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Fall moose hunt below average in GMUs 17B and C

Jordan Claar

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is still waiting on hunt reports for the fall moose hunt in game management units 17 B and C. So far, 134 moose have been reported harvested. 

Reflecting this season's poor hunting conditions, the fall harvest under the RM583 permit is about 20 percent below average.  

"The average over the past five years has been about 167 so we're certainly a little below that," said Neil Barten, an area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "It was kind of a common occurrence across the state this year, with the harvest not being quite up to the norm because of a lot of warm days and inactivity by moose."

The final harvest count probably won't be much higher, according to Barten. But quite a few hunters have yet to return their reports.

"We still have 147 people who haven't reported," he said. "We had 805 permits out there, so we've got most of them. But we still need to get the rest of the folks to report. They should be getting letters in the mail right now, and it's real important that they report as soon as they can. They're very close to getting put on the list where they might not be able to hunt under a permit hunt next year. So, we don't want that to happen."

All harvest reports were due at the end of the season whether permit holders hunted or not. Failure to submit a report could result in a ban on hunting under a permit for the next year. Hunters can still submit reports online, by mail, or in person at the ADF&G office on Kenny Wren Road in Dillingham.

Contact the author at isabelle@kdlg.org or 907-842-5281.