The herd is just under 13,000 caribou -- less than half of the population goal set by federal and state agencies.
The Mulchatna caribou hunt will not open to hunters for the 2021-2022 season.
The Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the closure on July 23.
The population estimate of the Mulchatna caribou herd is 12,850. This number is well below Alaska Department of Fish and Game's minimum population goal of 30,000 caribou. As a result of this decline, the 2019 and 2020 caribou hunting seasons were closed at the request of both State and Federal managers.
This year the decision not to offer hunting permits comes from the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge manager, Kenton Moos. The Federal Subsistence Board delegated in-season management authority to the refuge for the 2021-2022 caribou season. According to Moos, the closure is in the best interest of the herd, and he hopes it will allow the caribou population to recover.
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