I have seen 37 moose in three days still none legal.I have only seen one legal moose taken.I think the fires will have a big impact on moose habitat.There is also a 60 mile road that Fish & Game agreed to close hunting going to POgo mine.I have taken three kids hunting so far had lots of fun.I hope that Alaska hunting is protected before its lost forever.If Ft Greely is lost to hunting it will be a very big loss.

Folks,

I usually try to stay away from subjects that could cause an argument but I've been following this thread for awhile and I can't help but say a couple of things.

It seems that most of the complaints deal with people trying to hunt along the road system. Well it should be no surprise that the hunting that is available to anyone with a pick up is not going to be as good as it is in more remote areas. Less roads and people equal better hunting. Also nobody makes people live on the road system. Of course a number of factors dictate where one lives but you don't have to live where the competition is so fierce for the finite resources. Only a very small part of Alaska is accessible from the road that is why I chose the bush.

In my 22 years out here I have found the hunting to get better rather than worse. In the 80's you shot the first bull moose you saw because you might not see another. Now we can be selective. In fact in the last four years we have shot 2 B&C bulls. The caribou herd has grown from a meager 20,000 animals to over 200,000 and we can pick the bulls we want. As for the rest of the state a resident can hunt an enormous variety of game without messing with a draw, buying a bunch of expensive tags or fighting a crowd if you are careful.

As for AK,F&G I have found them to be very helpful in almost every situation. I think they are a great resource particularly for beginning AK hunters.

There are more people fishing and hunting than there used to be in my area but the fishing is still good and the hunting is fabulous. Yes you have to make a plan to get away from the crowd but you can do it.

Alaska is still way ahead of most places as far as a hunting and fishing goes but it is not an easy place to hunt or fish that why it is good.

Adapt and get out where the hunting is still good instead of moaning about the easy hunting disappearing.

I'm sure someone will ask why if I like Alaska so much am I moving. The truth is I'm getting older and a 7 month winter with loads of snow to shovel is less appealing than it used to be. Also I've been lucky enough to take good specimens of all the game here but I have very little experience in the Western US and WY will give me good opportunities to hunt mule deer, elk etc.

Regards,

Mark

The only way I've found to deal with the changes I've been seeing is to find lonely places to hunt, and keep my mouth shut about them.

It's still possible to find them. Actually, some of the best are right in the middle of Controlled Use Areas (the political tactic works; restricted access keeps folks out). Other places are really close to human development; you may not get a prime wilderness experience, but the hunting is great. Other areas are simply overlooked by the ATV Army out there. A couple places have a river crossing that require special measures, but there are hundreds of square miles of prime moose habitat on the other side, empty of hunters.

I have several special places like that I'll use. I choose my area based on current moose and predator counts, the lateness of the season (I prefer areas open until the 30th of Sept), and antler restrictions (I prefer any bull areas). I stay away from ATV areas. The government and enviro-kooks are declaring total war against them, and those areas are too busy for me, anyway.