How hard would it be for a new guy in Alaska to start a line? Is there trap lines covering the state? I don’t want to jump on any ones turf and don’t want to make any enemies. My main point is I see land for sale and cabins in my price range but have no idea how to know if there is already a trap line near by, therefore, I don’t want to buy a place and try to run a line in the winter and find it is already some ones line.

This question gets asked at least a dozen times every year, I suspect the boys are tired of rehashing and answering the same questions over and over again. Use the search function. Every question you have will be answered there. I'm in the Yukon not AK, but I know enough guys up there to know that anything near any communities or settlements is most likely already being trapped.

There is no land left I personally been thinking of going to lower 48 to find some ground to trap . The best way to do what your talking about is move to Ak and start looking . You may buy a cabin but you might have to drive a 100 miles to your trap line because nothing is open around you. I astablish my trap line and then waited for land to become available to build a cabin took 5 years . But look in archives all your questions will be answered there .

This would be a good thing to cover and pin to top of the page!

Come on up.
Bring lot$ of money.

Thank you guys. And been there once saved up and now headed back iin a month should be set on money. Have mechanic and light heavy equipment operating experience, so I would like to think jobs should come easy. Figure take it slow and figure it out year by year.

Its a huge state a lot of open country to trap. Problem is no road to drive there. If you get a plane you can have the biggest trapline you can imagine. Or Fly out somewhere and trap. Just a lot of competion on the one road in Alaska.

I will second this...Lots and lots of $$$$.everything costs 2-3x what you plan on....especially in "bush" Alaska. I still love it though.

What part of Alaska are you looking?

With your equipment experience look for a remote gold mining operation for a job, that could get you away from the road system and a possibility for a trap line!.

Once you think you have enough money, double it up and look for more income. Its gonna go fast.

You might be sorely disappointed there. Alaska's economy is pretty tight right now, and several thousand guys in the industrial & construction sector who got laid off a couple years ago are looking for the same jobs you are. That's the problem with our "boom and bust" oil economy. When there's a boom thousands of people come to work. When it busts, there are thousands looking for jobs that aren't there. In general, now is a bad time to come to Alaska looking for a job.
Look on Alexsys (the state job board) to get an idea of jobs available and how fast they get filled. And remember that just becaus jobs get posted doesn't mean there's actually a need. Many companies have a corporate requirement to post all jobs publicly, even when they already have a box full of resumes to pick from. I strongly advise having a guaranteed income before you take the plunge and move here, but many people have done it without. Good luck to you

Thank you guys. I have spent a summer in Alaska and work came pretty easy. I’d like to stay north around Fairbanks or a smaller town would be ideal such as tok delta... but suppose depends on jobs. And yes I know how fast money went up there I was packing for a guild in the brooks range, (no pay) helped set net in Soldotna, and odd jobs in Fairbanks. That held me by till sheep season then dumped all my money on supplies for the winter. Then didn’t have near enough supplies so money transfer from home and drove back to Iowa once the snow started to fall. Hardest moment of my life was leaving that place.

Anywhere really but mainly trying get near Fairbanks,delta,tok area don’t like how many people are along the southern part of Alaska and the weather sounds like a lot of rain and warm winters.

Guess I should have clarified: Summer work is easy to find. The job market triples in the summer. Year-round work is much, much harder to find. What do the folks you guided & fished with do in the winter?

Some were from the lower 48 others were pilots (another thing I’d love to become some day) And I think the rest just kind of found odd jobs in winter. I’d love seasonal work if I could afford it and be able to have space to run a decent trap line with out getting in some one else’s way. Land and cabins seem very cheap up there around Fairbanks, delta junction, and tok area. Just worried if I do end up with land there trapping from that cabin will be impossible.

I think very few of us that live on the road system actually start trapping from home. I drive about 20 miles by road to unload the snogo, then run a couple miles back before I start setting. And I would bet I'm one of the shorter commuters, because I'm just s casual short-liner. A lot of guys travel much farther than that to start trapping.

I load a skiff, trailer it about 30 miles on a sometimes plowed road to a totally un-maintained ramp, launch the skiff, then travel several miles to get to the beginning of my line.

So say I get a cabin and land out side of delta or tok, chances are pry slim to none for me to jump on a snogo and leave my cabin and head a few miles in to run a line? I by all means wouldn’t be a big line just like to at least have a few dozen sets out each year till I really figure things out.

I think you're trying to do it a little backwards, but I guess it all depends on what your main purpose for the move north is.

If a particular town or area is your main objective, then just move there and see what if anything is locally available for trapping.
You might get lucky, or you might find that nearly all of your neighbors trap. Many of them will probably tell you where their trapline is even though they haven't trapped in years (if ever).

If you're semi retired or retired and trapping is your main goal, then research a few areas of interest and go checkout the areas first. Then figure out your housing options. It will take some effort, there's not really an easy way to do it.

I live in Fairbanks and drive 3 hours to my trapline. My line starts on my property out there. When I retire I will be able to start trapping from the front porch of my cabin without the time and expense of that drive.

Takes me 3 days by boat or 1.5 hours by plane to get to my line

My drive is 3.5 hr to my property. In a week end I will do almost 400 mile round trip in truck and snow go to compleat my line.

Guys he's not listening to your advice...

He might be. Maybe he’s been thinking hard about it for the last 2 days
.

I'm pretty sure he went to buy a canoe...

Pete

Hey now, don't be knocking canoes! They got my first two moose to the truck, mostly without sinking.

I think you are leaving out the part about how "not before Erica called out the Murphy Dome Militia as reinforcements to figure out why you weren't at the landing on time!" That's the part I remember!

What's the knock on canoes? Are they a sign of a naive newby?

That's another thread, but it started out similar to this one, by a fellow only known as Andrew.........

Yeah, that big boy took much longer cut and put in the boat than I planned! Then, having half a brain, I wasn’t going to go down that river in the dark!

Thanks again for the help! I was whupped.

Andrew is my best customer.. I rent trapping canoes to newbies.

Probably need to charge a LARGE deposit!