UPDATE Friday at 5:27 a.m.
On Thursday, Governor Dunleavy announced that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed non-resident and resident general hunting for brown and black bear through May 31. This was done to reduce non-critical travel in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus across Alaska.
Upon further consideration, the Department decided to rescind the resident portion of this closure. The non-resident hunts remain closed. To protect public health, resident hunters participating in spring bear hunts in Alaska are required to abide by all issued health mandates, including social distancing mandates and intrastate travel mandates. Specific to intrastate travel mandates, all instate travel between communities is prohibited unless travel is necessary to support critical infrastructure, or for critical personal needs. General hunting has not been identified as a critical personal need. As such, all hunting activities, other than subsistence, must conform with the intrastate travel health mandate.
The Department of Fish and Game will be issuing additional details in the coming days regarding conduct of these hunts in context of the issued mandates.
Governor Dunleavy clarified during a press conference on Thursday that residents can still enjoy Spring bear hunting, but the pause on the season applies to non-residents. Hunters must still practice social distancing measures. The Governor says he wants to make sure Alaskans are able to live as normal a life as possible.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Governor Mike Dunleavy, in a press briefing Wednesday evening, announced that COVID-19-related safety concerns are leading to the state officially putting a stop to spring bear hunts.
Governor Dunleavy: “Given the fact that the virus is very disruptive of everyone’s life, the Spring bear hunts will be postponed this year. So, the Spring bear hunts, right now, are being postponed – cancelled, actually, in Alaska for the both brown and black bear hunts. So, the Spring bear hunt is cancelled.”
In a statement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, they confirmed the Governor’s words, saying that subsistence bear hunts are unaffected: “For the safety of Alaska’s communities, and especially individuals most vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Doug Vincent-Lang has directed the Division of Wildlife Conservation to close all black and brown bear hunts statewide for both resident and nonresident hunters, effective now through May 31. This decision will be reevaluated as necessary. All subsistence bear hunts will remain open as a way for residents to have an opportunity to fill freezers and provide for families.”
Some were quick to protest, with a petition being opened on Change.org hoping for a reversal in the decision. It quickly received thousands of signatures.
The Department of Fish and Game says they will work alongside the Board of Game to identify options for hunters who have been planning to come to Alaska this spring, or for residents who have already made plans to hunt.