Federal board reopens Unit 12 moose season for 10 days near Northway

Federally qualified subsistence hunters in the FM1203 hunt area of Unit 12 get 10 more days to take a moose, starting Friday, Sept. 25, and running through Oct. 4. Eligibility is limited to rural residents.

The Federal Subsistence Board approved the reopening by email, citing the time sensitivity of the request, according to the Interior Department bulletin. The hunt area covers the portion of Unit 12 inside Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge and lands in Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve north and east of the Pickerel Lake Winter Trail, from the Canadian border to Pickerel Lake.

The request came from the Northway Village Council, filed as Wildlife Special Action Request WSA26-13. The council asked to extend the season "from September 20 through September 30, 2026." The bulletin summary describes the original request differently, as running from Sept. 21 through Sept. 30, and the record does not explain the discrepancy between the two dates. The council's dates span 11 days, the bulletin's 10. The Office of Subsistence Management modified those dates before approval. It shifted the 10-day window to follow the date the board acted.

The board said subsistence users in Unit 12 have struggled in recent years to meet their needs for moose because of warming fall conditions and a later arrival of the rut. It found no conservation concerns, citing low harvest rates and adequate bull-to-cow ratios. The underlying harvest data and biological analysis behind those findings were not released with the bulletin.

The record here is the agency announcement. It contains no response from the state or from other hunting interests. Questions go to the subsistence office at (907) 786-3888 or [email protected].

The board has made several short season changes this month: two days added to the FM1106 hunt in Unit 11 on Sept. 14 instead of the ten sought, and a Unit 13 moose request rejected Sept. 16.