# Alaska Hunting and Fishing at Resident Rates for Active Duty

> Active duty members stationed in Alaska can buy hunting and fishing licenses at resident rates instead of nonresident rates. Who qualifies and how to buy.
>
> Canonical: https://benefitry.io/guides/alaska-military-resident-rate-hunting-fishing-licenses
> Publisher: Benefitry (benefitry.io). Benefits audit software for US veterans and military families.
> Last updated: 2026-10-30 · First published: 2026-09-17
> Official sources cited: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.military · https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.pricinglist · https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.prices · https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=sportlicense.prices · https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=16.05.340&secEnd=16.05.340 · https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=16.05.407&secEnd=16.05.407
> Note: Benefitry is informational software, not affiliated with the VA; it does not file claims or give claim advice (38 U.S.C. § 5901).

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If you are active duty military or Coast Guard permanently stationed in Alaska, you do not have to pay the state's steep nonresident license prices to hunt and fish. Alaska sells you hunting and sport fishing licenses at the same prices residents pay, and your spouse and dependents get the same deal. On the annual hunting and sport fishing combo license alone, that is a $200 per year difference, and on big game tags the gap can run into the hundreds of dollars per animal.

![An angler fly fishes in an Alaska river](/guide-images/alaska-military-resident-rate-hunting-fishing-licenses/fly-fishing.webp)

## What it is

Alaska is one of the most expensive states in the country for nonresident hunters and anglers. A nonresident annual hunting and sport fishing combo license costs $260, and nonresident big game tags cost as much as $2,200 for a bull muskox, per the [ADF&G pricing list](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.pricinglist).

The state carves out an exception for military members stationed there. Under the [Alaska Department of Fish and Game military licensing rules](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.military), active duty members of the U.S. armed forces or Coast Guard who are permanently stationed in Alaska, but are not Alaska residents, can buy hunting and sport fishing licenses at resident prices. The benefit extends to their dependents.

How the benefit works depends on how long you have been stationed in the state:

- **Stationed fewer than 12 months:** you buy a special nonresident military license at resident prices. You can hunt and fish like a resident with one major exception: to hunt brown or grizzly bear, mountain goat, or Dall sheep, you must be accompanied by an Alaska licensed guide or by a [resident over 19](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=16.05.407&secEnd=16.05.407) who is your spouse or a relative within the second degree of kindred (for example a parent, sibling, or grandparent).
- **Stationed 12 or more months:** you can buy a full Alaska resident license outright, with no guide requirement, and ADF&G states you do not have to give up your residency privileges in another state to do it.

Big game tags get the military treatment too. Sheep and goat tags are provided to eligible military members free of charge, and brown or grizzly bear and muskox tags are available at reduced rates: [state law](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=16.05.340&secEnd=16.05.340) issues them at the resident rate.

## What it's worth

Here is the license math straight from the [ADF&G price lists](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.prices), comparing what a regular nonresident pays against the military rate (which matches the resident rate):

| License (annual) | Nonresident price | Military rate | You save |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sport fishing | $100 | $20 | $80 |
| Hunting | $160 | $45 | $115 |
| Hunting and sport fishing combo | $260 | $60 | $200 |

A service member and spouse who both buy the combo license save $400 a year between them, every year they are stationed in Alaska.

The tag savings are even larger if you hunt big game. A nonresident Dall sheep tag costs $850 and a mountain goat tag costs $600; eligible military members get both free of charge. A nonresident brown or grizzly bear tag is $1,000 and a nonresident bull muskox tag is $2,200; military members stationed in Alaska pay the resident tag price instead, $25 for the bear tag and $500 for the bull muskox tag.

> One Dall sheep hunt shows the scale: a regular nonresident would pay $160 for a hunting license plus $850 for the sheep tag, $1,010 before anything else. An eligible military member pays $45 for the license and $0 for the tag.

King salmon stamps, waterfowl stamps, and drawing permit fees are separate purchases; check current stamp prices on the [ADF&G sport fishing price page](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=sportlicense.prices).

## Who qualifies (and who doesn't)

You qualify if all of these are true:

- You are active duty in the U.S. armed forces or the U.S. Coast Guard (ADF&G explicitly includes Coast Guard members).
- You are permanently stationed in Alaska on military orders.
- You are not already an Alaska resident (residents simply buy resident licenses; resident Guard and Reserve members have their own separate benefit, a complimentary license).

Your spouse and dependents qualify alongside you.

You do not qualify under this program if:

- You are stationed outside Alaska and just visiting on leave. You would buy regular nonresident licenses.
- You are a member of the National Guard or Reserves who is not on active duty orders stationing you in Alaska (Alaska-resident Guard and Reserve members should look at the state's complimentary license program instead).
- You are a Veteran no longer serving. Alaska has a separate free license program for resident disabled Veterans with a 50 percent or greater rating, which requires establishing Alaska residency.

Remember the 12-month split within the program: under 12 months in state means the special military license with the guide requirement for brown or grizzly bear, mountain goat, and Dall sheep; 12 or more months means a full resident license with no guide requirement.

![A moose calf stands in tall grass](/guide-images/alaska-military-resident-rate-hunting-fishing-licenses/moose-calf.webp)

## How to claim it

1. Gather proof of your status. Bring your military ID and a copy of your orders showing you are permanently stationed in Alaska. Dependents should carry their dependent ID.
2. Buy the license. Purchase online through the [ADF&G Online Store](https://store.adfg.alaska.gov/) or in person at any ADF&G license vendor or ADF&G office.
3. Pick the right license type. If you have been stationed in Alaska fewer than 12 months, buy the nonresident military license (annual hunting $45, annual hunting and sport fishing combo $60). At 12 or more months, buy the standard resident license at the same prices.
4. Get your tags before a big game hunt. Request your free sheep or goat tag, or the reduced-rate bear or muskox tag, when you buy. Tags must be in hand before the hunt.
5. Line up a guide if you need one. If you are under the 12-month mark and hunting brown or grizzly bear, mountain goat, or Dall sheep, book an Alaska licensed guide or arrange to hunt with a qualifying resident spouse or relative before the season.

If a vendor is unsure how to ring up the military license, ADF&G regional offices can process it directly; the [military license page](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.military) is the authoritative reference to point to.

## Related benefits

- [Your first 90 days after separation](/guides/first-90-days-after-separation) covers the benefits checklist to run when you leave active duty, including state benefits that hinge on where you settle.
- [SCRA and MLA protections](/guides/scra-mla-protections) explains the financial protections that follow you through every PCS, Alaska included.
- Alaska stacks this with other military and Veteran benefits, from the PFD to property tax exemptions. See everything the state offers you in the [state benefits scan](/app/dashboard?tab=audit).

## What to do next

Run the [state benefits scan](/app/dashboard?tab=audit) to see what Alaska owes you beyond cheap licenses, then [start your full benefits scan](https://benefitry.io/start) to see every federal and state benefit you qualify for, each with an official source.