Here's the deal. Two of us are planning an unguided trip to Alaska ... that's about as far as we've got. Options include:

1. Prince of Wales for Black Bear.
2. Western Arctic Herd Caribou drop camp.
3. Hunt around Anchorage with access to a 4WD and a pontoon raft.
(4. Kodiak Is. for blacktails, too, I suppose.)

It's that third option I have questions about. Is it reasonable to consider a moose/black bear trip with those resources in that area? Or should we stick to the more "traditional" unguided trips? If it's not worth investigating, then so be it, but it'd be nice to use those resources.

JGH

First I'd highly recomend getting a copy of the ADF&G hunting regs and thoroughly read them, then you'll be thoroughly confused, and have to read them again. Alaska has many game management units (GMU), with different seasons and restrictions on the animals.

When you say hunting close to Anchorage, what do you consider close? To me, that means something I can drive to, which could be 200-300 miles away. Close to you could be GMU 14 and 15.

There aren't alot of 4wd trails, and basically anytyhing accessible to a 4wd or a 4 wheeler will see alot of hunting pressure.

The best hunting areas nearby Anchorage are those closed to motor vehicle traffic. That said, you need to be in good shape to hunt those areas, and really really good shape to pack a moose out of them.

I'll also add that most hunting areas in the immediate vicinity of Anchorage are predominately drawing areas. There are two different drawing application periods, one in the winter, and one in the spring.