Wrangell-St. Elias weighs 10 extra days of subsistence moose hunting in Unit 11

Federally qualified subsistence hunters in Game Management Unit 11, rural residents with a subsistence priority, could get 10 more days to take a moose this fall.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is considering extending the federal subsistence moose season from Sept. 21 through Sept. 30 for qualified rural residents, the park said in a Friday news release. Acting Superintendent Joshua Scott is scheduled to announce a decision Monday, Sept. 14, on the park website, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board. The park said it is completing required consultation over the weekend. Consultation includes the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Office of Subsistence Management, the Chugach National Forest, the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission and the chair of the affected regional advisory councils.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game lists the federally qualified season for the relevant Unit 11 hunt as Aug. 20 to Sept. 20. An extension would carry the hunt to the end of the month.

The decision traces to April, when the Federal Subsistence Board approved a proposal from the Southcentral Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council to move the Unit 11 moose closing date to Sept. 30. New federal subsistence wildlife regulations have not yet been published. The board approved the action so its April decision can take effect in the meantime. A September 2026 Department of the Interior bulletin identifies that action as Wildlife Special Action WSA26-10, which also affects the moose season in Unit 13.

In a Sept. 6 request posted with federal subsistence special action materials, Scott wrote that he was asking for the extension "in response to the likely delay in ratification of proposals approved by the Federal Subsistence Board in April of this year."

Registration permits are issued at the Copper Center visitor center and the Slana Ranger Station, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 20. Hunting inside the park is limited to residents of 23 designated resident zone communities, the villages with subsistence rights there. The park's number is 907-822-5234.