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Joined: Dec 2010
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Well, like it or not you have another transplant from the lower 48 on the way. I've dreamed of and talked about moving to Alaska since I was a little kid, it's about time to make that happen. I'm originally from Michigan but have lived in Los Angeles for the last nine years and I NEED OUT OF THERE! I have been lucky enough to travel for work about six months a year. I'm currently in Perth, Australia and had crocodile ribs and a camel steak skewer for dinner last night. Unfortunately, even when I travel for work I'm stuck in another city. It has become entirely too toxic of a lifestyle and it's time for a change. I'm single, have no children, and minimal debt. I've also spent most of my life doing a variety of physical labor and in last few years developed a good set of management skills. I have no fear of hard work or of finding employment.

The plan(this will evolve with time):

April 2017- Pack my pickup and a trailer with my belongings(tools, clothes, sporting goods, food prep and preservation equipment, books) and drive to Anchorage. At this point I will hopefully have a housing plan developed and begin the process of getting my Alaskan residency.

I will most likely not work the first summer unless I have an opportunity to take a position that helps me gain further outdoor knowledge. I plan to fish the salmon run and preserve enough for myself via freezing, smoking and canning to get through until the following season.

September-mid October-I will spend most of this time hunting until I fill a black bear and caribou tag. I will process the meat myself. I am aware that this will take $$$.

Mid October-early January 2018-I will fly back to the lower 48 as I make a large portion of my yearly income as a carpenter on a touring holiday production(I'm a roadie).

Remainder of January 2018-spent in the lower 48 visting friends and family.

February/March/April-Return to AK and find work to retain/build financial funds and ward off seasonal depression. Research for upcoming fishing and big game seasons.

May/June/July/August-take on seasonal or part time work in the outdoor industry to gain knowledge and do what I love. Fish/backpack and train for more intense future trips.

September/October-Moose hunt

Ideally I stay in Alaska for a minimum of five years(possibly longer depending on the health of my parents), gain residency and have the opportunity to take the following game animals in that time: Black bear, Caribou, Moose, Dall Sheep, Mountain Goat and Sitka Black Tail.

I've been through a lot in life and have realized that I don't require much to be happy. All I really need is my family, friends, freedom and the great outdoors.

Most of my time and income for the next 18 months will be directed towards this change in life. Any suggestions on employment, housing, locations, hunting, fishing, game and fish preservation/storage, training, gear, etc. will be highly appreciated. I hope that in time I can earn my keep and your respect and that you will be proud to call me a fellow Alaskan.


Last edited by Stick1330; 10/01/15.

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If it were me, I'd say for the first summer pare your gear down to what you can fit in a truck with a good camper on it. Live out of the camper and use what you'll save on rent to pay for traveling around the state and seeing what the state has to offer. One months rent would about cover a non resident hunting/fishing license and tags, a couple more months rent would cover a fly out Caribou hunt.

If you want freedom and the outdoors, don't let housing and residency tie you down financially. It's ironic but true that there are many non residents who enjoy the state more than residents simply by taking the route I mention above.

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Better check the allowed absent time for establishing residency.

Also, do NOT shoot a big bull caribou from September 25 to November 1 or even a few days beyond. Do NOt shoot a bull moose after Sept 20, or same holds. Not all will be so, but enough that it's a crap shoot. Largely depends on how much they have been fighting. Pretty good chance meat will be distasteful or even inedible due to rut and/or infected wounds flavor. And no, there isn't anything you can do to make it more edible.

You don't have to be a resident to hunt any of those species, just be able to afford NR fees. Most drawing permits are also open to NR, requiring only the purchase of a NR license prior to or concurrent with the permit application.

Go online for specifics, apps, fees, etc.


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Thanks for the advice. How's the crime rate in most places? I would be nervous leaving my all of my stuff in a camper and going on a 5-7 day backpacking or hunting trip. I have thought of the camper idea and renting a parking spot in a secured facility somewhere. The residency would basically be so that I could hunt brown bear without having to pay a ton of money for a guide. Ideally I would like to make enough contacts and friends there to hunt Dall Sheep and Mountain Goat DIY as well. That's all a little advanced for me at the moment but I have the time to prepare.


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I've got no advice other than this: get busy and do it. You only live once, and even if your plan "fails" you will have enjoyed life more than most.

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Residency= 12 consecutive months in state

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Sheep and Goat also require guide for NR.


The only true cost of having a dog is its death.

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Sorta in the same boat but different.

My son will be done with HS in 3 years. At that point he's decided to join the service.

Once that happens - I have zero reason to stay where I am.

I definitely want to move to AK. Where? Dunno. My concern is work. Specifically finding work that pays well enough to cover hunting/fishing costs.

Don't have it figured out just yet - being here, not there, is a problem but I have time. Seems like most jobs are in the 12-14 dollar an hour range. NO CLUE how people live on that.

My background is logistics - thought about getting a welding degree to help with job search but don't know. I can get an MBA easy enough too - work down here and save enough to maybe just retire to AK.

I don't need much but I also want to really take advantage of the hunting/fishing up there. Moving there and not being able to afford to do the bear/deer/steelheading I want to do is like camping outside a tittybar's window. [bleep] that.


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Didn't see anyone else mention it or ask so I will. You say drive your truck and trailer up to Anchorage. Will you have handguns? Will be you taking the highway up through Canada? If so, you better check well ahead of your trip if the laws are still the same as when I was up in AK in '07 and '08.

Then (now still?) traveling with handguns thru Canada required permission from the Chief Law Enforcement officer of every Province you will pass through. I had intended to ferry north from Juneau and drive from Skagway up to the AlCan and then down through BC. That would have required permission from Yukon and BC. After holding on the phone for the BC folks for 40 minutes I said screw it and took the ferry back down as I had gone up and never took my vehicle on Canadian soil.

Things might have changed in the intervening years, so check before you get screwed at the last minute.

Good luck on your adventure. Even though I only experienced the warm part of AK, I think every outdoor type person should do it.

Geno


The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men.
In it is contentment
In it is death and all you seek
(Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)

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I may have the firearms all shipped to a licensed dealer in Anchorage to avoid the Canadian hassle. I've been to 34 countries and Canada remains one of the most difficult to deal with. Then again I like to enjoy life so I have a couple of colorful marks on my history. I currently don't own a handgun but purchasing a .44 mag revolver has been in the back of my mind for a while. I own a Ruger 10/22 take down for small game and will shopping around for a waterfowl/upland bird shotgun that is stainless/synthetic. Really wish I was home with a goose in the smoker right now.


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#1, congrats on making the choice, and best of luck in the follow through. Let us know how we can help.

#2, don't worry too much about gearing up before the move. There are enough firearms for sale in AK to supply several armies. Same goes boats, wheelers, packs and the like. There is always someone giving up the dream, and the vultures circle to get deals in the carnage. Just think, you can be one of those vultures!

458 had some good advice above. Once you are locked into housing, you have to keep feeding that monkey on your back, and that limits what you can do. Rent is not cheap, but you may be used to that. I have a friend that hauls a racecar trailer around and lives in that (in the L48). He lives super cheap and probably burns $20 bills to heat the trailer, but he probably has $100K wrapped up in that trailer and the truck to haul it around. Cool deal if you are single and have a spare 100K though...

Location wise, you pick your poison. Anchorage is a city and has all the advantages (jobs, the road system) and disadvantages (most everything else) of such. The bush is awesome in a lot of ways, but might also limit the things you can do somewhat. You will find lots of work in rural areas with your skillset.


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Teal, the same thing apply to you (and I must say: "About f-ing time man!" smile )

There are logistics here, and high schools... just saying.

Last edited by cwh2; 10/01/15. Reason: Zombies outside the window
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They is more than one of us in the coming soon boat.. LOL....

Wife and I may well be heading that way sooner than we had originally thought, at least we have decided to work really hard the next 2-3 years in setting up the chance to quit here early, and then figure out something there to cover expenses etc...

Good luck to all. Don't let the word get out though... LOL. I really think I wished to have been there 30-40 years ago...



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As far as crime, yes it does exist and yes there are meth head scum bags that break into vehicles. Perhaps a good alternative to renting an apartment would be a storage unit. Better to spend a couple hundred a month than over a thousand especially if you'll be traveling most of the time. Also there is the unfortunate fact that many if not most of the lower rent areas in Anchorage are in the higher crime areas.

Anchorage is a pros and cons city. It's the economic and population center so that's a good thing for jobs. Housing is expensive, of course it's expensive state wide and you need to balance the cost of housing with job opportunities and pay.

Professionals with in demand skills are well compensated, in some fields salaries are at or near the top of the nation. Laborers can do very well if they work in remote locations, but they are often working long hours and gone for weeks to months at a time. Construction projects are always hit or miss so you have to work when there is work, even if its in the middle of the hunting or fishing season.

The one caution is that the state is in a serious economic crunch due to low oil prices. The oil industry has throttled back and those low prices mean the state is operating at a serious deficit. No matter what people may say or think, oil is the economic engine of the state. While I don't see the economic catastrophe some are predicting, it's going to be tight the next couple years at best and if oil prices don't start heading up next year it's likely to get ugly and stay that way for some time.

The biggest balance to strike in the state is having both the time and money to enjoy it.

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Just had 20 storage units cleared out here...they cut the bolt that goes into the door frame ..so they looked locked but...the bad guys stole >>>then sold everything worth anything ..they were on the videos at the storage yard ..but the cops can do nothing- as all the evidence was sold off !!!! A Single guy ....needs a good trk camper combo,I guy could live like a king ...dam near for free !

Last edited by atvalaska; 10/02/15.

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Originally Posted by teal
Sorta in the same boat but different.

My son will be done with HS in 3 years. At that point he's decided to join the service.

Once that happens - I have zero reason to stay where I am.

I definitely want to move to AK. Where? Dunno. My concern is work. Specifically finding work that pays well enough to cover hunting/fishing costs.

Don't have it figured out just yet - being here, not there, is a problem but I have time. Seems like most jobs are in the 12-14 dollar an hour range. NO CLUE how people live on that.

My background is logistics - thought about getting a welding degree to help with job search but don't know. I can get an MBA easy enough too - work down here and save enough to maybe just retire to AK.

I don't need much but I also want to really take advantage of the hunting/fishing up there. Moving there and not being able to afford to do the bear/deer/steelheading I want to do is like camping outside a tittybar's window. [bleep] that.


Heck, even a lot of us who have been living and working in Alaska for a very long time have a difficult time getting time off from work to hunt and fish. And then when we go out there it's combat hunting and fishing. Now, if you have lots of money you can pay a pilot to fly you to a remote location to hunt and fish away from the crowds smile

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Originally Posted by atvalaska
Just had 20 storage units cleared out here...they cut the bolt that goes into the door frame ..so they looked locked but...the bad guys stole >>>then sold everything worth anything ..they were on the videos at the storage yard ..but the cops can do nothing- as all the evidence was sold off !!!! A Single guy ....needs a good trk camper combo,I guy could live like a king ...dam near for free !


Parked off the Elliot during moose season, and 6 trucks out there got their catalytic converters cut off and stolen. There was a police report about it recently. I have a very old truck that's full of rust, so the thieves didn't touch it (probably afraid of being hit on the head by a chunk of rust).

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By the way, there are more people living Alaska than coming in at the moment:
http://www.newsminer.com/news/alask...7fbc2a4-6963-11e5-a202-43496f2a8442.html

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Originally Posted by teal
Sorta in the same boat but different.

My son will be done with HS in 3 years. At that point he's decided to join the service.

Once that happens - I have zero reason to stay where I am.

My background is logistics -(This is a freaking golden Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Ticket in Alaska with the Mines(Fort Knox, Red Dog and the Oil Service Companies)

I


I don't know how good your schools are but more established schools on the road system like West Valley High School where I teach are good. We send more kids to Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Brown than the majority of schools you will find. We have a really good Marine JROTC program too.

I would say get your behind up here while the price of fuel is cheap. Gold prices can be low if fuel prices and cost of production is cheap. Lots of jobs at Knox and Pogo.

Best of Luck.

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How about taking and living in a full size or cargo van and have the best of all worlds. You can buy a used cargo carrier and put on top of the van and a hitch cargo carrier and you would be all set.

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