Unit 13C community moose hunters lose any-bull option Tuesday night

Copper Basin community hunters in Unit 13C will lose the option to take any bull moose at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. Beginning Wednesday, every bull taken on a community subsistence hunt permit, CM300, must have spike or fork antlers, antlers 50 inches wide or wider, or four or more brow tines on at least one side. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued Emergency Order R4-4-26 on Monday because the subunit's quota of three bulls that do not meet those restrictions has been met.

The Board of Game allotted 100 non-conforming bulls across the community harvest area, three of them to 13C, down from five last year. ADF&G made the same change in 13E and then 13C last September, after those quotas filled.

Hunting continues in 13C through the regular Sept. 20 close. CM300 holders may still take non-conforming bulls in Units 11, 13A East, 13B, 13D and 13E, with a locking tag in possession and affixed to the antlers immediately. No order has closed them this season; ADF&G asks hunters to check the quota hotline, (907) 822-6789, for status elsewhere. The requirement to salvage the meat stands, and harvest reporting is due within 24 hours at (907) 822-3461.

The Alaska Board of Game has itself found that the ability to take any bull regardless of antler size is an important component of the community subsistence pattern in Unit 13. Ahtna Tene Nené and associated appellants have argued that midseason changes from any-bull to antler-restricted CM300 limits can be unfair to Copper Basin hunters who planned their season around the original regulations.

Glennallen Area Wildlife Biologist Heidi Hatcher signed the order under AS 16.05.060; it runs through June 30, 2027 unless superseded.