I WAS THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO ALASKA AND WONDERING WHAT THE BEST AREA WOULD BE TO LIVE AND BE ABLE TO HUNT AND FISH IN SOME OF THE LESS PRESSURED AREAS. BUT I WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE NEAR THE LARGER CITY ARE ARE A THAT HAS A HOSPITAL AS I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR A JOB IN THE X-RAY DEPARTMENT. AND SUGGESTIONS FOR A DO IT ALL LOCATION. I DO REALIZE THAT THERE WILL NEED TO BE SOME TRAVELING TO THE BEST LOCATION TO GET ME INTO A DESCENT LOCATION TO A SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE.

No such thing as a best part of alaska. the best part is away from cities: ie: south central, but your job kinda dictates thats where ya gotta go.

this state is to big. between your job and your interests, re-define your search a tad.

Hayden ; , You tryin to start a fight on here ???? Try Sitka .

If you don't mind a bit of rain, Cordova is about as close to perfect as I can imagine.

But really, you need to tell us more about what you like/want and what you want to avoid to find what's best for you. what's your favoroite game? Importance of fishing vs hunting, desired/tolerable climate, etc.

Dose'nt matter where you live in AK your going to have to spring for some air time at some point. Even the most remote villages have ether shot out the game within walking or 4 wheeler distance or habituated the game to stay clear of becoming an easy meal.

There are hospitals in fairly remote areas of Ak that could use your skills and there is some abilety to go by boat snow machine etc to do some hunting but it's just not going to be what you expect comeing from PA.

I hunted as a teenager a lot and did pritty OK hiking off the road system for big game. But that was when I was 18 and I was in super shape and Alaska was a differant place back then.

When I got to old for that I bought my first airplane at 23. Learned to fly in that one and got my supercub when I was 25.

That old bird has a lot of kills under its wing in the last 25 years. She needs a new engine right now but the good news is once I get that I have perfected the nuber of big game animals per hours flown and I have it down to about 8 hours fight time to get myself and whoever else is hunting with me in field per each game taken.

With a T.B.O. of 2000 hours the new engine should provide me with 250 head of game.

Thats not bad for the $20,000.00 the motor will cost me but the price of gas at over $7.00 a gallon in the bush is going to eat me up at 9 gph.

We have it all in Bristol Bay-

-30 in the am and 40+ in the evening

local rivers choked with salmon,then soonafter piles of rotting salmon everywhere

Once a hunters paradise,now a wolf hunters haven

Windmills put out maximum power until they explode

An ongoing battle with international greed over the pubic mine

all in all it an interesting place to live

great trout fishing though!

As has been mentioned above, many of the larger remote villages or towns have hospitals. I am not sure of this, but and incomplete list of towns to look at with hospital work could be Dillingham, Nome, Kotsebue, Barrow, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan, Cordova, Dutch Harbor.

The west coast should have good moose and caribou hunting. The north slope should yield sheep hunting. South east has good deer, goats and fishing. Actually, all places have good fishing.

Stay out of the interior. -30 to -40 for a month and then there's the long nights to boot. It really sucks. Stay south.
Bear in Fairbanks

I love Delta Junction.It has the best Grouse,geese,sheep moose caribou and greyling fishing in Alaska.It is the last farm town in alaska too !

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
Dose'nt matter where you live in AK

I think you should move to Anchorage and buy Akshooters house it's for sale!

(Then he can get a spread further out in the bush for me to come and visit him.)

I am sure he could be talked into throwing in an AK map with marks for all good hunting and fishing places for you.

Go to Wasilla and run for mayor. Who knows what can happen after that!!

Akshooters house in ANK is nice...

However his remote cabin is an adventure to get to...

Crossing a "semi" frozen lake and seeing the ice crack under your feet...

Or racing across on a snogo while it breaks through the ice....

Originally posted by N.E. 450#2

quote:

Crossing a "semi" frozen lake and seeing the ice crack under your feet...

Or racing across on a snogo while it breaks through the ice....

This is the deluxe package. We only do this for texans

MN hunter is right you might as well live in Anchorage to Access hunting all over the state but for me This town is not what it was 36 years ago when I came here. Time to get out in the woods.

Tony maybe you and MN can come up this spring for some of that snowmachine stuff I'm sure he can post a couple of photo's of the cabin to wet your appetite.

Actully heres a bunch he took here.

bobcouey.blogspot.com

Bob you are a great guide and a good friend but you are never going to sell you house with comments like this.

"but for me This town is not what it was 36 years ago when I came here."

"I'm sure he can post a couple of photo's of the cabin to wet your appetite."

everyone can check out the photos I took of Akshooters cabin here

http://bobcouey.blogspot.com/

The best place is where you can make enough $ and have enough time off to hunt and fish.

There really aren't any less pressured areas to live for hunting/fishing. If the hunting and fishing is good, there will be competition.

Anchorage is the center of the medical industry in the state, so the greatest opportunities of a job. You can always get a job in a different location after moving up here. Asside from the Islands in the SE, Anchorage is the best location for a fisherman when you look at all the opportunities in the fresh and saltwater within a 5 hour drive, and many many opportunities within 2 hours.

thanks for the input. the main game that i was looking to hunt be moose, black and Griz bear, caribou, and deer.fishing is also important bunt not as much as hunting. now i realize that is many game species but the area doesn't have to support the entire list but at least get me within the workable hunting area. i guess the best ? would be whats the best or nice place to live for a sportsman that needs to work in a hospital but also have some space around him.

Most really good hunting requires traveling of some kind. No where has it all. Having the money and time is the biggest thing. If you don't have the money to travel or time to get away it doesn't really matter.

Brett

Anchorage or the mat-su, are essentially the middle of the state, so equal flying distances to all parts.

Fairbanks would be better for moose, grizzly bears and caribou.

Deer hunting and black bears is best in South East.



It's hard to appreciate how far things are apart in the state, and the traveling challenges until you live here. I consider anything within a 300 mile drive to be close by.

quote:

Originally posted by Bear in Fairbanks:
Stay out of the interior. -30 to -40 for a month and then there's the long nights to boot. It really sucks. Stay south.
Bear in Fairbanks

. Bear , Your funny....

Best Location to live in Alaska for you may be Pennsylvania.

Move anywhere in the state.
The residency will offset everything else.
Just think no more $15,000 moose or Brown Bear Hunts. Most hunts are free or very cheap for tags.
Get a check from the state every year for the share in the oil sales.
Anchorage is great Fairbanks is to COLD, Dillingham remote, Sitka nice but WET WET WET.
Go!!! try it you will like it.
Larry

Spent 5 weeks in Sitka this year. It was really nice. I could see living there very easily.

From my experience, all of Paul's advice and opinions are spot on.

quote:

Originally posted by 30378:
Spent 5 weeks in Sitka this year. It was really nice. I could see living there very easily.

. 378 ; you spent 5 weeks in Sitka ,,, right on !!! Sitka is pretty primo in the summer . Fish jumpin all over the place .. Lots of berries to pick .. LOTS of bears too bump into ... I,m glad you liked it !!!

Like most of us, you will need to focus on going where your job options are....

Hunting here is expensive even if you live here....the cost of tags is only a small part of the cost of hunts for anyone, even from out of state. There are a few more options as a resident, but it is important to realize that unlike elsewhere in the country, your access to hunting areas is complicated and expensive. We have so few roads that access to hunting by road is limited and may involve miles of hiking. Packing out large animals is no joke either.

What you will save: Airfare to and from Anchorage, and a few hundred dollars on tag fees.

What you gain: Access to a few additional hunts that aren't open to non-residents, and no requirement for a guide, unless you want to find success at guided rates ;-)

For example, it is cheaper for me to hunt elk out of state in AZ (including tags, when I can get drawn) than in state due to the logistical challenges.

Each hunt in Alaska tends to be an expedition.

That said, I have no intention of leaving the state.

Good Luck,

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by IronHayden:
I WAS THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO ALASKA AND WONDERING WHAT THE BEST AREA WOULD BE TO LIVE AND BE ABLE TO HUNT AND FISH IN SOME OF THE LESS PRESSURED AREAS. BUT I WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE NEAR THE LARGER CITY ARE ARE A THAT HAS A HOSPITAL AS I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR A JOB IN THE X-RAY DEPARTMENT. AND SUGGESTIONS FOR A DO IT ALL LOCATION. I DO REALIZE THAT THERE WILL NEED TO BE SOME TRAVELING TO THE BEST LOCATION TO GET ME INTO A DESCENT LOCATION TO A SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE.

Easy, Kodiak.

I would look at Cordova and Dillingham. You will want at least 1 boat, probably 2. The "good old days" in Alaska are gone, then again, this is as good as it gets for the United States in 2010.

Another vote for Cordova. The job will be tough. Thinking they rotate med folks in and out there. My son sliced up his hand there and the doc that sewed on him was rotated in from Anchorage. Wonderful , friendly folks.

Anchorage, yup! thats the place... ...then u will only have a 2 hour drive to ALASKA.