Alaska Dall Sheep Hunting, Alaska Yukon Moose Hunting, Alaska Bear Hunting, Alaska Mountain Goat Hunting, Alaska Bison Hutning, Alaska Caribou Hunting, Alaska Elk Hunting, Alaska Muskox Hunting, Alaska Deer Hunting

Alaska Big Game Hunting

Alaska has a single application period each year for all of their draw type hunts. The 2021-2022 application period is currently open and will close December 15, 2020 at 5 p.m. (AKST). Draw hunts require a hunter to purchase a hunting license and submit the non-refundable application fees. Only online applications will be accepted. You must apply online with either a MasterCard, Discover, or Visa.

Alaska Big Game Applications

Application fees and license fees will not be refunded. You may use the online change tool to modify your application choices on or before the deadline day. You may apply for this draw period with a valid 2020, 2021, or 2022 hunting license. Permits are then awarded by a lottery where every applicant is equal as Alaska does not have a preference or bonus point system. The draw results will be available online by the third Friday in February. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game publishes an annual Drawing Permit Hunt Supplement, which can be found online at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.drawsupplements. The supplement contains all of the information on applying in the draw as well as specific information regarding the draw hunt opportunities, area boundaries, hunt codes, and last year’s draw odds.

Applicants may apply for up to six different hunt numbers per species but may not receive more than one permit per species per year. Applicants may apply for the same hunt choice more than once to increase their odds of being drawn. Up to two hunters may apply as a party for the draw. If you received a draw permit last year, you are ineligible to receive a draw permit for the exact same hunt this year. If you drew a permit and failed to submit your hunt report, you will be ineligible for all permit hunts for the next year. Many hunts also have bag limits that limit you to one animal every four regulatory years. Make sure you check any applicable waiting periods before you apply.

Details of the Alaska Big Game Draw

All choices on the application are considered as individual draw chances. You may purchase the same hunt choice up to six times or select up to six different hunts. All Dall sheep, mountain goat, and brown/grizzly bear draws require guide-client agreements to be completed prior to applying for the draws. This means that applicants must have a contract in place to hire a particular outfitter prior to applying. This guide-client agreement is also required for some moose and bear hunts as specified in the supplement. Non-residents are required by law to be personally accompanied in the field by a licensed guide or be accompanied in the field by a qualified resident relative who is second degree of kindred and over 19 years of age when hunting brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat. Non-residents who are not U.S. citizens must be personally accompanied in the field by a licensed guide when hunting any species of big game in Alaska.

Alaska Big game Draw Odds

All draw odds listed in the following tables are simple draw odds that are calculated by dividing the number of permits available by the number of individual application choices. Applicable non-resident permit quotas are not taken into account in the printed draw odds. The Alaska permit drawing system allows each hunt choice an equal chance in the draw. Applicants may apply for the same hunt for each choice on their application up to six times. That means you could have up to six times better odds than what is listed by purchasing six chances for the same hunt choice for each species.

Refunds - Returns - Transfers

If you are successful in drawing a permit and intend to hunt, you must purchase the big game locking-tag before you enter the field. You will not be automatically charged for a locking-tag if you are successful in the draw and there is no penalty if you choose not to hunt with your permit. Permits cannot be returned or transferred. If you draw a sheep, goat, or brown bear permit, you are required by the contract to hire that registered guide for the hunt. Some hunts require declaration of your intent to use the permit or it may be offered to an alternate.

Tagging Down

Any big game locking-tag may be used for a species of equal or lesser value. You must have a harvest ticket or permit for the lesser species to be able to use the tag on that animal. For example, if you purchase a $1,000 brown bear locking-tag but do not take a brown bear and take a caribou instead, you may use the brown bear locking-tag on the caribou because the caribou has a lesser locking-tag value. You may not use a locking-tag for an animal of a species you have already taken, unless the bag limit for that species is greater than one. Harvest tickets are not required when “tagging down” for wolf or wolverine.

Special Tag Opportunities

Alaska does not have landowner permits or a statewide raffle tag drawing. Unit or region specific conservation-type permits are awarded to various organizations and can be sold at auction or given away in a raffle by the organization. See our website for a list of auction permits available.

Youth Information

Hunters are required to be at least 10 years of age by the starting date of the hunting season to obtain a permit. If you were born after January 1, 1986, you are required to have taken a hunter education class. Be aware that youth-only hunts are only available to Alaska resident youth or youth accompanied by an Alaska resident relative.

Hunter Requirements

A department-approved bowhunter certification course is required before applying for archery-only big game hunts and is required for all archery big game hunters born on or after January 1, 1986. Also, if you were born after January 1, 1986, you are required to have taken a hunter education class to hunt big game.

Guide-Required Species

If you are interested in applying for the draw for brown bear, grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat, you must first select the outfitter, sign a guide-client agreement, and then you can apply for the hunt codes which they specify and use the guide’s unique verification code to validate your application. Prospective applicants should research and compare outfitters with the assistance of our Hunt Advisors to find the hunt that would fit their budget, expectations, and preferred hunting style. If the outfitter you select offers draw tag-only hunts, you should apply in the draw. Keep in mind that draw hunts for brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, and mountain goat represent only a small portion of the total number of permits available in Alaska. Hunts in draw permit areas are not necessarily cheaper or home to a higher trophy quality as many opportunities exist without the use of a draw permit.

Non-residents who are accompanied by a resident relative within second degree of kindred who possess a hunting license do not need to be accompanied by a registered guide nor do they need to sign a guide-client agreement to apply for the draw. The resident’s personal information will be required on your application when you apply.