Alaska Elk Hunting
If you are looking for Alaska elk hunting opportunities you need to all the requirements to hunt in the state. This is especially true if you are not an Alaskan resident. In fact, a nonresident must be personally accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide to hunt ANY big game animal, including elk.
Elk Hunting Season in Alaska
The general season is the type of hunting most people are familiar with. General season is the basic hunt where you buy a license, get tags or harvest tickets for big game.
General Season Aug. 1-Dec. 31
Not all elk seasons are open to nonresidents of Alaska. In years where game herds are small or limited, nonresidents are restricted from elk hunting. Alaska elk hunting licenses and tags can be purchased online through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The current non-resident elk tag price is $800.
Most drawing hunts are available to residents and nonresidents. Drawing hunts require an application fee and are awarded by lottery. The application period for drawing hunts is during November and December.
Tier II hunts are subsistence hunts and are only available for Alaska residents 10 years of age or older. Community Subsistence Harvest (CSH) hunts are Tier I subsistence hunts and are only available for Alaska residents 10 years of age or older.
Some of the Best Places to Elk Hunt in Alaska
If you are thinking about elk hunting in Alaska you obviously want to know the best places to find them. And Alaska has two species of transplanted elk. The Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain elk are found in Alaska. Some of the best places to hunt elk are in isolated areas of in Southeast Alaska. But elk exist in greater numbers on Afognak and Raspberry islands, in the Kodiak area.
Your Elk Hunting Guide
All nonresidents hunting big game species that require an Alaska-licensed guide should check to see if their hunt requires a guide-client contract in place before or at the time of applying for draw hunts.
Must Have Gear for Hunting in Alaska
When you think of Alaska cold certainly comes to mind. And you want to make sure you have all the right gear.
- Hunting license – keep in a dry bag or ziplock.
- Alaska Guide if Non-Resident
- Lightweight mountaineering tent
- Spotting scope
- Binoculars
- Trekking poles
- Camera
- Rifle or Bow
- Shells
- Lightweight backpack
- Hunting Knife
- Bone Saw
- Parachute Cord
- Sleeping bag (0-10 degrees F)
- Cooking Stove
- Cooler
Alaska Elk Hunting Firearms
When planning elk hunting trip to Alaska, you should be aware of possible rules and regulations relating to transporting firearms. State firearm laws and regulations that relate to hunters in Alaska are simple and pragmatic.
In Alaska, hunters may generally possess and use firearms with just a few restrictions. State law prohibits the following unless you have been issued a Federal permit to possess such a firearm:
- Fully automatic firearms
- Rifles with a barrel less than 16″
- Shotguns with a barrel less than 18″, and
- Rifles or shotguns less than 26″ in total length
Recommended Elk Hunting Guns
Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter Rifle
The Pro Hunter extractor that can be rotated left or right for easy access to the speed breech.