Proposal would close Western Arctic caribou hunting if herd falls to 75,000

A proposal before the Alaska Board of Game would close caribou hunting across all or parts of four game units if the Western Arctic Caribou Herd falls to 75,000 or fewer. The Anchorage Fish and Game Advisory Committee's Game Subcommittee reviews it Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 pm.

The closure would cover Units 22, 23, 24B remainder, 24C, 24D and 26A until the Alaska Department of Fish and Game finds the herd above 100,000 with a harvestable surplus, according to the Western Arctic and Western Region proposals.

The Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group wrote the proposal. Formed in 1997, the group includes Alaska Native subsistence users from communities in the herd's range, other Alaska hunters, guides, transporters, conservationists and reindeer herders.

A July 2025 photo census put the herd at 121,000, down about 20% since 2023. The working group rated the herd "Critical, Declining," citing a nearly 70% decline over two decades. The herd peaked at 490,000 in 2003 and bottomed at about 75,000 in 1976, according to a federal special action summary.

The department estimates the harvestable surplus at 5,800 bulls and zero cows. Smaller bag limits and limits on cow harvest took effect July 1, 2024, but the herd kept declining, and cow harvest still runs about 4,000 a year, the department wrote.

An emergency order closed the state resident cow season in Units 22, 23 and part of 26A from July 1 through June 30, 2027. Alaska News reported that closure on May 27; residents there can still take up to 15 bulls.

The subcommittee will take up the full set of Western Arctic and Western Region proposals, including further bag limit cuts and plans to control wolves and brown bears to help the herd recover. Advisory committees only make recommendations to the board.

The meeting is at the Bass Pro Shop conference room in Anchorage, with options to join by phone or video.

The Board of Game, which decides the matter, meets Jan. 23-26, 2027, in Kotzebue. Written comments are due Jan. 9.