Hunting
RSSHunting in Alaska is the regulated pursuit of big game, waterfowl, and other wildlife across the state's game management units. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Board of Game set seasons, bag limits, draw permits, and closures. It also covers subsistence rights and hunter education.
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Week of Sep 21
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Week of Sep 14
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.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readFrom 
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
More from Hunting
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Sep 7
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom 
Coming up
Handgun Fit and Function
Rabbit Creek Shooting Park, 15222 Seward Hwy, Anchorage
Class
Alaska Board of Game Regulatory Meeting
Meeting
Northern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Hunt (RC504) Opens
Sports event
Written Exam - Registered Guide-Outfitter License
Class
Practical Exam - Registered Guide-Outfitter License
Class
About Hunting
Hunting in Alaska takes in the regulated harvest of big game, small game, waterfowl and furbearers across the state's game management units. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Board of Game set seasons, bag limits, draw and registration permits and closures.
Many hunts run on quotas, and the department closes them by emergency order once hunters reach the harvest limit, sometimes weeks early. Moose, caribou, mountain goats and Dall sheep draw close management, and hunters must carry licenses and harvest tickets and, for some hunts, pass tests.
Alaska State Troopers enforce the rules, citing hunters for wanton waste, out-of-season kills and false residency claims. Subsistence rights, predator control for caribou herds, guide licensing and access to Native corporation lands connect hunting to wildlife management and land ownership.
More from Hunting
Week of Aug 31
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Aug 24
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Week of Aug 17
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Week of Aug 10
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Two Fortymile caribou zones will close after just 48 hours
Alaska closes Fortymile caribou hunt in Zones 1 and 4 on Aug. 21, just two days after opening, expecting to fill the 190-bull quota in that window.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sheep mortality has run near triple its long-term rate in three Alaska ranges, state research finds
A GPS collar on a Dall sheep ram triggered a mortality signal, leading state biologists to a kill site showing signs of bear predation in the Alaska Range.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Week of Aug 3
Alaska moves to cut white-fronted goose limits again as the Y-K Delta population falls
Alaska wants to cut white-fronted goose limits in Unit 18 again as the Y-K Delta population falls, the second reduction in recent years. Comment is open through Aug. 16.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
One goat fills the quota, and a whole hunting zone closes for the season
A single goat filled the entire season quota for Unit 1C's Point Windham zone, closing it to hunting Saturday night, a pocket of country so goat-scarce it allows just one animal a year.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Twenty ptarmigan a day, most of the year, across the Interior
Interior ptarmigan hunters get 20 birds a day from August through February across Units 12, 20 and 25C, with big stretches of lightly hunted country to work.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The NRA gives Begich an F and three Republican tickets A+
The NRA's political arm gave the ticket of leading Alaska governor candidate Tom Begich an F and three Republican tickets A+ in its new primary grades.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Juneau hunters can take two low-cost Fish and Game classes this August
Juneau hunters can grab two cheap Fish and Game classes before fall, scope mounting for $15 or a full day of wilderness survival for $25. Spots are limited.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 27
Mountain goat area west of Harlequin Lake closes tonight after a long population slide
The mountain goat area west of Harlequin Lake closes to RG170 hunters tonight — goat numbers there crashed from 122 to a dozen over the years, and a recent rebound hasn't convinced the state.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read