To hunt legally in Alaska you need a current Alaska hunting license, which costs $45 for residents and $160 for nonresidents, plus species-specific tags, harvest tickets, or permits for most big game.1Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Product Prices You can buy the license online through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, at authorized vendors, or at an ADF&G office, and you must carry it in the field. Nonresidents pursuing certain trophy species also have to hunt with a licensed guide or a qualifying Alaska-resident relative, and some areas require a hunter education certificate before you can hunt at all.
Who Needs a License
Everyone hunting in Alaska needs a license, with one narrow exception. Alaska residents under age 10 do not need a license, harvest ticket, or their own locking tags; they hunt under the direct supervision of a licensed adult and use that adult’s tag. Residents aged 10 through 17 do not need to buy a license either, but they must have their own harvest tickets and locking tags for applicable species, and they are subject to their own bag limits.2Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Fishing and Hunting License General License Information
Nonresidents of any age need a full hunting license. There is no youth exemption for out-of-state hunters, so a teenager coming on a guided hunt pays for a license and tags like any adult.
Who Qualifies as an Alaska Resident
Resident pricing is a large discount, and the state defines residency tightly. To qualify, you must be physically present in Alaska with the intent to remain indefinitely, have maintained a home in the state for the preceding 12 consecutive months, and not claim residency anywhere else.3Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Residency Qualifications Holding a driver’s license in another state, voting elsewhere, or claiming a residency-based benefit in another jurisdiction disqualifies you, even after years of living in Alaska.
Military members and their dependents have two paths to the resident rate. They can qualify as any civilian would by maintaining Alaska as their home for 12 consecutive months, or active-duty members and dependents can buy resident-rate licenses after being stationed in Alaska for 12 consecutive months even while claiming another state as their legal domicile. Those stationed in Alaska for fewer than 12 months can buy a nonresident military license at the resident $45 rate, though that license restricts big game to tags bought at the resident rate and does not cover every species without additional purchases.4Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Military Licenses
Lying about residency is a serious matter. Knowingly making a false statement about residency on a license application is a class A misdemeanor under Alaska law. An unintentional false statement about identity or residency can still bring a fine of up to $300, and the Alaska Department of Law has prosecuted residency fraud cases that ended in thousands of dollars in fines, restitution, and multi-year license revocations.
Documentation and Education Required Before You Buy
Every applicant must provide a Social Security number, a federal requirement under 42 USC 666 tied to child support enforcement.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 666 – Requirement of Statutorily Prescribed Procedures to Improve Effectiveness of Child Support Enforcement You will also need a valid driver’s license or state-issued ID.
Hunter Education
If you were born after January 1, 1986, you must complete a certified hunter education course before hunting in Game Management Units 7, 13, 14, 15, and 20. Certain areas, including military installations, require hunter education regardless of birth date. Military service, concealed carry permits, and years of experience do not substitute; if the requirement applies, you need the certificate.6Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hunter Education and Certification Course Requirements Frequently Asked Questions
Bowhunter Education
Hunters joining archery-only big game hunts need a bowhunter education certification, which includes a $30 online component and an in-person field day covering blood trailing and a shooting proficiency test.7Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Alaska Bowhunter Education Course Hunters born before January 1, 1986, are exempt for draw, registration, and general season archery hunts. Alaska accepts NBEF or IBEP certification cards from other states and provinces, but another state’s bowhunting license or stamp does not satisfy the requirement.
License Fees
Current license prices from ADF&G, including applicable surcharges:1Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Product Prices
- Resident annual hunting: $45
- Resident annual sport fishing, hunting, and trapping: $85
- Nonresident annual hunting: $160
- Nonresident small game only: $60
- Nonresident alien annual hunting: $630
- Nonresident military annual hunting: $45
Two groups pay far less. Alaska residents aged 60 or older qualify for a free permanent identification card that takes the place of a hunting, sport fishing, and trapping license for life, with no annual renewal; the card number stands in for a license number on draw applications, harvest tickets, and tag purchases.8Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hunting Licenses and Permits for the Disabled and Elderly Residents whose annual household income falls at or below the federal poverty guidelines can buy a combined hunting, trapping, and sport fishing license for $5.9Justia Law. Alaska Code 16.05.340 – License, Permit, and Tag Fees; Surcharge; Miscellaneous Permits to Take Fish and Game
How and Where to Buy
The quickest route is the ADF&G online store, which takes payment and issues a digital license immediately. You enter your identification data, choose the license type, pay, and can save or print the license on the spot. A copy on your phone works for field verification, but a printed backup helps where there is no cell service.
Authorized local vendors, including sporting goods stores and grocery chains, can issue licenses on the spot through the same state database. ADF&G offices across the state offer walk-in service. All three routes pull from the same system, so the license is the same.
Before buying tags or applying for permits, identify the Game Management Unit where you plan to hunt and read its regulations, because each GMU sets its own seasons, bag limits, and restrictions.10Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Alaska Hunting Regulations Emergency orders can change seasons or limits mid-year and override the printed booklet, so check the ADF&G site close to your hunt dates.
Big Game Tags and Permits
A hunting license by itself does not authorize you to take big game. Nonresidents must buy a species-specific locking tag for every big game animal they intend to hunt. The tag is a metal device that locks onto the animal’s antlers or cape immediately after the kill and cannot be removed or reused, and you must carry both the metal tag and the big game tag record in the field.11Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Terminology – Tags, Harvest Tickets, and Permits
Nonresident locking tag prices add up quickly:1Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Product Prices
- Brown/grizzly bear: $1,000
- Moose: $800
- Caribou: $650
- Black bear: $450
Residents pay much less and only need locking tags for certain species. A resident brown/grizzly bear tag is $25, and resident muskox tags run from $25 for a cow to $500 for a bull. For most other big game, residents use harvest tickets instead of locking tags.
Many hunts also require a permit on top of the tag. Registration permits are available over the counter or online without a lottery. Drawing permits run through a lottery for limited high-demand hunts, with applications typically opening in November, and most drawing hunts require a signed guide-client contract for nonresidents.12Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Guide Requirements for Hunting in Alaska Hunting big game without the correct permit in hand can bring criminal charges.
Guide Requirement for Nonresidents
Alaska’s guide rule catches many visiting hunters off guard. A nonresident hunting brown or grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat must be personally accompanied in the field by either an Alaska-licensed guide or a close Alaska-resident relative at least 19 years old.12Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Guide Requirements for Hunting in Alaska “Close relative” is defined narrowly: parents, siblings, children, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, and stepfamily. Friends, cousins, and hunting buddies do not count.
Nonresident aliens face a stricter rule. A hunter who is not a U.S. citizen and does not permanently reside in the United States must hire an Alaska-licensed guide to hunt any big game species, including black bear, moose, caribou, deer, elk, wolf, and wolverine, and the relative exception does not apply. Fully guided hunts for premier species such as moose and brown bear commonly run $20,000 to $30,000 for a 10-day trip, which makes guide fees the largest line item for most visiting hunters.
Waterfowl and Migratory Birds
Hunting waterfowl in Alaska requires two stamps in addition to your hunting license: a current-year Alaska State Duck Stamp and a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp.13Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Waterfowl Hunting in Alaska License and Duck Stamp Requirements The federal stamp is $25, or $29 as an e-stamp through the federal website.
Several groups are exempt from the state duck stamp: Alaska residents under 18, residents aged 60 or older, disabled veterans who qualify for a free license, and holders of the low-income license. Hunters taking only cranes and snipe also do not need the state stamp. The federal duck stamp exemption is limited to qualified permanent rural Alaska residents and eligible persons in included areas hunting during designated subsistence seasons.
After the Hunt: Reporting and Meat Salvage
After a big game hunt you must submit a harvest report to ADF&G whether or not you were successful, and some hunts require reporting within a day or two so managers can track quotas.14Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Alaska Big Game Harvest Reporting If you miss the report, you are ineligible to receive any hunting permits for the following regulatory year and may receive a citation from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Harvest tickets expire June 30 at the end of each regulatory year, so a forgotten report after a fall hunt can cost you the next season entirely.
Alaska law also requires you to salvage all edible meat from any big game animal you kill, with limited exceptions for brown or grizzly bear, wolf, and wolverine. Horns, hides, and antlers cannot leave the field until the meat has been packed out, and in some GMUs meat must stay on the bone until it reaches a state-maintained airport. A wanton waste conviction is a class A misdemeanor, and failing to salvage at least the hindquarters down to the hock joint triggers a mandatory minimum of seven consecutive days in jail and a fine of at least $2,500 that the court cannot suspend. Plan your pack-out before you pull the trigger.