Why do Alaskans hunt and trap? For millennia, it was a matter of survival. Despite healthy trade networks across the arctic and subarctic, indigenous people had no choice but to fashion their meals and clothing from locally available resources. Even today, some Interior residents must hunt and trap in order to eat or to obtain cash for supplies.
       For other Alaskans, whether rural or urban, the reasons for hunting and trapping relate to identity and culture. Some prefer to take responsibility for supporting their families by living off the land. Many place value on the subsistence traditions handed down through the generations, including the practice of sharing good fortune.
       For still others, hunting and trapping lifestyles embody their passion for this immense land and its natural resources. Interior residents often consider hunting and trapping to be an expression of “Alaskan-ness.” In song and story, the rugged identity of our state is personified by the solitary figure out on the trap line or the hunter stalking moose through the autumn forest.