,or are your own boss or have a very understanding employer time is as big of a factor as logistics. On other hand I do love it here and don't see myself leaving anytime soon. There are huge sacrifices to living here.

The fact is that for most of us are going to work one job or another 5 days/week for 40 years.

I think these two statements make a really important point about the logistics of AK hunting. Alaska is a huge geographic area, with limited road system. We often drive 5 hours or more to park the truck and begin hiking in off the road. A coastal boat based bear hunt can mean 3 to 6 hours of driving, plus the hours (2 or more if you want to get away from the crowds) you spend in the boat (your own or a chartered vessel) to get to where you will set up camp. Hunting Kodiak means a one hour commercial flight (think all the joys of airline travel times 5 since you have all your hunting and camping gear plus rifles as checked baggage), then an hour or more bush flight out. Travel via bush plane, commercial airline, and to some extent boat and vehicle can be heavily impacted by inclement weather so delays are common.

Not trying to discourage the OP or others from wanting to hunt up here, but just pointing out the logistics involved, which equal the need for ample time if you want to get out of town and away from other people to hunt up here. Most that work regular 5 day a week jobs find it pretty challenging to get remote with only 2 days off each week, and as others have said vacation time is always a premium. My husband and I are blessed with a lot of time off due to our non traditional work schedules, which allows us time for lengthier trips. We both work two weeks a month, and have the other two weeks off; Luke in the oil industry on Alaskas North Slope, and myself as a hospital RN. While we have some incredible adventures (and I wouldn't trade it for anything), the schedule does come at a price in that we have to be apart almost 6 months each year, working 12 hour shifts..lots of holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and other events spent apart due to work is the trade off.

 

[elkyinzer]

I had this dream when I was young. I got to fish for salmon on Kodiak when I was 7 years old and was hooked. Instead I settled around home with a 9 to 5. My rationale was I can live at least seasonally out West after I retire. But who knows can't take that for granted. Worked for me I have a tremendous woman but she is not the Alaska type. You can't do it all over again, I say live your dreams. Just seeing the stories others share is really cool, thanks for sharing. I often read or see videos about Alaskan hunting and it sounds amazing but there are major logistics and expense involved.

 

[Bkaufmann]

Not trying to discourage the OP or others from wanting to hunt up here, but just pointing out the logistics involved, which equal the need for ample time if you want to get out of town and away from other people to hunt up here. Most that work regular 5 day a week jobs find it pretty challenging to get remote with only 2 days off each week, and as others have said vacation time is always a premium. My husband and I are blessed with a lot of time off due to our non traditional work schedules, which allows us time for lengthier trips. We both work two weeks a month, and have the other two weeks off; Luke in the oil industry on Alaskas North Slope, and myself as a hospital RN. While we have some incredible adventures (and I wouldn't trade it for anything), the schedule does come at a price in that we have to be apart almost 6 months each year, working 12 hour shifts..lots of holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and other events spent apart due to work is the trade off.

Oh it sure is a blessing having a schedule like that. I work two days on and four days off. But, like you said I've worked my birthday, thanksgiving, christmas and many other holidays this year. But no complaints here.

I think we've decided to stay in state but to locate to the NW CO. Great hunting, cheap housing, and a location 40 miles away that would pay better for work.

Win/win and I figure I wont quite be giving up my dream if I still go up to hunt Alaska occasionally.

 

[bcimport]

I am originally from Colorado, now in BC. We have more roads than Alaska but certainly huge distances to cover and then bush planes or jet boat rides to get to really remote amazing country. I don't regret doing everything I had to in order to make living and working in BC a reality. That said I wouldn't feel like I was in a bad spot if I were on the west slope of CO either. Lots of good mountain biking, backpacking hunting and fishing at your back door. Of all the advice you will get I would urge you to think about what you really want out of life. We all have to work, we'll most of us. Don't live an average life full of regret for the things you never got to do. Work hard, take some calculated risks and don't wait for some day or retirement. You'll be broke and worn out without having done the things you wanted to. If Alaska is what you want make a plan and do it, just know like anything else you want you'll have to work hard to make it work.

 

[Felix40]

Oh it sure is a blessing having a schedule like that. I work two days on and four days off. But, like you said I've worked my birthday, thanksgiving, christmas and many other holidays this year. But no complaints here.

I think we've decided to stay in state but to locate to the NW CO. Great hunting, cheap housing, and a location 40 miles away that would pay better for work.

Win/win and I figure I wont quite be giving up my dream if I still go up to hunt Alaska occasionally.

Hell yeah man. This thread inspires me to really make some life changes a priority. I lived in Buford and worked in Meeker for a year and it was the happiest time of my life.

 

[2ski]

Hell yeah man. This thread inspires me to really make some life changes a priority. I lived in Buford and worked in Meeker for a year and it was the happiest time of my life.

Do it man. Don't be afraid to take risks. If you live life content with the present, you wake up years later wondering where all that time went and wondering what that next step should be. And risk gets harder to take.

 

[2ski]

What I've gathered from this thread.....people in AK really don't want any of us to move there. Selfish....selfish. Hoarding that huge state for yourselves.

 

[AK Troutbum]

What I've gathered from this thread.....people in AK really don't want any of us to move there. Selfish....selfish. Hoarding that huge state for yourselves.

Dammit! The gigs up boys!

 

[blackdawg]

As my old buddy told me when I was young "nothing ventured nothing gained". I had those same dreams when I was 22, took the chance moved from Tennessee to Wyoming, then to Alaska, then back toColorado. So glad I did it now that I am older with little kids , etched memories in the mind for a lifetime. Don't worry with the women , most will cause you grief in the long run these days, wished I hadn't let one trick me into going from Alaska to Colorado. I would suggest staying near the Anchorage, soldotna or kenai. Lots of fishing " catching" to be done up there also. The logistics,time and costs will be the challenge to overcome. Having employment lined up before you arrive would be very beneficial, most guys I know that just went up looking for work didn't end up staying very long. Also consider how often you will visit family or they will visit you, once every year cuts into the vacation time

 

[AK Troutbum]

Also consider how often you will visit family or they will visit you, once every year cuts into the vacation time

And sometimes that's once too often as far as I'm concerned.

When I initially came up in the late 80s I was 21 and went to work on a commercial fishing boat out of Dutch Harbor, so a job, with room and board was already taken care of. I didn't care much for the work but it did pay well and it helped me make the decision to go back to school and get an education, which I ended up doing at UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage) in '92. School up here was pretty cheap back then, and with the annual PFD (permanent fund dividend) check, that almost paid entirely for my education. A couple of the best decisions I ever made were moving up here and going back to school. I don't think I'll ever leave, although it would be nice to winter in Mexico/Central America. I think that will be my next goal in life.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Go and see for yourself. Rent a place for a month and check it out.