Alaska hunters face dual delay: new regs stuck in legal review, harvest tickets held up

Alaska hunters heading into fall seasons face two separate issues: regulations the Alaska Board of Game adopted months ago are still not legally in effect, and physical harvest tickets for five major species have not arrived at vendors or Division of Wildlife Conservation offices.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Monday that regulations adopted at the Board of Game's Southeast and Southcentral regional meetings during winter 2026 remain in legal editing by the Department of Law, with no estimated completion date. Until ADF&G issues a follow-up announcement, hunters and trappers must continue operating under 2025-2026 rules. The seven-member citizen board held its Southeast work session in Wrangell in January 2026 and its Southcentral regional meeting in Kodiak in March 2026; the regulations those meetings produced have been in Department of Law review ever since. ADF&G said it will issue a follow-up announcement when both the regulations are finalized and harvest tickets are distributed and available.

The harvest ticket situation is a separate problem. A printing failure and slower-than-usual shipping have delayed hard copies of 2026-2027 tickets for moose, caribou, sheep, deer, and black bear. Tickets are in transit to Alaska, ADF&G said, but have not yet reached DWC offices or vendors. Hunters can obtain 2026-2027 tickets now at hunt.alaska.gov, and any ADF&G office can help with the online process.

One carve-out worth noting: Mulchatna Caribou Intensive Management regulations are not caught in the legal-editing delay. Those were finalized in late April 2026 and are in effect.

The delay has no announced end date, leaving hunters without certainty about whether rules will change before fall seasons open. A new 2026-2027 Board of Game call for proposals has already been noticed, meaning the next regulatory cycle is underway even as this one remains unresolved. Hunters and trappers with questions about regulations can reach regional ADF&G offices directly: Southeast, Region I in Juneau at (907) 465-4265; Southcentral, Region II in Anchorage at (907) 267-2257; Interior, Region III in Fairbanks at (907) 459-7206; Central/Southwest, Region IV in Palmer at (907) 746-6322; and Northwest, Region V in Nome at (907) 443-2271. Media questions can go to Ryan Scott, Director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation, at (907) 465-4191 or [email protected].