Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
March 2004

Choosing a Big Game Guide

When it comes to sighting in on a trophy animal, or just improving your chances for a successful Alaska hunt, a professional hunting guide can be a tremendous asset. But finding a good big game hunting guide can be a daunting task, and hunters are sometimes unclear about a guide's actual responsibilities. Understanding a few key issues can make finding the right guide much easier. This article offers ideas for finding guides, a little background on how guiding works in Alaska, some important questions ...   Big Game Guides ArticleContinued

The Bears of Winter

Across Alaska, there are secrets sleeping beneath the snow.

Hibernating bears are biological wonders. Inactive all winter, they don't suffer bone loss, muscle atrophy or bedsores the way a person would. They don't eat, but their nutritional needs are met. They need water but don't drink. Their cubs, born during hibernation, are so fetal-like that one researcher called their development "an almost external pregnancy."

"I think there's going to be medical breakthroughs ...   Hibernation ArticleContinued

Moose Pesky in Quest for Garbage Morsels

Moose getting into garbage isn't anything new, Seaton said. Like most animals in Alaska, moose are constantly searching for food, especially when it gets to be late in the winter and their fat reserves are running on empty.

"Moose eating garbage does seem kind of odd but there's lots of stuff in our garbage that might be really interesting to a moose--rotten lettuce, tomatoes, grain products like bread," Seaton said.

The number of garbage-picking moose in Fairbanks is ...   Trash Eating Moose ArticleContinued

Field Care of Big Game

Field Care of Big Game is a 53-minute, full-color videotape available through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. In Field Care, an experienced Alaskan game biologist leads a first-time hunter step by step through the process of preparing for a big game hunt and field dressing a moose. One section takes the hunter through a complete list of equipment needed for field dressing. Each piece of equipment is shown and its use in the process of field care clearly explained.

The field dressing ...   Field Care ArticleContinued