Alaska is the biggest hunting state in the country, and it hunts differently from anywhere else. Most of it has no roads. Many hunts start with a bush plane or a boat. Some species need a guide if you are a nonresident, and every nonresident needs a locking tag before they go into the field. Get the planning right and you can hunt moose, caribou, brown bear, Dall sheep, black bear and Sitka black-tailed deer in country that few people ever see.

This guide covers the basics. Use the links at the bottom to go deeper on each step.

Alaska hunting at a glance

Where to buy	Online through ADF&G, at license vendors, or at ADF&G offices
Regulatory year	July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
Drawing applications	November 1 – December 15 each year, for hunts the following season
Drawing results	Posted the third Friday of February
Nonresident hunting license	$160
Resident hunting license	$45
Nonresident locking tags	Moose $800, caribou $650, brown/grizzly bear $1,000, Dall sheep $850, black bear $450, deer $300
Guide required (nonresidents)	Brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, mountain goat

Fees and dates are from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the 2026–2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations.

Step 1: Know the three kinds of hunts

Alaska uses three main ways to control who hunts what.

• General season hunts. You pick up a free harvest ticket and hunt. This covers a lot of moose, caribou, sheep and deer hunting, plus black bear in some units.
• Registration permits. Usually unlimited and available over the counter or online before the season, but they can close early by emergency order when a harvest quota is reached. Many brown bear and some moose hunts work this way.
• Drawing permits. A lottery for limited hunts. You apply in November and December for hunts the next year. Read our drawing permit guide.

Step 2: Understand the nonresident rules

Nonresidents must buy a big game locking tag for each species before hunting it. Nonresidents also need an Alaska-licensed guide, or an Alaska resident relative within the second degree of kindred, to hunt brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep or mountain goat. Nonresident aliens need a guide for every big game species.

Read the full guide requirement and tag rules

Step 3: Pick your species and season

• Caribou: Late summer, usually August and September. Some herds are open to nonresidents by harvest ticket, others by drawing only, and some are closed to nonresidents.
• Moose: Most nonresident moose hunting falls in the first three weeks of September, during the pre-rut. Many units require a bull with 50-inch antlers or four brow tines on one side.
• Dall sheep: August 10 – September 20 in most open areas, full-curl rams only.
• Brown/grizzly bear: Spring (mostly March–May) and fall (mostly August–December) hunts, depending on the unit.
• Black bear: Spring bait and spot-and-stalk hunts, plus fall hunts. Long seasons in many units.
• Sitka black-tailed deer: August through December in Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound and Kodiak.

See Alaska hunting seasons by species

Step 4: Budget for flying

Licenses and tags are only part of the cost. Air charters, gear, meat shipping and lodging in town add up quickly. As a rough estimate, a self-planned drop-off caribou hunt runs several thousand dollars once flights are included. A fully guided brown bear or moose hunt commonly runs $25,000–$40,000.

Break down the cost of an Alaska hunt

Step 5: Choose guided, drop-off or DIY

For some species you have no choice: nonresidents must hire a guide for brown bear, sheep and goat unless a resident relative takes them. For moose, caribou, black bear and deer, you can hire a guide, book a transporter to drop you off, or hunt from the road system.

Compare guided, transporter and DIY hunts

Before you go: requirements every hunter needs

• Hunting license. Required for everyone hunting big game. Licenses are good for the calendar year printed on them, and new ones go on sale in January.
• Harvest tickets or permits. Free harvest tickets are required for general season moose, caribou, sheep and deer, and for black bear in some units.
• Hunter education. If you were born after January 1, 1986, and are 18 or older, you need a hunter education card to hunt in Units 7, 13, 14, 15 and 20. Some special areas and weapon-restricted hunts have their own requirements.
• Same-day airborne rule. You generally can’t hunt big game until 3:00 a.m. the day after you’ve flown, except on scheduled commercial flights. There are limited exceptions, such as for deer.
• Meat salvage. You must salvage all edible meat of moose, caribou, deer and sheep (bear salvage rules vary by unit and season). In many units, including 9B, 13, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24 and 25, moose and caribou taken before October 1 must have the quarters (and in some units the ribs) left on the bone until the meat is out of the field or processed. Check your unit.
• Reporting. Harvest reports are due within 15 days of taking your bag limit or the end of the season, even if you didn’t hunt.

Find an Alaska guide or outfitter

Horn & Fin lists registered guides, outfitters, transporters and lodges across Alaska. Each listing shows the species and areas they hunt, along with reviews from other hunters.

More Alaska hunting guides

• How to apply for Alaska drawing permits
• Alaska nonresident guide requirement, locking tags and harvest tickets
• Alaska hunting seasons by species
• How much does an Alaska hunt cost?
• Guided vs. transporter vs. DIY hunts in Alaska
• How Alaska draw points work
• Alaska draw odds by unit