Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Places to live/hunt/retire?

So I've convinced the wife that after retiring we can move up north for a year or two and hunt/fish/live in Alaska, then keep the place as a getaway...

Problem is: I know nothing about Alaska.

Looking for an area where we could hunt/fish on our property (or very close by) and still be relatively close to a town (small town is fine - just for supplies etc.). I don't want to be "in town" nor "too remote" but somewhere in the middle. (Well, I'd like to be in the remotest part, but wifey doesn't...)

Suggestions on places to check out?

Other info?

Thanks for your help...

That's a tough one to answer, a little more info might help narrow things down for you.

Do you want fresh or saltwater for fishing or both? Do you just want to hunt on land you own or nearby or are you willing to travel?

Got any toys (boats, atv's, planes, etc,etc)? Are you planning on maintaining your residency after you leave here?

Check out Glennallen and the Copper River Valley. Land is cheep, 4 hours form Anchorage, 2 hours from Valdez and the hunting and fishing is good as well.


Walt

That is beginning to sound like the Fairbanks-Delta-Tok area depending on what you want to hunt(?) What are you retiring from?

Personally I would recommend taking a short vehicle and cruise the Alaska Marine Highway maybe as early as next April but May-June tend to be the nicest months. http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ The ferries are very relaxed and feed you well. There are some wonderful coastal communities to live, hunt, and fish. Sitka, Pelican, and Gustavus would be high on the list to check out in the south-east and I enjoy visiting Kodiak too. Buy a copy of the Milepost: http://milepost.com/

You don't want to live up here. Too damn cold in the winter, to many mosquitoes in the summer.

You are aware that you have to live here one year before you have resident licenses and fees yes? Otherwise you are limited to what you can hunt.

Colorado or Montana that area you might like better.

We're closed.

Someone forgot to hang the sign up..................<grins>

I'm coming anyway, just ain't figured out where yet. It all boils down to whether you can handle the rain or the cold best. I know I can handle minus 50 'cause I did it for two winters as an infantryman, that ain't a problem.

A lot of people leave a motor or Camper on the Kenai Peninsula
store it there in winter and stay all summer.

Would like to find some place in lower 48 to do the same thing Sept thru Dec.

Kinda frustrating trying to compete with non residents fishing for 40 days straight and me on weekends only, but in 3 years I am going to try!!

Many years ago I road the train from Fairbanks down to the Talkeetnas and got off and headed east, towards Portage Creek on a jeep trail. There was a small house there and the owner came out an chatted as my friend and I hiked by. I inquired about the area and complemented him on his beautifully sited/located wilderness getaway. Then I commented that it sure does get cold in the winter and he replied that he really didn't know because he spent the winter in Hawaii.

Pussy!

Of course it's all individual whether one can do that or not.

I left Fairbanks 17 years ago after living there for 18 years. I used to get all giddy when temps would push -50 thinking that was, um, "cool". Anymore, I think I'd be looking at airfare if that happened.

YMMV.

Yeah, minus 20 and below is pretty much a survival situation. Just hunker down till it warms up, and make sure you've plenty of wood split.

Renovo, PA. Best hunting and trout fishing in USA. Houses still cost $25K or less. Very scenic, great schools, reasonable cost of living, except for taxes( PA is a semiCommunist welfare state with 13 layers of govt all with taxing ability, if you are alive and breathing you owe the state $25 yearly etc etc... ) Good thing too is the LOTTO goes to the old people, and they lack for nothing. A top ten town for outdoorsman.

PA? You forgot the smiley

Yeah, Silvertip, those taxes are a drag. I lived up in Warren PA for a couple of years, boy was I surprised when the lady from city hall came around to tell me I owed $15 just for existing. (for those of you that never heard of such a thing, it was called a head tax then) And when my wife made it there from where she was living /working, we were going to owe another $15. Then came the local (not state, but city) income tax. Had we stayed there we could have bought a house for "under $25K" as you say (which was quite a shock for two Californians, 25K hardley gets one past the paperwork there!) , and the hunting and fishing opportunies were great. Best smallmouth fishing I had was in the creek behind the Burger King, park in their lot, go over the guard rail and start fishing right in town! If they weren't hitting there, up the road four miles to the K-Mart!. Moot point for me, as my wife doesn't want to move east of the rockies ever again.

And all you AK folks, I might like to retire/live in the SE area. I was in Juneau (Auke Bay) for 14 months and liked it, lowest I saw was about -8F, warmer than I saw in PA. But it's too remote for my wife, having to fly or boat everywhere. Now we're thinking coastal Oregon (Brookings, Gold Beach, Port Orford)or someplace in Washington. (no income tax there, but other taxes are high)
But first we have to make it to retirement age and hope there's some money in the "kittie" then. The way things are going, I'm not sure that'll be the case.
Geno

......."AkMtnHntr
Someone forgot to hang the sign up..................<grins> "............ i hung it back up! snow bird free zone !!!!

renovo PA is gods country. if you have a full set of teeth and aren't married to a blood kin you're automatically made mayor.

Yup!!
Ya won't like the Interior. As mentioned, what are ya gonna do when the temp really drops? I love watching the cheechakos when that happens - lottsa fun. Then there's the skeeters & no-seeums in the summer/fall too. Lottsa land locked up by the native corps. and there's no way you're gonna take that thar 4 wheeler anywhere for any huntin' trip. The Interior is loaded with [bleep] and a 4 wheeler won't really work & you for darn sure arn't gonna be hauling a moose quarter over 'em either. BTDT with the 4-wheeler & haulin' moose quarters.
Better to come up for an entire summer, or even several, travel around & spend time lookin' first.
Bear in Fairbanks