ADF&G opens resident muskox hunt on Paamiut Island starting Wednesday

Five muskoxen stranded on a 15-acre island southeast of Nunivak Island will be open to resident hunters starting Wednesday morning, after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued an emergency order Tuesday. ADF&G determined the animals were unlikely to survive long term and that non-lethal removal was not feasible.

Paamiut Island is located in Game Management Unit 18. Area Biologist Patrick Jones, acting by delegation from Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang, signed Emergency Order R5-4-26 on Tuesday.

The island has no fresh water and limited forage. "Long term survival of these muskox is unlikely," the order states. "Non-lethal removal is impractical due to cost."

Hunt Details

Registration permits for hunt RX055 go live at hunt.alaska.gov at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 22. The season runs through December 1, 2026. The bag limit is one muskox per person. Resident locking-tag fees are waived. Nonresident hunters are excluded entirely.

Legal Authority

Regulation 5 AAC 92.046 authorizes the commissioner to open a stranded-muskox season by emergency order when animals are on an island without adequate food and water and non-lethal removal has been ruled out. The order is issued under AS 16.05.060 and supersedes existing regulations in 5 AAC 85.050(a)(1) for this hunt.

Background

Muskoxen on Nunivak Island trace back to a federal reintroduction program in the 1930s. Animals from that population occasionally move to smaller surrounding islands where they can become stranded.

Hunters who register should be prepared for a remote western Alaska hunt. ADF&G's Bethel office can be reached at 907-543-2839.