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Guard and Reserve Members Get a Free Hunting and Fishing Licence

A current member of the Alaska National Guard or a United States reserve component who meets the fish and game residency test holds the resident annual hunting, trapping and sport fishing licence free of charge. It is a separate licence from the free permanent card issued at a 50% rating.

Verified August 25, 2026

What this benefit is

A current member of the Alaska National Guard or a United States reserve component who meets the fish and game residency test holds the resident annual hunting, trapping and sport fishing licence free of charge. It is a separate licence from the free permanent card issued at a 50% rating.

What it's worth: A free resident annual hunting, trapping and sport fishing licence

  • ADF&G lists the Alaska Resident National Guard & Military Reserves licence as complimentary — there is no fee.
  • Membership must be current — this is not a benefit that survives leaving the Guard or the Reserves.
  • Residency is the fish and game department’s own definition, which is not the same test as the dividend residency rule.

Who is entitled to it

  • You have served or are serving.
  • Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: Buy before you hunt or fish
  1. 1Confirm you meet the fish and game department’s residency definition before buying — it is a departmental test, not a general one.
  2. 2Buy the Guard and Reserves licence rather than the ordinary resident licence; they are separate products.
  3. 3Carry proof of current membership with the licence.
  4. 4If you hold a service-connected rating of 50% or more, look at the free permanent disabled veteran identification card instead — that card costs nothing and does not expire, and it is the better instrument if you are eligible for both.
File with
Department of Fish and Game, Licensing
Annual
Claimed once a year.
Worth knowingThis is the Guard and Reserve licence, not the disabled veteran card. The card is free, permanent and opens at a 50% rating; this licence carries a fee, runs annually and turns on current service.
Known gapThe fee is not published on the page read here, and the fish and game department’s licence pages did not return military pricing this session. Ask the licensing office for the current figure before budgeting.
Worth knowingThe disabled veteran card is voided the moment the holder stops residing in the state. The Guard and Reserve licence turns on the fish and game residency test instead, so the two can come apart for someone stationed away.

Sources

Why only one source type: The Office of Veterans Affairs page names the licence and its eligibility. The fish and game department’s own licence pages did not return the military licence detail this session, so the fee is not published here.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.