Rob,

Just got out from WW. What ABM says is true! Some of the things you are going to see/hear (even witness) is going to be interesting to say the least! Disgusting after you have seen it for awhile if you havent already! If ya need some help let me know, I do have plenty of contacts still on WW as I just ETS'ed from uncle sams army. I can tell you stay away from Larry Bartlets float hunting Alaska book, you can get all this info from fish and game for FREE!

Make a game plan, (specifics, not everything) what you really really want to hunt, everything else is a bonus! (ie moose hunt, with a caribou tag in your pocket) Spend your 1st year in prep, but dont forget you can hunt military land with only a hunting lisc for 85 bucks, free tag (unsure on grizz but think its still the mandatory 1 yr as the rest of the state)! I can point ya in the right direction for that also. You have a SHORT time here, as it takes 1 yr to become a resident for hunting purposes, which puts you with 2 hunting seasons to make the most of unless of course you get an IPCOT. That will buy you more time to learn the land, make your game plans and get in a few more hunts.

Its NOT cold right now, just icy <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>! I am not sure where you are coming from but this winter is UNREAL! Stay off the ice if you get here and the weather stays the way it is....from what I hear BC is in the minus double digits right now, I figure we should start seeing some real Alaskan weather here soon. (I hope).

growing up in Mn the darkness is different, hopefully you have a family coming with you (and they are sponsered to keep you from loosing all your hair hehe), and you have some hobbies like planing and gear selection to get you ready for the up and coming spring and fall....not to mention unreal summer fishing!

be prepped to spend a ton of time on the road, on the phone, interenet, and talking to people to get information and go on hunts/fishing trips! like other things, the more you put into here, the more you get out of it, more so here then in other areas!

a 300 is plenty big for everything here, heck I use a hunk of wood and fiberglass and have killed almost everything in the state in my time here! careful on the 7mm, a perfect sheep and bou rifle, a lil light on moose, and definatly light on the big bears, JMHO!

Let me know when you get here, I am sure ABM and I being neighbors can show you enough to get you through a winter in photos (being we are neighbors) and cook up something wild, be it moose, caribou, salmon halibut, what have you!



btw Jerry, herd of another Army guy getting nabbed this year. Was going to use the same taxidermist my sheep is at. He lied on his time in Ak to hunt Brown/grizz and got nabbed!

Like ABM said, watch who you use as partners! They are likely to have spent as much time here as you have with little-very little knowledge!

When you get here, call the Alaska Outdoor Council and start showing up to there meetings and what have you. Also any other groups will get you exposed....learn the regs INSIDE AND OUT, and find a good partner and have fun!

Dan
aka Lilhunter

(some 2002 hunt photos)

http://community.webshots.com/user/lilhunter007