Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Food question from a non resident.

We have these stupid tv shows about surviving in Alaska where the people have to kill animals or catch a lot of fish to survive the winter. I kill know is is a way of life in Alaska. But let us suppose you could not hunt that fall and had to buy your food in a grocery store. What kind of meats and food would one expect to find? Yes I know it is a dumb question. So could i expect to find like hamburger and steaks or is the price just too high?

Depends where one finds themselves. For the lion's share of the population in Alaska, a short trip to any of several grocery stores would net you any thing you are likely to find in your home town. Sometimes more.

Eating game and fish is a way of life in some uber-rural areas. Most of us in the "burbs" however, do the hunting and gathering thing because we can. Moose, sheep, goat, caribou, blacktail deer, bear,ducks, grouse, hare, salmon (5 species), trout, char, sheefish, whitefish, grayling, northern pike, halibut, clams, crab, shrimp, and all the finfish in saltwater you could shake a stick at are available to many.

All of the national chain restraunts are here in the larger areas. Even in the small towns and many villages, steaks and burgers, pizza and the like can be had.

I'll not give up my menu of wild game and fish as long as I'm able to health-wise. Store bought stuf is probably more expensive than you are used to and one usually does not count the cost per pound associated with some hunts.

Did I touch any of the bases of your inquiry?

bhtr

Yes I believe that answers my question. I rather hunt for my food too. I know that wild game is much healthier. I love the deer and elk we get every year. But it does seem to run out too fast. By the time the season rolls around again in the fall, we out of meat again.

We kill a moose virtually every year. We put dozens of salmon away either dried or frozen. Meat (pork) is $7.49/lb minimum in the store. Beef is a lot higher except ground which might be around 6-7/lb. Milk is $7 half gallon. We live roadless and rural. Hunting ain't free, but it sure seems cheap when compared to buying straight out.

There is no free hunting anywhere, government has seen to that. I got make it up there one day for deer or caribou. A gallon of milk here is 6.49 for the good milk. Hamburger is 3 to 4 dollars a lb. But gas is only $3.69 a gallon. Still better to hunt for your meat even here. I am going for Elk and mule deer in October.

I had you in mind with most of my "rural" thoughts, Klik

I've never bought meat at the store. I grew up on moose and bou. I don't even care for top grade beef steaks out there, too bland for me.

I believe you are wrong there, I believe subsitence permits are free IIRC.

Most hunting tags for Alaskan residents are free, just costs money to get to them. In my wallet alone, I got a moose, bou, sheep, 5 deer, and 5 black bear tags. And no grizzly tag required where I hunt with a no closed season. Still waiting on my bison tag (drawing tag).

Actually, subsistence hunting requires a hunting license just as the rest - except for the marine mammals stuff. It is true that a very poor person can get one for next to nothing, but they aren't free. Harvest tickets are however, so a person can get a moose and at least a thousand caribou for no cost beyond the license.......and a boat ($10,000-30,000), an ATV ($7,000-10,000), a snowmachine, $8,000-$12,000), and gas for $7-$11/gallon. Oh, and if you don't load your own, Core-lokt ammo by the box will run around $38. So yeah, meat is pretty cheap when you hunt your own!

I'm glad you mentioned 5 species of salmon. A few days ago, I was on a flight between Minn/St Paul and Anchorage. Behind me was a fellow who was a seasonal Alaska resident who was full of all kinds of facts - and happily filling an eager, and apparently wealthy bimbo's head with his wealth of information. He cited the 7 species of salmon we have and proceeded to name pinks, kings, sockeye, coho, dogs, chums, and beginning to run out of names, apparently not realizing that he could name ten names if he used both commonly used names for each of the five species, he ended with: uh.......salmon. (And he claimed to be a boat captain of some sort.) I would have gladly helped sort things out, but I just didn't have the heart to break up his party. Besides, he had a most annoying laugh and didn't particularly want to engage him and encourage him further. Although I was tempted to spill a few drops of reality into his sales pitch for the $1000 annual residency reward all Alaskans are paid. I really didn't have the heart to tell him what that $1000 would pay for if he was truly a resident here - not that I mind the little stimulus, but referring to it as an incentive for moving or staying here is about as stupid "penny-wise and dollar foolish" as one might be.

I picked out a few folks who were almost certainly Alaskan residents. Ironically they were pretty much minding their own business.

Old Rudyard said it best Klik - "you're a far far better man than I, Gunga Din..."

But, can I hunt beer with you? (My knees are shot, but I still have pretty decent elbows. )

There is no charge for an Alaska Hunting/Fishing/Trapping license if you are an Alaska Resident, Senior Citizen.
Best Wishes

Yes there are free licenses here and there depending on what you hunt or fish or your age. But the equipment usually cost money and there is always fuel of some kind to be bought. Sometimes you need to eat when hunting. I get a kick out of it when someone wants to go hunting their first time for the free meat.

Every state I have lived in we always had to pay for our tags, but here in Alaska they give them to you for free. And for $48 you can get a combo hunting/fishing license, add in the free tags and that's a deal that is hard to beat anywhere.

VERY familiar with costs up there.

He said .gov made it not free, and many states you don't get anything free, but I was recalling that at least some tags were/are free in AK. Thats not the case in many places.

Access is somewhat similar here. Though I can kill deer out my door, just like my friends in AK could kill moose otu the door, we too have to have vehicles, boats and pay for fuel. Much cheaper fuel though. 30K won't touch some of the boats needed to access some areas here too.

But I'd love to try to make ends meet(meat) in your great state.

Jeff

Jeff

Well, you said .gov saw to it that hunting isn't free. I don't think .gov makes you drive anywhere or own a boat etc... I figured since you referred to .gov, it had to be in reference to license costs.

If you figured the cost of most wild meat, ribeyes would possibly be cheaper every day....

That being said.... there are cheaper and more expensive ways to hunt.

I'd hate to think what duck costs me. Airboat is 25K, and thats a cheap one... and thats just starters...

Well, I live in CT, I just made a tax payment on my property, yea the fish and game gives me a "free" land owner tag. I can shoot two deer one has to be antler less. I still have to buy a hunting license, and as of 1 Oct I will have to get a Permit just to buy ammo! Yep I am already into this years deer hunting for well pass 600 dollars and the season starts 1 November. When I was living in AK, I never had much time to either fish or hunt. I hunted and I was successful but it was not cheap. Being a Pilot put me in good places but I still had transport costs like everybody else. I had plenty to eat, Moose, salmon, along with potatoes and Pasta, I would buy that in bulk. But were it got old was fresh fruit and vegetables. If you live on the road system, you can get almost anything, the only thing required is money. Food prices are up a lot so far this year in my neck of the woods and its by no means cheap here. I never thought Alaska prices were all that much more that what I was use to, except for out in the bush then things get how shall I say interesting.

Well it sure as hell aint cheap catching and/or killing your dinner here, but I can't put a price on spending time with my kids in pursuit. Had my youngest out today, he wanted to catch dinner for us.....and he didn't disappoint.