TM059 moose hunt in Unit 1D closes Monday night at 24 bulls

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing the TM059 moose hunt in Game Management Unit 1D at 11:59 pm Monday, Oct. 5, under an emergency order. The season was otherwise open through Oct. 7.

Hunters had reported 24 bulls as of Saturday, Oct. 3, against a harvest guideline of 20 to 25 bulls. With more hunters still in the field, the department said the upper limit has likely already been met or exceeded, and it is closing the hunt "to prevent overharvest and ensure sustainable future hunting opportunity."

Under the guideline, a legal bull carries a spike or fork, three brow tines on at least one antler, or a 50-inch spread. Of the 24 bulls reported, the department counted nine spike/fork bulls, nine with three or more brow tines on one side and five with at least a 50-inch spread. One was sublegal.

TM059 is Unit 1D's only moose hunt, according to the department's management report for the unit. It is a subsistence hunt, with the Alaska Board of Game finding all of the allowable annual harvest necessary for subsistence. The report sets objectives of at least 200 moose after the hunt and 25 bulls per 100 cows. Hunters averaged 24 bulls a year from 2015 through 2019, with annual harvests ranging from 20 to 27.