Eklutna Lake bull moose hunt closes at 11:59 p.m. Friday

Bowhunters holding an RM445 registration permit must stop hunting bull moose in the Eklutna Lake Management Area at 11:59 p.m. Friday, when Emergency Order R2-3-26 takes effect and closes the hunt while hunters are still in the field.

Two bulls had been reported taken as of Sept. 3, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in its advisory. The department set the area's ceiling at three bulls, drawn from a population estimated at 70 animals in 2023, to hold bull-to-cow ratios and stay within the herd size objective for Unit 14(C). Cory Stantorf, the Anchorage area wildlife biologist, signed the order by delegation from Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang: "There are still hunters in the field; therefore, no further harvest is warranted from this population," the order states.

The order supersedes the moose season and bag limit provisions at 5 AAC 85.045(12) for the management area, where moose may be taken only by permit and only by bow and arrow. All other moose hunting seasons in Unit 14 are unaffected.

Department order archives show the Eklutna Lake hunt has been closed by emergency action before, including in 2016 and 2011.

ADF&G's announcement did not include comment from affected hunters. Copies of the order are available from Fish and Game offices in Anchorage and Palmer.