Hunting
RSSAlaska News covers hunting regulations, permits, seasons, and training requirements set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Board of Game.
Lake George mountain goat hunt closes early Tuesday after hunters reach harvest limit
The Lake George goat hunt closes Tuesday night, two weeks early. Hunters have already used up every point the state set aside, and some are still out there.

Troopers say Eagle River hunter used a $5 license he did not qualify for
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited an Eagle River hunter for falsely claiming low-income status to buy a $5 duck license instead of the $45 resident license.

State extends Unit 9B resident moose season to Sept. 30 after bad weather limited hunting
Wind, rain and high water kept Iliamna-area moose hunters off the water. The state is adding five days, so the Unit 9B hunt now runs through Sept. 30.

Federal board gives subsistence hunters 10 more days to hunt moose in the Tetlin refuge area
Rural subsistence hunters near Northway get 10 more days to hunt moose in the Tetlin refuge area, after warmer falls made moose harder to get, the board said.

Board of Game proposals would cut Western Arctic caribou limits further as the herd declines
The Western Arctic Caribou Herd is down to about 121,000. Proposals to cut harvest further go before the Board of Game in Kotzebue, and comments are due Jan. 9.

Bering River moose hunt closes after hunters reach 15-bull cap
The Bering River moose hunt closes Friday at its 15-bull cap. The herd behind it is estimated at 213 animals, against an objective of 300 to 350.

A teen moose hunter was flown to a hospital after a tree stand fall near Fairbanks
A teenage moose hunter fell from a tree stand southeast of Fairbanks and was flown out by trooper helicopter along with his father. Injuries weren't described.

Troopers cite a Wasilla hunter over evidence of sex missing from his moose
A Wasilla hunter was cited near Eureka after troopers found his moose no longer had evidence of sex attached, a detail that turns a legal animal into a charge.

Goat hunt RG249 north of Valdez Arm closes
Goat hunting north of Valdez Arm closes Tuesday night, four months early. Hunters have reported five of the seven goat points allowed this season.

Nelchina caribou could be hunted again in 2027 under a state proposal
Nelchina caribou hunters could get 150 Tier II bulls in 2027. The herd has more than doubled since 2023 but is still below the state's goal.

Last Unit 22 bull moose hunt closes early as quota fills
The Seward Peninsula's fall moose hunt is over, closed area by area as quotas filled. One section shut three days in. The winter hunt opens Jan. 1.

A goat season that runs to January is closing after six days
A goat hunt east of Unakwik Inlet closes Sunday, six days into a season that runs to January. The department says 30 days is closer to normal.

An order would presume hunting is allowed on Alaska's federal land
An executive order would presume hunting is allowed across some 92 million federal acres in Alaska. The subsistence priority is statutory and stays put.

State approves 183-acre Heceta Island clearcut with 300-foot beach buffer
Alaska approved clear-cutting 183 acres on Heceta Island with a 300-foot beach buffer, rejecting the state's own habitat biologist's recommendation for 1,000 feet to protect winter deer habitat.

Copper River Delta moose hunt closes six weeks early at 24 of 25 bulls
Bull moose hunting on the Copper River Delta closes Wednesday night, six weeks early, after hunters took 24 of the 25 bulls the state allowed.

Bear Mountain goat zone on Baranof closes Sept. 18 after quota fills
Bear Mountain is the fourth Baranof goat zone closed this season — on quotas built from surveys the state hasn't flown island-wide since 2023.

Alaska sets 25 online-only permits for Raspberry Island cow elk
Twenty-five Raspberry Island elk permits go out online Sept. 24, first come first served. Sixteen more go only to whoever shows up in two Kodiak villages.

Federal board extends FM1106 subsistence moose hunt by two days
Federal officials added two days to a Copper Basin moose hunt and closed 1,300 square miles of Interior river corridors to outside hunters. One group objects.

The any-bull option closes in Unit 13C after three moose filled the quota
The any-bull option closes in Unit 13C at midnight Tuesday after three bulls filled the quota. The subunit's allotment dropped from five last year.

Moose hunting closes early west of the Darby Mountains
Moose hunting west of the Darby Mountains closes Sunday, a day early, as the last of several quota-driven closures around Nome this season.

Funny River hunter cited after self-reporting sub-legal moose kill
A Funny River hunter self-reported killing a bull moose that didn't meet Unit 15B legal size requirements and was cited to appear in Kenai Courthouse.

A third Baranof Island goat zone closes early as the state guards the herd
Baranof Island's Lisa Creek goat zone closes Sept. 13 after two billies filled its quota — the third zone shut down early this year over population worries.

Alaska closes another zone of the Fortymile caribou hunt
Alaska closed another zone of its Fortymile caribou hunt Friday, expecting the 100-bull limit met. Two of four state zones remain open.

Minnesota hunter cited for wanton waste of a caribou near Sagwon
Minnesota hunter cited for leaving edible meat unsalvaged on a bull caribou near Sagwon and removing antlers before finishing the salvage.

State opens four-permit muskox hunt in Unit 26B as herd falls to 220
Alaska will issue four bull muskox permits in Unit 26B starting Oct. 1, even though the herd has crashed to 220 animals, well below the 300-animal management target.

The Peninsula caribou hunt opens Dec. 1 without a quota set
Alaska residents can take two caribou in the Northern Alaska Peninsula hunt opening Dec. 1, though the quota will not be set until fall surveys finish.

Two bulls close the bow-only moose hunt at Eklutna Lake, with hunters still out
Two bulls came out of the Eklutna Lake country and the bow hunt is over. That is roughly half a ton of meat taken off a herd of about seventy.

Unit 22C bull moose season closes 12 days early, after two days
Bull moose season in Unit 22C on the Seward Peninsula closes Sept. 2, twelve days early, after hunters are expected to fill the 30-bull quota in just two days.

Necker Bay's goat zone closes after two billies fill the quota
Two billies filled the quota and closed Necker Bay's mountain goat zone for the season, the second Baranof Island zone to shut this year.

Fortymile caribou Zone 2 closes Sept. 5 as fall quota nears
Hunters in the roadless Fortymile range have until Sept. 5 to take a bull before Zone 2 closes — the fall quota of 100 is nearly met. Zone 3 stays open.

Alaska districts have three weeks to apply for hunter education money
Alaska school districts have until Sept. 18 to apply for hunter education grants of up to $50,000, with $500,000 available statewide.

Ahtna closes Cantwell-area lands to the public for moose season
Ahtna, Incorporated closed its private lands near Cantwell to all public hunting and camping during moose season, though state-regulated hunting continues on public lands in the area.

Hunters near Nome have one last day for a bull moose before the season closes early
Hunters near Nome have one last day for a bull moose before the season closes more than two weeks early, with the area's 17-bull quota set to fill.

Montana man charged with 37 counts in Bethel hunting residency case
A Montana man faces 37 criminal counts in Bethel for claiming Alaska residency to hunt while living out of state, a violation that affects license costs and permit eligibility.

The Fortymile road hunt lasted 48 hours, exactly as predicted
The road-accessible Fortymile caribou hunt opened Aug. 20 and closed 48 hours later, exactly as the state biologist predicted before it began.

A Kenai hunter education class opens for sign-ups this fall
Alaska Fish and Game is offering a hunter education class in Kenai this fall through its women-focused "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" program, open to men too.

A Fortymile caribou hunt closed after just 48 hours as the quota filled fast
A Fortymile caribou hunt near the Steese Highway closed after just 48 hours as its quota filled fast, drawing a complaint over the short window.

One goat closes the Point Windham goat hunt for the year
A single goat filled the quota for Southeast Alaska's Point Windham zone, closing it to hunters for the year — one of several goat closures this summer.

A declining Fortymile caribou herd, short hunts, and a dispute over timing
A declining Fortymile caribou herd has forced short, tightly capped hunts. Tribes say the state's timing this year cut into the federal subsistence priority.

Wasilla man fined $320 for false residency claim on a fishing and hunting license
A Wasilla man paid $320 for fudging where he lives on a fishing license. The residency rule he ran afoul of just survived a veto fight in Juneau.
