Following the Federal Subsistence Board’s announcement that it would consider extending the moose hunting season in Unit 12 and closing the season in Unit 13, the decisions were officially made during their Aug. 8 meeting after hearing public comments on the proposals.
Temporary Wildlife Special Action 24-04, submitted by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Subsistence Resource Commission requests to extend the fall moose season in the portion of Unit 12 within the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve northeast of the Pickerel Lake Winter Trail hunt area for 10 days from September 20 to September 30 for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The proponent stated that locals are having a difficult time harvesting moose because they do not move around until late September due to warmer weather in the fall. A public hearing was held on May 29, 2024.
The Board stated that additional harvest opportunity during a 10-day extension is not expected to increase harvest beyond sustainable levels.
Temporary Wildlife Special Action 24-06 was also approved, with modification, closing Federal public lands in Unit 13B to moose hunting by non-federally qualified users for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 regulatory years.
The request asked for the closure of all Federal public lands in Unit 13 to non-federally qualified moose hunters; however, the Board modified the request to only close Federal public lands in Unit 13B
A Glennallen resident submitted the Special Action request, requesting that Federal public lands in Unit 13 be closed to moose hunting by non-federally qualified users for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The proponent cited conservation concerns for the Unit 13 moose population, food insecurity and public safety concerns for local subsistence users, threats to the continuation of subsistence uses, and provision of a meaningful Federal subsistence priority as reasons for submission. A public hearing was held on July 23, 2024.
