Summary of Regulation Changes Adopted by Board of Game beginning July 1, 2013

This is a summary of changes adopted by the Alaska Board of Game for regulatory year 2013-2014. This is not a comprehensive list of all the detailed changes. It is your responsibility to read the Alaska Hunting Regulations and Alaska Trapping Regulations carefully for complete information.

These regulations do not become effective until July 1, 2013 so do not affect hunting or trapping seasons that are currently open or that open prior to July 1, 2013 unless specified (such as spring bear seasons and bear baiting).

HUNTING

BLACK BEAR
Unit 17, increased the bag limit to three black bears and no closed season for both residents and nonresidents.

BAITING CHANGES EFFECTIVE SPRING 2014
Units 7, 13D, 15 and 16, allow brown bears to be taken at bait stations during open black bear baiting seasons with a bear baiting permit. The same restrictions that apply to black bear baiting apply to brown bear baiting. The edible meat of brown bears taken over bait must be salvaged.

BROWN BEAR
Unit 1C, change the bag limit in Berner’s Bay drainages from one bear every 4 regulatory years to 1 bear every regulatory year.  Season dates stay the same.

Units 7 and 15, changed the bag limit from one bear every four regulatory years to one bear every regulatory year, and changed the season dates from Sept. 15 – Nov. 30 and Apr. 1 – June 15 to Sept. 1 – May 31.

Unit 9, extended the spring season in the general registration hunts by 6 days, new season dates May 10-May 31.

Units 13E and 16A, removed the resident tag fee requirement in Denali State Park.

Unit 16, retain no closed season except the area within one mile of the mouth of Wolverine Creek.


CARIBOU
Portions of units 9A, 9B, 9C, 17A, 17B, 17C, 18, 19A, and 19B (the Mulchatna Herd), change the general season caribou hunt to a registration hunt and align all bag limits to 2 caribou with seasonal restrictions on bull harvests. The season dates for the winter hunt in Unit 9C that is open by emergency order only was shortened to end March 15 and is still open by emergency order only.

Unit 9D (Southern Alaska Peninsula Herd), establish a Tier II subsistence hunt, effective this fall, 2013. Bag limit is 1 caribou, season dates Aug. 1 – Sept. 30 and Nov. 15 – Mar. 31. Applications will be available May 1. Applications will be accepted by mail and online only, the application period is May 1 – May 31, 2013.

Unit 13, change the bag limit for drawing caribou from bull to caribou; the dept. can restrict the bag limit if biologically necessary. Also increased the amount of permits available by 2,000 (up from 3,000 to 5,000).
14A, expanded the existing 14B drawing permit to include 14A and added a winter season that may be announced.

Units 20B and 20F east of the Richardson, Steese, Elliott and Dalton highways and south of the Yukon River, Unit 20D north of the south bank of the Tanana River, Unit 20E and Unit 25C (White Mountain and Fortymile herds, Zones 1 and 3), added a youth drawing hunt for residents 10-15 years old with a bag limit of one bull and season dates Aug. 10 – Aug. 21. Youth hunters must have successfully completed a department approved hunter education course and must be accompanied by a licensed resident adult that is at least 21 years of age or older. Hunt will first be held in 2014. Also added a targeted hunt with a bag limit of one caribou and season dates to be announced by emergency order. This hunt will be held on a 2 week notice dependent on herd location.

DEER
Unit 3, Lindenberg Peninsula, close the nonresident season, change season dates from Aug. 1 – Nov. 30 to Oct. 15 – Oct. 31 and decrease the bag limit from two bucks to one buck.

Unit 5A, create a youth hunt for residents and nonresidents, season dates Oct. 15-Oct. 31, with a bag limit of one buck. Youth hunters must have successfully completed a department approved hunter education course and must be accompanied by a licensed resident adult that is at least 21 years of age or older. Proxy hunting is not allowed during this hunt.  This hunt does not affect the current Nov. 1-Nov. 30 season for residents and nonresidents.

ELK
Unit 3, modify elk permit hunt area to exclude Zarembo Island (currently closed under discretionary authority), and close season on Zarembo, Bushy, Shrubby and the Kashevarof islands.

MOOSE
Unit 6C, added a resident only winter registration hunt, bag limit is one moose, season dates Nov. 1 – Dec. 31. This hunt is a mop-up registration hunt that will only be held if there are available moose after the drawing hunt closes.

Units 7 (excluding hunt DM210, the Placer River drainages and that portion of the Placer Creek (Bear Valley) drainage outside the Portage Glacier Closed Area) and 15, changed the legal animal from one bull with 50-inch antlers or antlers 4 with or more brow tines on one side to one bull with spike or 50-inch antlers or antlers with 4 or more brow tines. Sealing of antlers is required within 10 days of take.

Units 11, 12, 13 Community Subsistence Harvest Hunts, for 2013: increased the number of bulls that do not meet antler restrictions from 70 to 100. For 2014, added a Dec. 1- Dec. 31 season to the community harvest hunt and allocated any bull permits to one permit per every three households in the group.

Unit 13, effective 2014. changed the season dates for the antlerless moose drawing hunt to Oct.1 – 31 and Mar. 1 – Mar. 30 Added a winter registration hunt for bulls only, season dates Dec. 1- Dec. 31. Permits will be available from Nov. 17-Nov. 28, 2014 in the Glennallen ADF&G office only.

Unit 14, expanded the targeted hunt (formerly hot spot hunt) area to include Unit 14B and allows take by shotgun with slugs or archery only.

Unit 16B mainland, added a resident drawing hunt with a bag limit of one bull, season dates Aug. 20 – Sept. 25 and added a youth drawing hunt for those age 10-17 with a bag limit of one bull, season dates Aug. 20 – Sept. 25 and Nov. 15 – Dec. 15. Both hunts will begin in 2014. Also increased and aligned the nonresident season with the resident season, season dates are now Aug. 20 – Sept. 25 for both, effective fall of 2013
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Unit 17A, increase the resident bag limit from 1 to 2, only one of which may be taken from Aug. 25 – Sept. 20. Extended the 14 day winter hunt to 31 days, there was no change to the Dec. 1 – Jan. 31 window for the season and hunt is open by emergency order only. The dept. will set a quota for cow moose and will close that portion of the hunt once the quota has been reached. Establish a nonresident drawing hunt, bag limit is 1 bull with 50 inch antlers or antlers with 4 or more brow tines on one side, season dates Sept. 5 – Sept. 15. This hunt will first be held in September of 2014 and 20 permits will be issued.

MOUNTAIN GOAT

Unit 8, RG480 that portion of Kodiak Island south and west of a line extending along the Spiridon River, following the North Fork of the Spiridon to its headwaters, then going southwest following the spine of the island over Koniag peak to the headwaters of the South Fork of Midway Creek, then downstream on Midway Creek to Midway Bay, extended the season by approximately 3 months, season dates changed from Aug. 20 – Dec. 15 to Aug. 20 – Mar. 20. Increased the bag limit to 2 goats.

SHEEP
Unit 14C, the hunt area for DS123 was expanded to include Ram Valley and Falls Creek drainage.

WOLVES
Unit 15, Skilak Loop Management Area, open to wolf hunting Oct. 1 – Mar. 31, firearms may not be discharged within ¼ mile of Engineer, Hidden, Kelly and Petersen lake campgrounds, the upper and lower boat launches. Use of rimfire firearms for hunting wolves is prohibited.

COYOTE
Units 6-11, and 13- 17, change hunting season to no closed season.

Unit 15, Skilak Loop Management Area, open to coyote hunting Nov. 10 – Mar. 31, firearms may not be discharged within ¼ mile of Engineer, Hidden, Kelly and Petersen lake campgrounds, the upper and lower boat launches.


LYNX
Unit 15, Skilak Loop Management Area, open to lynx hunting Nov. 10-Jan. 31, firearms may not be discharged within ¼ mile of Engineer, Hidden, Kelly and Petersen lake campgrounds, the upper and lower boat launches.

TRAPPING

WOLVES
Units 7 and 15, increase the wolf trapping season from Nov. 10 – Mar. 31 to Oct. 15 – Mar. 31.

COYOTE
Units 1-5, increase the coyote trapping season from Dec. 1 – Feb 15 to Nov. 1 – Apr. 30. Bag limit stays at no limit.

Units 7 and 15, increase the coyote trapping season from Nov. 10 – Mar. 31 to Oct. 15 – Mar. 31. Coyotes may not be taken with a steel trap or with a snare smaller than 3/32 inch diameter from Oct. 15 – Oct. 31.

FISHER
Units 1-5, open a season for fisher, season dates Dec. 1 – Feb. 15 with a bag limit of 1. Sealing is required within 30 days of take.

MISCELLANEOUS
Statewide, prohibit the use of domestic goats and domestic sheep as pack animals while sheep, goat or muskox hunting.

Defined spike, “spike” means antlers of a bull moose with only one tine on at least one side; male calves are not spike bulls.

Definition of Targeted permit, changed Hot Spot to Targeted and defined Targeted as: “Targeted permit” means a permit issued on short notice and a lottery basis to an applicant who has previously registered and is willing to participate in a hunt under short notice.

PREDATOR CONTROL

Unit 1A, a wolf predator control program was authorized in a small portion of the subunit.

Unit 3, a wolf predator control program was authorized in a small portion of the unit.

Unit 15A and 15C intensive management plans, allow the department to hire trappers to take predators.