Alaska hunting license

How much is an Alaska hunting license?

A resident annual Alaska hunting license costs $45.00, and a nonresident annual license costs $160.00, as listed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) for the current license year. Residents who also fish can buy a hunting and sport fishing combo for $60.00 instead.

The real cost difference shows up after the license. For most resident big game hunting, the only other paperwork is a free harvest ticket or permit. Residents pay extra only for a few tags, such as brown or grizzly bear ($25 in some areas) and muskox. Nonresidents, on the other hand, buy a metal locking-tag for every big game animal they plan to take, and those tags cost far more than the license itself.

So which number should you plan around? For a resident, the $45.00 license and a handful of free harvest tickets cover most moose, caribou, deer and sheep hunting. For a visitor, start with the species list, price the locking-tags, add the $160.00 license, and then check whether the species needs a guide. That order gives a far more honest estimate than the license price alone.

The table below lists the license prices and the main add-ons. Full fee details are on the ADF&G hunting license prices page. Prices are set by the state and can change between years, so confirm the total when you check out.

Do you need hunter education for an Alaska hunting license?

Not statewide. Alaska requires Basic Hunter Education only for hunters 18 and older born after January 1, 1986 who hunt in Game Management Units 7, 13, 14, 15 and 20, plus certain other hunts, including youth hunts. Outside those units and hunts, you can buy a license and hunt without the course.

Those units cover a lot of popular country, so many hunters take the course anyway. It is a 6 to 8 hour online course followed by a required in-person field day, which must be finished within one year. Details and field day sign-up are on the ADF&G Basic Hunter Education page.

Younger hunters have an alternative in those units. Hunters under 18 may skip the course if a hunter 18 or older directly supervises them, and that supervisor must have completed the course or have been born on or before January 1, 1986.

If you are not sure which unit your hunt falls in, check the unit pages in the current regulations before you buy. Hunters born on or before January 1, 1986 fall outside the course requirement, and so do hunters under 18 who hunt with a qualified adult.

Where can you buy an Alaska hunting license?

You can buy an Alaska hunting license through the ADF&G online store at adfg.alaska.gov/store, at any ADF&G office, or from most license vendors around the state. If your hunt starts somewhere remote, sort out the purchase before you leave town, since a vendor may not be close to camp.

Nonresidents should plan the locking-tags at the same time as the license. A tag is needed for each big game animal you intend to take, and you buy it before the hunt. Residents should pick up the free harvest tickets or permits for the species they plan to hunt, one for each species on the list.

Planning far ahead? Drawing permits for next year's hunts open in November and close December 15, so a license and tag purchase is often only part of the paperwork for a big trip.

1. Check whether your hunt is in Unit 7, 13, 14, 15 or 20, and finish hunter education if you were born after January 1, 1986 and are 18 or older.
2. Buy your license from the ADF&G online store, an ADF&G office or a license vendor.
3. Add free harvest tickets or permits for your species, plus a locking-tag for each big game animal if you are a nonresident.
4. File a harvest report for every ticket after the season, even if you did not hunt.

Buy a Alaska hunting license on the official site

How do harvest tickets and locking-tags work?

Harvest tickets are free, and Alaska requires them for general-season caribou, deer, moose and sheep, and for black bear in some units. You pick one up for each species you hunt. Every ticket holder must file a harvest report, even if they never went hunting, so do not grab tickets you will forget about.

Nonresidents add a metal locking-tag for each big game animal, on top of the harvest ticket. Current examples from the ADF&G fee list: moose $800, caribou $650, black bear $450, Dall sheep $850 and brown bear $1,000. Nonresidents hunting brown bear, mountain goat or Dall sheep must also hire a guide.

The harvest report is easy to overlook, especially when a hunt is cancelled or you never fire a shot. Reporting is required either way, whether you filled the ticket, came home empty-handed or stayed home. Treat it as the last step of every season, right after you put the gear away.

Some hunts are limited to drawing permits. Alaska runs one application period each year, in November and December. Online drawing and subsistence applications for 2027 hunts are due by 5 p.m. AKST on December 15, 2026, and winners are notified in February. All of it is laid out in the 2026-2027 Alaska hunting regulations.

At what age do you need a license to hunt in Alaska?

Residents need a hunting license starting at age 18. Resident hunters under 18 skip the license, but they still need the harvest tickets or permits for their species and any required locking-tags.

There is a supervision rule for the youngest hunters. Residents under 10 must be directly supervised by a licensed hunter who is at least 16. And remember that some youth hunts are among those that require hunter education, so check the hunt conditions before you apply.

Nonresident kids are treated differently. ADF&G says nonresidents need a license at every age, so a visiting teen needs a nonresident license just like a parent does. Read the general license rules on the ADF&G license information page before you bring young hunters north.

What does a nonresident Alaska hunting license cost?

A nonresident annual Alaska hunting license is $160.00 for the current license year. If you only want small game, ADF&G lists a small-game-only license for $60.00. Neither includes big game tags, and both follow the same calendar-year expiry as resident licenses.

Budget for the tags first, because they drive the total. A moose hunt, for example, needs the $160.00 license plus an $800 locking-tag, and a brown bear hunt needs the license, a $1,000 tag and a licensed guide. Guide requirements also apply to mountain goat and Dall sheep.

Alaska sells no short-term hunting license. The only short options ADF&G lists pair a nonresident annual hunting license with a 1, 3, 7 or 14 day fishing license. If you are comparing a trip in the lower 48 instead, the Washington hunting license guide covers the closest state, and the hunting license by state table lists all 50.

What other rules come with a hunting license in Alaska?

Alaska licenses run on the calendar year: a license is valid from the day you buy it through December 31 of that year. A license bought in late fall is only good for a few weeks, so for a January hunt, buy a new one. A few other points to know before you go:

Before each trip, read the unit-specific pages of the current regulations. Seasons, bag limits and permit conditions differ a lot from one Game Management Unit to the next, and the license alone does not tell you what is open where.

• Seniors: residents 60 and older can get a free Senior Permanent ID card that covers hunting, fishing and trapping.
• Disabled veterans: residents who are 50% or more disabled veterans get a free license.
• Low income: a resident hunting, fishing and trapping license is $5.00 for those who qualify.
• Military: nonresident active-duty military stationed in Alaska pay $45.00 for a hunting license.
• Hunter orange, landowners and lifetime licenses: ADF&G does not publish a statewide hunter orange rule, a landowner exemption or a lifetime hunting license on the pages we checked, so ask the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before relying on any of them.