Moose hunting closes early west of the Darby Mountains

Moose hunters west of the Darby Mountains have until Sunday night to take a bull, a day sooner than planned, because the season's 30-bull limit is nearly full.

The state closed the fall hunt in that part of the Seward Peninsula early, the last in a string of moose closures across the region this season. Four separate areas around Nome have shut one after another as each hit its quota: 17 bulls in one, 27 in another, 30 in two more. The limits exist to keep the herd within the 1,500 to 1,800 moose the state wants the area to hold.

That steady tightening is where two views collide. Resident hunters argue the frequent early closures cut their opportunity and can be overly cautious when moose numbers are steady or growing. Alaska Native advocates counter that conservative quotas in the region eat into the customary harvest that rural communities depend on for food.

A winter hunt opens Jan. 1, with a limit that will depend on how many bulls come out of the fall season.