Species Guide
White rams in the Chugach, starting from Alaska's biggest city.
Anchorage is an unlikely base for Alaska sheep hunting. The western Chugach Mountains, Game Management Unit 14C, rise directly behind the city, and they hold huntable Dall sheep managed through draw permits. At the same time, Anchorage is the staging hub where most guided sheep hunters land before flying out to the Alaska Range, Talkeetna Mountains, or Brooks Range with their outfitter.
One rule shapes everything for visitors: nonresidents cannot hunt Dall sheep in Alaska on their own. State law requires a nonresident sheep hunter to be accompanied by a licensed Alaska guide, or by an Alaska-resident relative within the second degree of kindred who is 19 or older. If you don't have that relative, you're hiring a guide, and you need a signed guide-client contract in hand before you even apply for a permit.
Unit 14C is some of the closest sheep country to a road anywhere in Alaska. Its hunts are allocated by lottery: the state's draw application window runs November–December with results in mid-February. Recent 14C rifle hunts have been split into 13-day periods: roughly August 10–22, August 23–September 4, and September 5–17. Part of the unit has been managed under full-curl ram rules and another part as any-ram; those boundaries and rules are permit-specific, so read the current hunt conditions carefully.
Don't let the proximity fool you. These are true backpack hunts, and hunters commonly hike 5 to 20 miles into the Chugach to reach rams. Most Anchorage-listed outfitters, meanwhile, run their sheep hunts in ranges reached by bush plane from town; the logistics start in Anchorage even when the mountain is 200 miles away.
Alaska sheep seasons are built around the traditional August 10 opener, running into September (recent Brooks Range guided hunts, for example, ran August 10–19 and August 21–30, and 14C periods stretch to mid-September). Most general-season hunts statewide are full-curl only: a mature ram whose horn tip has grown through a full 360 degrees. Judging full curl in the field is a core skill guides earn their fee on. Seasons, permit conditions, and curl rules are set annually: confirm everything against the current ADF&G regulations before you plan.
The price is steep. Recent guided Dall sheep hunts have generally been priced from around $16,000–$20,000, with 10-day fully guided hunts advertised in the $22,000–$28,500 range, plus license, tag, and bush-flight costs. Sheep hunts are typically 10–14 days on the mountain, and outfitters advise blocking two full weeks with travel.
A sheep hunt is one of the most physical hunts Alaska offers: everything on your back, camps above brushline, glassing for hours, and weather that can pin you in a tent for days. Outfitters expect clients to arrive in serious hiking condition; this is the hunt people train six months for. From Anchorage, a guided hunt usually means a night in town, a flight to a base or strip, then days of climbing and glassing until a legal ram is found and judged.
If you draw a 14C permit as a resident, or hunt it with a qualifying relative, the trailheads are minutes from town, but the mountains are just as steep. Either way, meat and horns come out on your back, and horns must be sealed with ADF&G after the hunt under current requirements; confirm sealing rules when you pick up your permit.
| Period | What's happening | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| November – December | Draw permit application window for the following fall | Nonresidents need a signed guide contract before applying |
| Mid-February | Draw results announced | Book flights and start training if you're in |
| Aug 10 – 22 (approx.) | First 14C rifle hunt period; traditional statewide opener | 13-day permit periods in recent years; confirm current dates with ADF&G |
| Late Aug – mid-Sept | Second and third 14C periods; guided hunts continue in other ranges | Weather days are part of the plan |
Seasons and limits change — always confirm current regulations with ADF&G before booking.
No. Alaska law requires nonresident sheep hunters to be accompanied by a licensed guide or an Alaska-resident relative within the second degree of kindred (age 19+). Dall sheep is one of only three species with this requirement, alongside brown/grizzly bear and mountain goat.
Recent guided hunts have generally run from about $16,000-$20,000, with many 10-day, one-on-one hunts advertised between roughly $22,000 and $28,500, plus license, tag, and bush-flight transportation. It is among the most expensive hunts in North America.
It centers on the traditional August 10 opener and runs into September. Recent Unit 14C (Chugach, near Anchorage) draw hunts used 13-day periods from August 10 through September 17. Exact dates and rules are set annually.
Yes. Unit 14C covers the western Chugach behind the city and offers draw-permit sheep hunts, including some full-curl and some any-ram areas. Access is by lottery, and the hunting is a legitimate backpack hunt despite the short drive from town.
anchorage, Alaska
Master Guide Tony Dingess runs fair-chase brown bear, Dall sheep, and moose hunts from the Alaska Peninsula to the western Alaska Range.
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anchorage, Alaska
Registered guides Greg Stewart and Danny Wright run fair-chase sheep, bear, and moose hunts in the Chugach, Alaska Range, and on Kodiak.
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anchorage, Alaska
Backpack hunts for Dall sheep, moose, caribou, and bear with Justin Dubay, guiding in Alaska since coming north in 1995.
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