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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July 2026
The state is opening Kenai lynx season — and already predicting it'll close next year
Alaska is opening Kenai lynx season Dec. 15–Feb. 28 while already predicting it'll close next year — the cats are heading toward the bottom of their boom-bust cycle.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Too few goats, too easy to reach: South Baranof stays closed
South Baranof stays closed to goat hunting a second year running — too few goats, and too easy to get to, which is exactly the problem.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Five muskoxen are stuck on a 15-acre island, so Alaska is opening a hunt
Five muskoxen wandered onto a 15-acre island with no water and no way off. Alaska can't afford to move them, so it's opening a hunt instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Unimak Island caribou hunt RC205 opens August 1 with three-animal limit
Unimak Island caribou hunt RC205 opens August 1 with three-animal limit per hunter, permits required and available now at King Salmon ADF&G office or online.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A free Palmer class to turn beginners into bird hunters
Free Fish and Game class in Palmer turns bird-hunting beginners into hunters in a day — guns, ammo, and dogs included. Season's already open.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The Fortymile caribou herd is shrinking, and this year's hunt reflects it
The Fortymile caribou herd is down a bit, so this year's hunt is tighter — 550 bulls, one per hunter, no cows, and zones that can slam shut mid-season.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Two hands-on hunting classes are open in Juneau, and seats are going fast
Juneau's got two hands-on hunting classes this summer — a full-day Basic Rifle and an evening Scope Mounting session — and both are nearly full.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fewer geese on the Y-K Delta, and a proposal to let hunters take fewer
White-fronted geese are declining on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, so Alaska wants to cut the bag limit from 10 to 6 — in a region where geese are a staple food. Comment by Aug. 5.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
More from Hunting
Fish and Game will bring moose permits to four Nushagak River villages
Fish and Game will hand-deliver moose permits to four Nushagak River villages this year, so hunters without road access to Dillingham don't have to make the trip.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Alaska sheep hunters must complete orientation course before Aug. 10 opener
Alaska sheep hunters must complete a one-time orientation course before the Aug. 10 season opener to learn how to correctly identify full-curl rams in the field, a new requirement starting this fall.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage hunters can zero rifles at free sight-in day July 8
Alaska Fish and Game hosts a free rifle sight-in day July 8 at Rabbit Creek Shooting Park, 4 to 8 p.m., with a gunsmith and chronograph on site.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska now makes Dall sheep hunters pass a perfect-score test
Alaska now makes full-curl sheep hunters ace a 20-question quiz before hunting — because the herd is down 40 to 70 percent and every misjudged ram counts.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
June 2026
Alaska's fall hunt is coming, and hunters still don't know the rules
Fall hunts are almost here, but Alaska's season rules are stuck in legal review with no end date, and harvest tickets are delayed. Last year's rules apply for now.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A quiet change to how Alaska's bird seasons get set
The feds are slowing how often they rewrite migratory bird hunting rules — a wonky change that lands hardest in Alaska, the only state with a legal subsistence spring hunt.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Federal rule renames Alaska subsistence bird-harvest region as Ahtna Territory
Federal wildlife officials renamed the Upper Copper River subsistence bird-harvest region as Ahtna Territory and aligned spring and summer harvest dates to match local Indigenous Knowledge.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Board of Game proposes hunting, trapping rules for Ambler Road
Alaska Board of Game is proposing hunting and trapping restrictions in Game Management Units 23 and 24 if the 211-mile Ambler Road is built across the Brooks Range. Public hearings are July 22-23 in Fairbanks.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
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
Where Alaska's fire morels may pop next
Oh, Mushroom hunters / Information they kept close / Now for all to know
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly to consider letting licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits
Anchorage may let licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits — sorry, attic squirrels.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska wants to clear 1,000 more acres for the Delta bison herd
Alaska Fish and Game wants to clear 1,000 acres in the Delta Junction Bison Range to grow more grass for the herd, expanding a decades-old effort to keep bison away from farmland.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min read
Darren Morgan Deacon files for Alaska State Senate District S
Darren Morgan Deacon, a former tribal chief from Kalskag, filed as a Republican for Alaska State Senate District S on a platform of full Permanent Fund dividends and subsistence rights protection.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
May 2026
Mat-Su hunter cited for using salmon, game meat as bear bait
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Wasilla hunter Max Halter on May 16 for using salmon and grouse at his registered bear bait site, violating state rules that prohibit fish and game meat as bear bait.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min readADF&G to issue 10 mountain goat permits in Seldovia on June 10
ADF&G will 10 mountain goat hunting permits for Seldovia, first-come first-served to Alaska residents only.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska closes cow caribou hunting in Western Arctic as the herd hits 121,000
Alaska bans cow caribou hunting across northwest regions. Western Arctic Herd fell to 121,000 animals, lowest in decades. Bull hunting remains allowed at 15 per resident through June 2027.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Wasilla pair sentenced for illegal Kodiak guiding operation
Two Wasilla men sentenced for running unlicensed hunting guide business near Kodiak that led to illegal deer and bear kills. Theodore Turgeon got six months prison and $20,000 fine, Charles Emmi got four years probation and $30,000 fine. Both banned from hunting and guiding work during supervision and must forfeit nearly $15,000 each.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min readHouse approves stricter hunting residency rules in divided vote
Alaska House approved stricter hunting and fishing residency rules in a 24-16 vote, requiring 180 days per year in state instead of just maintaining a domicile, effective January 2028.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate tightens hunting residency rules to match PFD standards
Alaska Senate voted to require hunters and anglers to spend at least 180 days in state per year to qualify for cheaper resident licenses, using the same residency test as the Permanent Fund Dividend.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Opens First Mountain Lion Hunting Season in Southeast
Alaska opens its first mountain lion hunting season in Southeast starting Aug. 1, allowing one kill per hunter and letting them keep the animal after sealing it with the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readSenate Panel Advances Bill Tying Hunting Rights to 180-Day Residency
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill tying resident hunting licenses to a 180-day residency standard, matching Permanent Fund Dividend rules to stop non-residents from claiming cheaper resident tags.
by Alaska News6mo ago6 min read
April 2026
Federal Subsistence Board adopts 52 wildlife proposals for Alaska
The Federal Subsistence Board approved 52 new hunting rules for federal lands. • Rules take effect July 1 and govern subsistence access through June 2028. • Changes include a new Kodiak brown bear hunt and tighter limits in Southeast.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Interior hunters report early black bear harvests as spring season begins
Interior hunters are reporting early black bear harvests as spring season opens, with the state tracking kills to manage predator populations and protect moose herds.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read