Moving to Alaska?

[Bkaufmann]

Am I stupid for wanting to move to alaska for hunting?

I am thinking Fairbanks for cheap housing with some land where I can hunt caribou and moose close by. I live in one of the most expensive places in the nation to live where I cant see me affording to buy a house with my pay. I could get a house with ten acres out there at a price where I could get a mobile home with a neighbor five feet away where I live.

My girlfriend is totally down for the idea as long as she can bring her horses & buy another dog. (both plus's in my opinion)

My question to you guys is if you were posed with this situation where would you want to move to in Alaska for the job market/big game hunting (oil jobs excluded)

-Ben.

P.S. am I also stupid to be moving away from Great Elk & Mule deer hunting here for the big game hunting out there?

 

[Floorguy]

Yes.

Alaska isn't cheap, compared the Anchorage and the matsu, Fairbanks isn't cheap. Of course I don't know what $ range you are looking at either. While I haven't been looking for a job I don't think the market is great and don't think it will be getting better anytime soon. I currently work construction and fully expect that to crash after this year.

 

[adventure907]

As oil goes, so does the economy...

Unless things change in the oil sector sometime soon, then Alaska is headed toward a recession. Anybody who was up here in the 80's knows what that means.

 

[Bkaufmann]

I've been considering this because of the fact that I live right outside of Vail, CO so I figured cost of living is on par, but with cheaper housing. So who knows if it would actually be cheaper.

I do have a feeling the alaskan economy will be crashing though due to dropping oil prices & downsizing the military.
To clarify, are you saying you recommend moving somewhere else in Alaska, or not Alaska at all?

 

[adventure907]

Alaska is the greatest place in the world, but it's not for everybody, and misconceptions are usually abundant.

 

[Bkaufmann]

I'm not sure how accurate this is but It's showing that where I live is in fact more expensive than Fairbanks. ( http://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/eagle-co/fairbanks-ak/50000 ). I have no doubt that it's not for everybody and that there are many people that move out there just to move back. But I think coming from the mountains of CO that the change would be less drastic for me than others.

Not to mention that Hunting is what makes me happy and it just so happens that Alaska seems to be the mecca of hunting.
Either way i'm glad I asked because I know I need to make sure I do my homework through and through before a move like this.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Probably not one of your biggest concerns but Alaska (especially Fairbanks area) is probably the most expensive place in the US to raise horses. Not to mention very difficult. I would suggest making a couple trips/vacations up here, both in the summer and winter to get an idea. It's not very uncommon for couples to come up here and even under the best conditions, one person loves it (usually the man), and one person hates it (you can probably figure out who that is). Just something else to consider because, like I said, it's not uncommon at all.

 

[WRO]

I'd recommend the Kenai Peninsula as you would at least have access to some grass hay and milder weather..

 

[trapperJ]

Hunting here is very expensive.There are some folks that do well hunting from the road but most really good hunting is a flight away. I don't know anything about CO hunting but my guess is you'll hunt less big game here in an average year unless you do at least a couple fly outs.All hunting is logistics but here its even more so.

 

[Bkaufmann]

I Guess i'm just dreaming of a location where I can put on my pack and walk out the back door and come back a week later. I was also thinking hunting wouldn't be too expensive there if I was a resident. I also really dont care to fly to get into hunting. Maybe if I went with the Kenai Peninsula I could take advantage of my GF's horses, however I assume that the job market is tiny with the population being so minimal there.

 

[TEmbry]

I Guess i'm just dreaming of a location where I can put on my pack and walk out the back door and come back a week later. I was also thinking hunting wouldn't be too expensive there if I was a resident. I also really dont care to fly to get into hunting. Maybe if I went with the Kenai Peninsula I could take advantage of my GF's horses, however I assume that the job market is tiny with the population being so minimal there.

Pipe dream to hunt a state bigger than Montana, Texas, and California COMBINED without flying/atvs/boats/etc. That's actually the hardest part of hunting up here is the logistics of it.

I'd be all for moving to Alaska for hunting (I just did last year). Make sure you have a good career field, and leave the horses behind. I have no clue what the housing market that I just bought into will do, hoping oil rebounds and we don't experience any dips. I moved here knowing the housing and cost of living is twice what it was in Kentucky. I did it because before I die I WILL hunt mtn goat, grizzlies, and sheep and there was no way I would ever pay the prices required for a guide.

 

[kodiakfly]

A lot of sound advice here. I'll just echo some things instead of quoting several of the posts above.

Housing is one thing. The cost of internet and a gallon of milk are another. Amazon is a great thing, but you still can't go to Subway (for two people) for less than $30. Building materials are expensive, renting equipment is expensive...everything is just more expensive.

The job market doesn't always reflect the housing market. Houses cost "X" on average, which may match Vail. But the job market is "Y" which doesn't match Vail. Here on Kodiak for example (speaking in ballpark terms), a 1200 sqft house with one car garage and shitty yard is $1800-$2400/month rent or mortgage. The civilian job market doesn't match that. So housing is high, job market is average.

The hunting is hard. Yes, there's road system hunting, but the problem with the road system is that it's fodder for internet forums because everyone knows about it and people who don't live in that area freely give out advice. So here in Kodiak, read this forum or the Alaska Outdoors forum and people love giving out free Kodiak goat advice because they don't live here. Same with fishing Kenai or hunting the Haul Road. Walking out the back door doesn't really happen like you'd think. Flying (gotta pay or know someone), taking a boat (gotta pay or know someone) or a four wheeler (only gets you as far as everyone else with a four wheeler) is the reality of things. That's the expense of hunting. Sure, tags are cheap, but everything else gets you. Now that said, if you just want to drive around and shoot a button buck from a logging road, yeah, you can do that.

Good things....mountain views, lots of fish, cheap tags, don't gotta fly home commercial after a long hunt. I do love living here and I've lived here a while. But I don't see my Wife and I retiring here.

And the comment about misconceptions is very true. Anything you see on the TV reality shows is 95% nonsense. Life Below Zero and the Bush People one are so scripted and silly, I can't even watch it. Watch Alaska State Troopers...that's more like it.

 

[colonel00]

I've had the dream to move to Alaska for quite a while. I was just offered a position in San Jose, CA for a decent raise but far less then double my current income here in KC. It was a joke when looking at housing costs. I'd rather scratch a living in Alaska than scratch a minimal rent payment in CA. Yes, it does cost money to do fly-out hunts in AK but you already have a car and gear to get to the airstrip. Imagine what it costs us lower 48'ers when having to deal with the airfare up there, the rental car just to get to the airstrip (the car sits parked for a week or more) and then the flyout. I'd gladly trade the cost of living for fish and game "outside my door" and the chance to chase sheep, goats and brownies for under $15,000 a pop.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I did it years ago. I was disappointed to say the least. Finding work and making good money is not a problem. I would recommend vacationing up there for sure. Hunting up there is a whole other animal compared to the west. Everyone thinks AK has animals everywhere which is not the case at all.

 

[Felix40]

I've wondered about Alaska myself. imo you already live in god's country. My brother and sister in law live in eagle and work in vail. I would give anything to find a job there. If you want to put on a pack and walk out the door you are already can! The eagle is full of trout, there are elk and deer running all over the place, you're less than an hour from the highest peak in the state, there is incredible rock climbing all around you, and you can ride a bike through town without rednecks throwing beer cans at you from their trucks. You are already living my dream. Not to mention you can buy 3 elk tags a year for less than it costs a lot of people just to get to Colorado. You should be saving a ton of money from never having to buy meat. If you want to buy a house you can always move to a different town that doesn't have so much tourism.

 

[MTarrowflinger]

Move to Fairbanks, put a pack on, walk out your back door and this is how it will go:

First 3-5 miles SHOULD get you past the drunken homeless natives.

The next 3-5 miles will get you into the woods but along with 100 of your closest hunting buddies.

The next 3-5 miles (assuming you don't get stopped by a river you can't cross on foot) will get you into another 100 of your closest hunting buddies, they just have boats.

The next 3-5 miles should get you out to where about 25% of the boat hunters hike in to day hunt.

If you're still up for hiking, another 3-5 miles should get you into some decent animals, just watch out for locals with Cubs because now you're on the outer edge of those who don't want to pay a ton for 100 low lead.

The reality is that chartering flights is WAY less expensive than what lower 48'ers have to deal with. A buddy and I paid ~$250/ea for round trip airfare to Kodiak and ~$1,200 total on the rock for a flight. Granted, we didn't go to the other end of the island; but, I had a pocket full of tags and we spent over 2 weeks in an Arctic Oven and had one of the most memorable hunts I've ever had.

But, the misconceptions are definitely true. Just because you live in AK doesn't mean the world will open its hunting oyster for you. There is still plenty of hard work involved and money to be spent. You'll avoid a $15,000 guide fee, yes. I haven't done the math; but, I'd almost guarantee it'll cost you more to live there each year to more than make up for that savings compared to putting some money away.

In short, if you could put away $2,000/year now, you'd eventually get to hunt. If you move to AK, it'll cost more than $2,000 more to live each year than what you're currently spending.

And Vail, CO is NOTHING like Fairbanks!! Imagine more desolation, better fishing, and much colder/darker winters.

I think whoever mentioned the KP is spot on if bringing the horses is a deal breaker. You can hunt anything there that you could in FBX, with the exception of interior grizz. Hell, there's a caribou hunt down there in a non-motorized area that usually shows good success to those with horses.



Just my two cents, probably not worth much more.

 

[InIt2Live]

I can't agree more with everything posted here... Living up near Fairbanks is a whole different animal. There certainly are perks, but I'm not sure they out weight the down sides of this area. I had the dream of coming north for over a decade, and when it came to fruition, I was happy beyond belief! For me, it won't be forever, but I will take full advantage of my time here.

With regards to cost, you won't be saving a dime! People up here drive down to Anchorage to make larger purchases (cars, trailers, 4 wheelers, etc.) because everything costs more to be sent all the way up here. And any stores or restaurants you are used to down there, forget about finding up here!

I really don't like that this all sounds discouraging, because it really is amazing up here and I am experiencing things I never thought possible. It just takes a certain cut of cloth to live up here.

 

[Bkaufmann]

I'm starting to think more along the lines of WY or MT or maybe even different places in CO that are cheaper. Guess i'll save Alaska for trips/me winning the lotto.

 

[Nick Muche]

I love living in Fairbanks, it's just fine. Great people and plenty to do for the simple minded. My wife even loves it. Hoping the house I bought does well over the next several years and also hoping that we can stay here for a very long time. I've wanted to live in AK since I was a kid, I was here at 27 and don't have any plans of leaving. The hunting is great, but the "season" is relatively short compared to the L48 unless you are willing to travel all over the state. Winters are rough, but not all that bad (this past winter was warm, it's -17 this morning). The worst fishing I've had up here has been better than the best I've had in the L48.

If you can find a good paying job up here, why not do it? If you can't find a good paying job, then it will be very tough to come here and still expect to pay costs associated with good hunting. I'd hate to add up hunting associated costs over the past few years.

Best of luck, hope it works out.

 

[Mjm316]

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.