All the reality shows lately have a lot of people looking at and dreaming of coming to Alaska. I just thought I would put this up to maybe bring some back to reality about how it really is here. This is not meant to discourage it is meant to make people think twice before jumping in the truck loading up the camping gear made for 20 degree weather and heading north on a whim.
1. If you saw it on a reality show it probably is scripted so don't believe that's how it always happens.
2. It gets cold and stays cold for a long time unless you are in SE you will spend more months out of the year in winter gear and driving a Snow machine than fishing in a Tee shirt
3. Commercial fishing is good hard work but landing a job on a boat is not something that happens every day
4. There is not a bull moose or brown bear behind every tree especially on the road system other palces may require special permits to hunt or maybe totally off limits if you aren't a resident of the immediate area do to land ownership.
5. Finding a place to trap if on the road system may take several years
6. you just don't pick a village on the map like Koliganek or Nupskiak and say I am moving to there.
7. You can not just fly into someplace along a river and build a cabin those days are long gone. Land is either private or federally or state owned
8. Done right with the proper thought and fore site you can do it but don't expect it to happen overnight

I am sure there is a lot more but I am not coming up with right now feel free to add to this. If we keep this serious and it doesn't get filled with junk we can pin it up top or archive it down the road

9. You really don't know what a lot of mosquitoes is like.
10. Bring lots of tools because everything breaks.

11. If you have a product that works well, and you use it often, buy at least two.
12. Buy the best gear you can afford.

13. Most of the stuff you order online has special pricing for Alaska. You can forget about free shipping to here.

14. If you live in town there is no dollar menu.

15. Alaskans have a superiority complex. Couldn't resist

This is a good thread. I hope that their will be alot of you who live in Alaska that will keep adding to it. I live in the lower part of the U.S. (Arkansas) I am learning that Alaska is alot different than what i had invisioned it to be. I remember watching an Oprah show where they had this family who was home steding in Alaska. That was in 1992. I recently looked up the Alaska home steding law and the last home sted awarded in Alaska was in 1988 and has since been done away with. I think the biggest part of us here in the lower 48 have the wrong idea as to what Alaska is like. Although i think Alaska is alot more populated and grown alot in industry/business's in just the last 30 years alone and is probably no where near as rual as it was 30 years ago. As far as the harsh living conditions go, the cold,snow,ice well that is just the climate there and always will be. But even things like that will get easier to deal with as urbanization moves in with all of its modern convinces. What i don't understand is why is the cost of fuel so high in Alaska. With all of its fossil fuel I would think the price of petroleum would be fairly reasonible ? Most of what i see and know about Alaska is from reality shows or some TV documentry show.

Elkantler, I can understand how it might be perceived that way from a distance, but that is far from what the OP is trying to convey here. The intent is more in line with what MA posted.

How on earth do you handle all of thoes mosquitoes ? I fish alot along the Arkansas river and we have alot of mosquitoes but nothing like what i see on the TV show's that i see of Alaska while people are out hunting/fishing just outdoors in general. What really amazes me is you will see people there in Alaska doing something outdoors and there will be swarms of mosquitoes covering them up and the people act as if it is nothing and as if the mosquitoes are not bothering them that much at all ? The mosquitoes that we encounter her don't seem to be as big as the ones i see on TV there in Alaska. I don't think you would be able to see the ones we have here on film unless you zoomed in quite a bit. And even thogh there are alot of them they are not in huge swarms like you have in Alaska. But they will drive you up the wall and you will be covered with mosquitoe bites in a shot time. And to when it gets cold here in the winter and i am talking like 40 degree's our mosquitoes for the most part disapear until the next Spring/Summer. You will never see them if we have snow and ice on the ground. But on some of the shows of Alaska i see Carribou looking for patches of snow to get away from the mosquitoes ? So are mosquitoes out in the winter there to ?

Yes the mosquitoes start coming out when there are bare patches of ground. Mosquitoes serve a vital service in Alaska. They keep it from being a paradise that Hollywood nut jobs would buy up and Californicate. If you don't want to get bit up, never change your cloths, or take a bath, and keep layering the Ben's 100.

In Northern Ontario the mosquitoes/blackflys/no-seeums/ankle-biters are considered the price you pay to not have neighbors from Toronto......LOL

That last homestead was actually the last awarded in the nation. It was mine. When you say "it was done away with" you must mean the 1862 Homestead Act. That's correct. My homestead however, is still there.

To some extent you sort of get used to the mosquitoes. Also a liberal coating of DEET makes a big difference. Bur for sure, they are the one thing that makes summers so miserable no matter how nice the scenery and the fishing. BUT, there are worse things than mosquitoes. White sox and no-seeums will really drive you nuts. Unfortunately, they seem to peak during hunting season.

Fuel is expensive because of freight. Where I live it either comes up from Seattle on a barge or in a plane from Anchorage. In the urban areas most gasoline is shipped up from Washington. We have a couple of refineries but they make mostly diesel and jet fuel.

Modern conveniences are really modern problems, Most of them cost money and use fuel of one form or another.

I don't think urbanization will happen in my area very soon. The fact is rural Alaska is losing population. That's fine with many of us but it's a double edged sword. Fewer customers for a product means higher costs for the fewer units sold.

Good stuff otteman.....must be the reality shows....been asked to do a piece on this very subject!

I would add a serious #15. The darkness gets more people than the bears or mosquitoes. The winter days are short....in some areas almost nonresistant for a time.

You AK residents constantly talk about how bad it is ''on the road system''. How far off the road does one have to be before they are considered no longer ''on the road system''. I have a policy along the lines of never going farther in by motor than i can walk out on foot.

White 17, It is nice to meet you. You being the last person to homestead in Alaska is history. There are not many people who can say they spoke to the last U.S. homesteader. I may have it all wrong but when i looked it up on the internet it said that the last homestead in Alaska was filed in 1976 by Kenneth Deardroff that filed for 80 acres along the Stony river. And it was declared his in I think 1988.

I really hope your right about urbanization not happening anytime soon. I am only 52 years old and just in my short time here on earth i have seen urbanization really change things here in North West Arkansas. Congress gave the go ahead to build dams through out Oklahoma & Arkansas down to the Mississippi river so that it could be used for barge traffic. Of course about the same time they were building interstates & new highways everywhere which in our case was interstate I40. It was all done in the name of progress. Unfortunately urbanization comes along with progress. I really liked the way things were before they built all of these new roads & highways and damed up our water ways. Beleave it or not we use to have some pretty good hunting/fishing along the Arkansas river. But now there are a hundred hunters for every animal we have to hunt here in this state. When i was a kid the majority of the small towns did not have indoor plumbing, you had to carry you water from a well thoes things were a little inconvinent. But i would trade thoes inconvineces for the way things were back then in a heart beat.

The meadia is sure doing its best to help your great state of Alaska to grow. They have all kinds of TV shows that makes Alaska look attracktive. They have " Buying Alaska which is a real estate show, Alaska state troopers, Gold rush Alaska, Ice Road truckers, Yukon Alaska, Mountain man Alaska. " I am probably leaving out a couple, I know i am because i can think of one where these guys are doing some kind of survilist show. One show about a Taxidermist & Gun sporting good store, several hunting shows." So the media is doing its best to promote the last Front tier. I forgot the show crab fishing the bearing seas, and the gold mining show in nome Alaska. I would almost bet that in 30 years Alaskas population grow by almost half of what it is now. Oh yeah ! another show about bush planes in Alaska. I am telling you the media is flat putting the shows out about Alaska here in the lower 48.

Do you all get all of these shows there in Alaska ?

Yep that's me in your first paragraph.

I suppose we have all those shows here. I don't have TV so can't say for sure.

I suspect there are many who feel they were born a hundred years too late

Another thing folks don't think about is food storage. The voles, shrews, and squirrels are as ravenous as wolves and WILL find a way into dry goods unless proper storage methods (and critter control) are used.

I bet you are right. There are probably alot who feel they were born 100 years to late. I have never thought of it that way but i guess i probably fall in that category myself. I guess that is why Alaska is so appealing to alot of people. People wathch these reality shows of Alaska, its beautiful scenry,abundance of wildlife, then they convince themselfs they could move there build a cabin, trap to make enough money to buy supplys and kill enough game to live off of. Like the first settlers of North America did. But this day and time it is just not that way. Mr. White 17 again it was sure a pleasure to have met you even though it was not in person, i would have never thought i would have met up with the last homesteader on of all places the internet and on a trapping forum to boot ! You probably don't think much of it but you are and will be consider history. I hope that you write a book or someone documents your adventures while homesteading. You know i am sure there are books written by some of the earlier homesteaders and are equally impressive. But somehow being the very last and probably the last ever here in the U.S. is a pretty special thing in my oppinion. I would love to hear about your years homesteading but i won't bother you by asking about them because i know it would take alot of typeing on a key board to tell about them. But if you would not mind me asking how old are you now and do you and your family still live on the homestead ?

Im glad the media keeps its focus on Alaska. If they were to compare land mass to population it wouldnt be so appealing. With a landmass of just over 650,000 square miles and a population of almost 750,000 it is way crowded by Canadian standards........Wyoming I think even has fewer people per sq mile......Yukon has about 186,000 sq miles and only 30,000 people on a busy day......

W17, you are not missing a thing without TV

#16 Life in the bush is hard work.

I'm certain you're right about the TV Dave. About Wyoming too for that matter.

MAAA: It was nothing but a fluke of timing I think.

I just turned 69 and do not live on my homestead any more. A divorce and an ex wife took care of that. I'm currently about 100 miles north of there.

#16 learn what overflow is...

I want to move to Alaska, but I know most of these things. But I also go fishing in Northern Canada every summer and the bugs are awful. Where I live in ND, mosquitoes are worse then most of the region. But what about transportation? That's always been my #1 worry. I can't drive everywhere like we can here...

You'll need "tools." 4 wheelers, snow machines, boats.

I have never and will never get used to Bugs of any kind. I choose to outfit myself against them. Not into Deet application other than on my clothes.
And I will take mosquitoes over noseeums any day.

This is my latest in combat attire. Having a simple bug net over your head makes a world of difference and this setup is even better.
http://www.bugshirt.com/products/elite/

From there website.


As fun as it is to shoot moose and caribou I always felt I had better access to hunting in Montana. From where I lived I could hunt mule deer, whitetail deer, and Elk and Bighorn sheep in an open hunt on the Yellowstone Park border. Bighorn, goats, moose by drawing if you were lucky. In a few hours I could drive and hunt turkey and antelope. Many different species of upland game birds and waterfowl. But times have changed there too I am sure.

Alaska has opportunity but you need to be prepared to work for it. And other times it falls into your lap. Finding yourself where it is good hunting for more than one big game species is an exception not the rule.
I have put over 500 miles on a three day weekend to hunt caribou by snowmachine. Over 400 miles on a trip with a 6 year old between my front legs. Most people could not even fathom that.
It makes for some memories and it takes a little different perspective on life to take advantage of what Alaska can offer up.

Most Alaskans aren't from Alaska! Nearly everyone moved up at some point, very few were born and stayed. For everyone that did come up and stay more than a year or two I would be willing to say at least ten never lasted that long. What this means is you will have a lot of short term friends from every corner of the US. You will also get invited to birthdays, Christmas, and other special occasions by people you barely know. Folks want to rebuild that family frame work and do it by assembling a bunch of folks in the same boat as them 3000 miles away from familiar.

Should I ask the obvious ?

You are certainly right about Montana changing FT. Montana has a ton of misconceptions just like AK. Much of the good hunting here has been leased up by out of staters or they are even buying up farms and literally paying someone to stay year 'round to make sure you don't set foot on there land. I have heard that the cost of living is much higher in AK, do the wages reflect this? Or do things like not having a vehicle payment and insurance payment make up for this in areas where there is limited vehicle access? Are there things that are cheaper in AK then the lower 48?

#17- You will almost certainly NOT strike it rich!

FT is right about the hunting. I wrote an article for bowhunter about that a few years ago. In Alaska as well as northern Canada big game densities are much lower than most lower 48 states. Non resident hunters have a tendency to get frustrated very quickly because they dont see the amount of game they expect. I deal with that every year. Hard for guys who are used to seeing 100 deer a day wrap their head around the idea that they might only see two or three bulls in their entire hunt.

#18. You were born with A brain use it! If it looks risky , dangerous or deadly it probably is and can and will kill you. Learn to make good choices and know your limitations. Every year people die because they made poor choices, This applies everywhere

#19 extra days Be prepared for the worst weather and to stay out extra days

I guess the not so obvious, for people with a skewed sense of humor (:D). It is much easier to deal with a Sleepy child on a snowmobile when they are in front of you rather then when behind you falling to the ground rather than into your arms when they can't stay awake any longer. Sometimes my writing leaves too much room for interpretation. Sorry.

#20 Day to day living is a lot cheaper in the bush than on the road system. A lot competing for the green In your billfold living in town. I would go a long time without taking my wallet out of my pocket in the bush. Isn't a day in the city that it doesn't happen. Not saying it isn't expensive as there are tradeoffs in expenses. But that availability makes it a lot easier to spend money.

You are partially right....at least about density in the Yukon. Wyoming does have fewer people.....by ~160K, but it is much smaller( 97,000 vs 663,000 sq miles). Wyoming has 5.8 people per square mile vs 1.26 in Alaska.

And you will need a truck and trailers to haul it all around if you live on the road system.

#21 Everything you could possibly ever want is either not here or broken and being used for something other than its intended purpose.

650,000 square miles is indeed a very large land mass and if all 650,000 square miles were habitible Alaska indeed could have a very large population and not be very noticible. But when it comes down to it how much of that 650,000 square miles is frozen lakes,rivers,mountain peaks,glaicers, areas that people are not going to build towns, citys, subburbs on. When you look at it that way that vast 650,000 square miles gets dwindled down in size. With the worlds population currently at 8 billion people and steadly growing even Americas last frontier the great state of Alaska will get plenty crowed and i would bet it will be that way with in the next 50 years. Most of the lower 48 is in trouble with the economy the way it is now. There is only so many jobs to be had and people are looking for other ways to make a living. I know for the average family it is not realistic to think they could move to a place like Alaska and live mostly off of the land alone. But alot of them will and do try it. The more that do it, the more business & industry follow along behind them. Urbanization is taking over all over the world.

You can fly for several hours here and cross over no one depending on your heading. The road system will get more crowded than it is but I suspect there will be vacant areas the size of some states for a very long time to come.

When we travel to Anchorage from here it is a one hour flight. During that time we fly over probably 100 people or less until just prior to landing in Anchorage. The Alaska Range is between us and Anchorage (thank God !). At 250 mph it takes about 30 minutes just to cross the mountains. There are a couple peaks over 20,000 and several hills over 8000 feet. Pretty vertical country. Nobody living out there.

Fly a little lower and you can see all the recreational cabins in the Armpit.

Yeah that's true but at that point you're over the outer marker, just about.

A friend owns a gas station on the Alcan......over the last few years he has seen an increase in familys heading north......many of them are broke or close to it.....sometimes they trade stuff for fuel. Most are middle aged and have families ......very tough position to be in and I really feel for those folks but I look at it like this, America wanted change and they got it......voting that guy in once I can understand.....everyone makes mistakes. But twice! Yea the population of AK will grow......those people have no-where else to go....

I don't see Alaska growing very much without some new industry to bring people long term. You have to have some income to live whether in the bush or on the road system. Those broke folks yukon mentioned won't last. We have a bunch of dreamers here in Nome the last couple years and very few will be here long term, evan with the lure of "easy" gold.

The problem with 'new' industry is the cost of energy. It just doesn't pencil out to open a new type of business when fuel costs are what they are now and rising.

come on now Yukon, not all of us voted him in! I voted for Ken!

Yeah !

Thats a very common comeback.......all I can say is somebody did! ......twice!

I know this is a stupid question but why don't people there in Alaska farm moose like people do cattle in the lower 48 ? Alot of the western states farm elk and sell its meat. I know there would be a market for the meat ?

they farm bison and tourists...isn't that enough?

They eat an awful lot ! Better to let them feed themselves and then hunt them

It's not a stupid question MAAA. IMO, there are places it could be done successfully, but it is against the law to farm them in Alaska.

And the beef industry would probably throw a fit like they did when did with the reindeer and lobbied to make it illegal for anyone but natives to raise them and that's probably why its illegal to raise moose as well.

I looked up moose farming on the internet and found that russia has been experimenting with moose farming for about the last 50 years. The way i understood the results was that moose tend to be a more solitary type animal rather than herd animals like cattle and would not fair as well farming them like you would cattle. But working with them on a larger scale like ranchers do was something that the russians were leaning toward. They were studying their milk production and other things.

I seen a documentry on TV years ago about the Inuit Eskimo's who managed herds of it was either caribou or reindeer and they were very successful at it. They traveled with the herds as they would migrate but what they were doing was a farming practice sort of like sheep farmers do in the lower 48 mostly in the Western states where they run sheep on National Forest lands. The herders move their sheep from one mountain meadow to the next.

yukonjeff, if that is the case to where it is only legal for the natives to raise reindeer and sell them, then if i was a native Alaskan I would take advantage of that and turn it into a money maker.

Actually there is probably nobody better than the decendants of the Eskimo's that has lived in Alaska over the last hundreds of years that would know what could be and how to farm Alaskas natural resources.

In my opinion alot of the old methods are better than the new ones.

Not as easy as it sounds refer to Dirts #9

The herds of Reindeer here in the state was impressive at one time now there are just a few small herds left not many people want to follow Reindeer around on the tundra 24/7

If you run it like a business and got herds big enough it looks like you could have crews work the herds in shifts. Work so many days on and so many off. No matter what kind of farming you do in order to make money you have to do it in numbers. The larger the herds the more money you have to operate with. All of your farming exspense's that you are out from paying crews to manage the herds, equipment you have to have, fuel and anything else involved with your farming operation is all tax deductible. There are alot of people who would really enjoy following Reindeer arround on the tundra. Now them dang mosquitoes is another story. You people have the worst mosquitoe problem i have ever seen. And big mosquitoes to.

yukonjeff, what has happened to the Reindeer herds that has caused them to dwindle down to just a few ?

Any Alaskans, do you have to live in the bush, or make 6 figures to have great backcountry hunts without running into anyone? I was told you do. They said I'll have to hunt the road system and fight the orange army to even tag out. That doesn't sound pleasant by any means.

And I don't want an outfitter, ever. Too pricey and wouldn't feel like I was the one that hunted it. I'd rather spend 1-2 weeks on a legal sheep (insert any big game animal here) until I seal the deal, ya know?

Thanks, Justin.

The government enacted a law that eliminated all non Natives ownership of Reindeer bought up the herds and they were turned over to Native ownership by anyone that wanted to take them.

According to the book "Alaska's Wolfman" by Jim Rearden very good read BTW

Hey! Now! I make sure all my hunters feel like they could have done it without my worthless no-nothin arse being there.
People skills.

You don't HAVE to make 6 figures. But it you will always bump into people any where near the road system. Everybody has vehicles, lots of people have ATVs, less people have boats, less have airboats, and even less have planes. The less people have the mode of transport you're using more area you can get where there will be less people.

You can't hunt sheep and a couple other species without a guide if you are a non-resident.

You could easily hunt moose or caribou or black bear and never see another soul for weeks or months. Charter a plane and get dropped off wherever you want (if landing/takeoff is possible). Maybe a couple grand depending on where you go and how much stuff you have.

Even paying an outfitter in AK is no guarantee that you wont see other hunters......we get hunters every year who have done guided hunts up there and saw lots of other hunters.... Im sure not all areas are like that but it seems like quite a few.

Rule number.....20??

Use the boyscout motto and "Be Prepared". It's the environment that will kill you, not the animals.

In Southeast, there is quite a bit of room, however, private land off the grid is hard to come by, and very expensive. There are a few alternatives, such as a "floathouse", or live-aboard boat. The thing is, the water, weather, and terrain pretty much dictates every aspect of an outing, be it a day trip, an extended hunting or fishing trip, or a full blown adventure. This is dangerous and unforgiving country, and as such, Mother Nature pretty much keeps competition and people density in check. (I'm talking about away from towns of any size).
There is certainly no lack of oportunity to get well away from the beaten path around here, and there are vast areas that probably haven't seen a human in 100 years. The challenge lies in getting there while carrying most of what you will require to survive on your back. Much of this country (southeast Alaska) is not suited for snow machines, and if you head inland from the coast, you are climbing mountains, steep, large ones. And the bulk of them are only climbable with techincal gear.
Then there are the valleys: Some are broad, glacier-fed systems that go for miles and miles, but are restricted to travel by specialized craft, in some cases air boats only. Others are small creeks with brush choked right to the bank, and other than a game trail here or there, are difficult to navigate at best.
Coastal travel is far and away the most popular mode of getting around here, and there is really a LOT of room. Yes, certain areas can get busy, and there are not many "secret spots" close to town, but one can certainly have a beach or cove all to himself with a little boat gas.

Another thing that will impede population growth here is the fact that only a small percentage of the land is in private ownership. The federal government owns the majority of the land, and it's
all labeled and locked up in one designation or another. The state is in the real estate business and has subdivided some of their land, usually some of their least desirable land, and in out of the way places. But, most of the country is locked up, and the kings men keep tightening the regulations for use and access to it, so I don't see them ever allowing private ownership of any of their current holdings. If there was another population boom here like we had in the '70's, I honestly don't know where the people would stay.

It appears they are going to come here. I can't wait till they build the road, so I can get on it and leave.

Dirt, I was in your neck of the woods back in the '80's. One of my brothers and I flew in there and finished a log cabin for a guy named Jerry Baker. He had acquired a lot in one of the state subdivisions I mentioned above. Swallowed a lot of mosquitos on that trip. We made sure not to leave anything there that we would have to come back for.

#21 (with credit to my friend "Hook," a one-armed trapper on the Chatanika River...) "If you're gonna play 'dumb-azs," play it down South someplace where you don't die when you finish in First Place....!"

Pete

#22 "Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT like trapping in Iowa" LOL

Ditches and farm ponds are few and far between!

#23- Summer is spent preparing for winter.

That's living in north. 4 month's busy time and then the winter is here again and the darkness. 24 hours per day of sun is nice, but way too short period when compared to long winter.

#24 Have a few grand in cash and an old Ford pickup with a camper. Spend a couple months sightseeing and fishing and camping then leave at first frost.

How long does darkness last and is it a total darkness ?

Not here. I'm a little north of 62 degrees. In December we have about 4 hours daylight. It's great ! I wouldn't care if I never saw the sun again !

#25 When it starts raining it's hunting season, unless you're in Southeast.

Barrow is at 71 degrees north and Ketchikan is at 55 degrees north, that's more than 1000 miles between the two. There's a lot of difference in daylight hours depending on how far north you are. Where I trap in S.E. Alaska I have more than six good hours of daylight on the shortest day of the year. If I really stretch it it's more like eight hours from first light to dark. Alaska is a huge place with very different conditions from one area to another. Where I trap the average daily temperature is about 32 degrees in December.

#26 No matter how much your signifigant other loves Alaska in the summer, plan ahead for an alternative unless she's Alaskan grown.

I bet it would take a pretty special woman to live in remote Alaska ? But i would be willing to bet that if she was as you say was an Alaska grown woman, would probably be a pretty good woman. Might be a little more drama free as compared to these lower 48 women ? Don't get me wrong we have alot of good womens here in the lower 48 its just that you have to test drive several of them before you find a good one.

Please correct me if i'm wrong, but I was told that southern Alaska is similar to northern Midwest. For example I live in east ND and I our winter starts in November and ends in usually beginning of May. Is that comparable to like Anchorage? The temps get down to -30 or colder every winter just about .

Obviously its a lot drier here as its not coastal.

Its consistently in the teens-30s all winter long here.

I heard it is pretty much like Iowa...

Refer back to #22

I believe you haha, but North Dakota is harsher than Iowa haha. But thanks for clearing it up.

Trapping in southeast.......

Do you have any deep snow sets for coons ?

I really like to hunt/fish/trap but if i got up, opened the door and there was that much snow on the ground, I would just go back to bed. That looks really cold.

Heck, he is in jeans and you can see exposed skin, that not cold it's, balmy!

Looks wet to me

My part of MN is colder on average in the winter than Anchorage.

Look back to waggler's post about average daily temp in December in the SE where he traps. About 32 degrees.

You would be able to handle it.

I actually prefer trapping at below 0 as the snow stays dry and fluffy instead of wet and sticky when it gets up above 0............

Thanks for the reply Steven trapper 49er, looks good to me!

I can assure you that at least where I trap, it doesn't average 32 during trapping season, and dealing with frozen bays and shoreline is a regular occurance. Also, with the exception of very near shore, snow shoes are a must.

Alaska Viking, I trap nearly 200 miles south of you. This illustrates my point on the great differences found from place to place in Alaska. For example; if you're standing on the north end of Wrangell Island and the temperature is 30 and you look about 8 miles to the NNE to Point Rothsay near the mouth of the Stikine River, the temperature will be about 10 degrees cooler at Point Rothsay. Go another 10 miles upstream and it will be another 10 degrees colder. Also I've notice that even thought there may only be a skiff of snow, or no snow on the beach, all I have to do is go up a river for half a mile or gain 100 feet in elevation and I can have snow nearly up to my waist.

I agree 100%. When I get up in the morning, the weather and temperatures at my house have pretty much no bearing on what it's doing on my line 30 miles north!

I grew up in Minnesota A small town by duluth to be exact "Carlton." I thought I new what cold weather was. I joined the Air Force and got stationed in Eielson by Fairbanks. That is when I found out what cold really could be. You can learn to cope with it really easy with the right cloths though. Then I lived in Minot, ND. It does get cold there with the wind too. I would say on the really windy days in ND it could compare to some of the cold weather in Fairbanks. To date the coldest place I have lifed is Fairbanks. I really did enjoy it up there and hope to move back as soon as I retire. I lived in Anchorage for 4 years also. the weather is warmer, but finding a place to trap is REALLY REALLY hard. It is not like the lower 48 where two people can set each end of a culvert and still stay friends. Expect to drive at least 100 miles and then you will still be on someone elses trap line. It's their line and people better stay off it. If its your dream then move on up, but learn from other people. Dont think there is a moose behind every tree. Find a place to trap could take years.

One other thing to keep in mind. There is not a farm house every other section or even roads for that matter. If you get in trouble you are on your own. It could be a days walk if not FARTHER to the nearest help.

Where I live in ND, we have few hills, few trees, a LOT of wind, and a LOT of cold. But like you said, 90% of the time there is a farmstead within a few miles.

And most responses seem to be pretty negative about people making the move north, but I understand that 99% of posters saying they will, won't. And most are very, very unrealistic.

But YEARS to find land to trap? Wow. A guy couldn't get out in the bush for a few weeks at a time and have a good chance at least of not being on someones line?

sure you could what kind of airplane do you have? remember no roads.

here is a rule I kind of follow...
If you can drive there, so can anyone else.
If you use a snowmachine to get away, that helps, but anyone else with a snomachine can go there.
If you have a boat, it can get you to where other people with boats are.
same with a 4 wheeler...

and nearly everyone here has at least one of the boat, 4 wheeler, sno go, likely all of them...

So, when you think you are along ways away, you might be, or you might be with 2 or 10 other people...

this past fall i got to go on a moose hunt in the "bush"
we drove over 400 miles, then launched a boat...
traveled 400+ miles downstream by boat, up another river to moose hunt....

that is 800-900 miles and 2.5 days to get to a remote spot...... guess what? there were 100 other boats full of people doing the same thing...

I understand you guys talking negatively about how hard it is to find a place to trap. You don't want to give people the wrong idea that the country is wide open. However, I know that if a person is motivated enough and if they can think outside the box, they can find a place to trap. For example; the peninsula (Alaska Peninsula) is about 400 miles long and the areas I'm familiar with are loaded with fox, beaver, and otter, lynx in some places and wolves and wolverine. I know of very few that trap down that way, there are very few villages. I'm sure there must be other such places and opportunities like this. I'm not suggesting that it will be easy though.

I retired up here in 05, it took me 4 years to finally find a area that I could run a line, and that took alot of exploring, stepping on toes, and beating myself up. It ain't easy to find a spot.
It ain't that others are being negative, in all honesty they are being realistic. You need time, money, and the right equipment to be successful, along with a little luck. To think your just going to move up here and start a line that first year is NOT realistic.

OK I really do appreciate your guy's help and it just goes to show that this website is awesome, a guy could easily move up there and be completely in the dark. I can focus on hunting the first year, or 4, and use that as scouting for my trapping. Does this sound at least a little better?

So would i be correct you cant trap on Naive land, unless your Native American?
can you buy land from the Native American land areas?
i guess as your all are saying the population boom is just about everywhere. when i went up to Alaska in the early 70s with my family it was less traveled and the Alcan highway was a grave road.

ahhhh... memories of paradise!
its just to bad my parents didn't leave me up their by accident..

Hup

It sounds like you traveled to Seattle in 2 1/2 days......

Or the Koyukuk. ;0) That seems to be a popular destination.

Guys I am not trying to say that MN cold is on par with Fairbanks cold.

I was trying to let the young man know that if he can handle the North Dakota winters he'll be able to handle pretty much what a lot of areas in AK will throw at him.

Nome? Fairbanks? We'll that would take some getting used to but I think the problem isn't as much the cold as the remoteness coupled with the cold.

Coming from Montana 28 years I did not find it that hard to acclimate to the weather. It was different. And I have not been in real cold for extended periods of time. Plenty of -30 and -40. Frankly I don't want to deal with the -60 stuff. No one does.
What I found to be different was how long the winter lasted and how FAST things froze up when temps cooled down. Ponds freeze overnight. You don't see that in the Lower 48. Takes some time to get them chilled down in much of Alaska.

Learning how to deal with the cold and dress for it for extended periods of time. That is something that takes some trial and error. Lots of good ideas out there.

True but the Alaska Peninsula is a loooooooooong ways from the road system and some really lousy flying weather in that part of the world.

I'm sure you're right...there are other places like that, but what most of the people who talk about coming up here don't realize is the distances involved. Just to get to my line I have to travel far enough to cross some states in the L48. The cost of flying, just to get to the starting point, is more than some of these people spend on gas all year for their trapping. Then there's the little matter of getting back out. Don't even think about trying to maintain a set schedule. It won't happen. I've waited on weather for a month just to get home. I'm sure others have too. Don't schedule a doctor appointment or have a tooth go bad during that time. Need to get back to your job after the Christmas vacation? Might make it by groundhog day if things don't go just right.

#27 File a trip plan with multiple people. I always try to have someone know where everyone of my sets are in case people need to start looking for me that's what a few select very good friends are for. I am solo 95% of the time on lines that are 70-120 miles long on snow machine so this is very important for me.

I now consider good communication methods essential, with backup for my backup. I now almost always carry a sat phone, ACR locator beacon, and a handheld VHF. Maybe I'm a little too cautious but since the technology is available I want to have it.

Are thoes satelite phones very exspensive ?

You can usually find an Iridium sat phone on Ebay for around $500. The minutes are still pretty expensive. There are several different plans available.

I know a number of very motivated trappers trying to find traplines around Fairbanks with no luck but if your willing to overwinter in the bush then your chances are much better at finding one

I have had batteries go dead on all the above mentioned items none of them are fail safe. Let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return. I know we don't always wined up where we plan on all it takes for me to change is smoking hot wolf tracks but it gives someone a starting point if they need to come lookin for you

I'll triple what BCK is saying...if you plan on trapping around Fairbanks plan on driving! I help run a line and run a short basically defunct line for fun..hmmm lol. last year, 0 on the 'fun' line! 1 toothless half blind, definatly non smelling wolf behind the house, and a whopping 6 marten on a 90 mile line for 3 guys.

If you're within a few hours of town you're likely running into people. And as friendly as most are on here, at the trappers meetings, at the fur tannery, or just about anywhere else OFF a trapline during trapping season, they are NOT that friendly when they find out you've crossed/come near/checked out an area that they trapped 20years ago/remotely thought of an area that MIGHT be open and happened to have someone in it from the dust bowl. Good luck! Even better...good luck getting a shove in any direction! The next person who says CHSR should be shot hung and drug through down town!

For the mn to Alaska winters, I'm a Minnesotan and had 0 issues. Its not the cold, I've been in Fairbanks the hole time (17 years now). What takes getting used to is the daylight. The darkness is a breeze.

get used to
-"we can order it".
-"I trapped this country back before Fairbanks had a living sole in it"
-"everyone with big asperations, till its -50 and they have to do anything, or better yet, its time to 'go' period. if you're a doer, you'll be going alone!"
-"local price tags for hand crafted items"
-"local price tags for junk! Dunno what it is but value here never goes down! Seriously if its falling apart it MUST be collector right?"
-"lots of land with nothing in it..nothing, 0, nodda. back to finding that partner whose willing to hump those miles..haha, ya ok! You're better off finding a wife in kaktovik!"
-"moose camps put up the end of july"
-"people sitting in your stands and claim them when you come in to hunt it, telling you to go F yourself! at gun point no less"

If you want good trapping, stay south!
if you want long seasons stay south!
if you want cheap easy access...STAY SOUTH!

You're better off coming and visiting to put that fire out once in your life.

If you're a do'er, and don't mind busting tail for some table scraps, to be constantly beat down by transplants themselves, find peace with blood sucking mosquito's or hospital toting bug dope, fish as fickle as a Friday night date with a tundra wookie, or any other hellish fun, get up here and live it! At some point you'll either return south realizing you can kill more monster whitetails from sept to dec, than you'll ever kill moose! Realize there are no single woman in Alaska, they all belong to someone else or are at some point being passed around the 'table'. The fishing, well its getting better, ha, really? Trapline? pfft, hunting? wait is there any moose left in Fairbanks? oh that's right, the wolves and bears are killing all those cows, yaaaa I get it. ME ME ME, how many freezers do you really NEED full of anything. Or you'll just get to be as much of a crabass'ed opinionated SOB as the rest of us and give in and stay. At some point you'll be let IN to the trapping community, when you're the 'old guy' ha.

but let me warn you, at some point you're going to meet these folks, those old who-ha's running 300 mile lines, that claimed a valley that hasn't had a track put through it in years, and you'll be face to face with a ornery, crotchety ticked off transplant from some other state yet for some unknown reason has claimed sourdough status and owns the land. It wont take long, and they never go away, they never quit, they never sell, they never retire, they never die! you can cut a line as Dean would tell you to do, but plan on war!!!

welcome to the road system in Alaska!

Tradbow1 I vote for this ^ as the post of the year!

Tradbow, sounds like you are really enjoying yourself up there!

Well said Tradbow!! I can attest to the trapline part,I have been asked to leave more places than I care to admit,some of them people were trapping near and some of them guys were letting "rest" for a few years, and some of them were people that play back in the hills and dont wont no trappers back in there cause a dog might climb a pole set or they dont want me back in there tearing up "their" trails on my tricked out '85 bravo

Oh ya #27 is a good one I always tell a few good buddys where am headed and show the wife on the map where am headed so she can tell someone where to go look for me.

haha sounds like fun up there...

Very well said Tradbow! Ive heard the same from others........Reading posts like that I cant help but think registered lines are the way to go.........

Those that have registered lines (like myself) swear by them. Can not imagine trapping open ground. Those that do not have that option swear by open trapping. A controversial subject for sure. Having an area where you have the sole rights to trapping and management of the area has its benefits. Ownership is to obtain can be expensive. Being able to go and trap where every you please also has its benefits, but also has its drawbacks like referred to above.