A-hunting we will go

Here’s a little more of this and that. First, if you’re into winter outdoor activities and snowmachines, you’ll want to attend the Oxygen & Octane winter adventure show today and Sunday at the Dena`ina Center in Anchorage. For more information, call 677-2900.

Don’t forget the gun show starting tomorrow at Raven Hall on the Palmer fairgrounds sponsored by the Alaska Gun Collectors’ Association.

If you’re looking for something fish related to do this winter, give 3 Rivers Fly & Tackle a call at 373-5434 or stop in and sign up for one of their fly tying or rod building classes.

I took the fly tying class several years ago and I can honestly say that my fly tying skills are not great, but I did catch my largest rainbow trout ever on a fly I tied myself after taking this class. I haven’t taken the rod building class, but I had Steve at 3 Rivers build me a custom ice fishing rod that has become my “go to” rod whenever I’m fishing for landlocked salmon in any of the Valley stocked lakes. They know how to build great rods of all sizes and lengths, and can teach you to do the same.

You’ve probably heard of a couple of folks who died in hunting-related accidents caused by the flooding we’ve experienced. That’s just one of the many hazards a hunter can face while pursuing game in the Alaska wilderness. If you’d like to really upgrade your knowledge and skills in first aid and receive some wilderness medical training, the North American Outdoor Institute is sponsoring a wilderness first responder certification course Oct. 15-26. This is an 80-hour, nationally certified course and will feature extra’s like aircraft loading and unloading, Alaska wild plants for medicinal uses and search and rescue protocols.

This course is not inexpensive at $600, space is limited and registration closes Oct. 9. The course is scheduled to be held in Palmer at a location to be announced. If you are interested, call Dorothy Adler at 376-2898 or e-mail info@naoiak.org for more information about course materials and location.

We’ve commented a lot over the past few months on fisheries issues affecting the Northern District of Cook Inlet. However, not everybody cares to sport fish. Some people would rather hunt than breathe, so we’ll devote some time to that topic as well (hunting, not breathing).

Alaska Board of Game (BOG) has an eight-day meeting scheduled Feb. 8-15, 2013, at the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn in Wasilla to discuss and take action on hunting proposals submitted for the Central/Southwest Region of Alaska. This region encompasses us in Game Management Units (GMU) 14A, 14B and 16, along with GMUs 9, 10, 11, 13 and 17.

I recently received the BOG proposal book in the mail and I’ve been looking at the proposals for our area. There are several to re-authorize antlerless moose permits. The antlerless permit hunts must be re-authorized every year by the BOG. They are not an automatic done deal unless the BOG gives its OK. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I support these types of hunts as long as the biological data on the moose herds supports this approach.

Fish and Game knows population trends and has some information on the status of moose in 14A based on road kills and data collected from successful antlerless moose hunters, but more information can only help them manage the population better. For that reason, the Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission submitted a proposal that would require all moose hunters who harvest a bull moose in Unit 14A to bring the lower jaw and antlers to a Fish and Game office for aging and measuring within 10 days of killing the animal. The regulation, if passed, would sunset in two years unless the department wanted to continue it for more data collection.

Several other moose-related proposals are listed as well as one caribou proposal and several addressing snaring bears, baiting brown bears and relaxing the intensive management of wolves in Unit 16. A handful of proposals address the regional issue of resident verses non-resident season dates for sheep hunters and one that would restrict certain pack animals from big game hunts.

If you’re interested, plan on attending the BOG meeting and voice your thoughts.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.