Application period runs through Dec. 15 for draw permit hunts

It’s that time of year again!

No, I’m not talking about icefishing (although I have a couple of friends who have already caught some fish through only inches-thick ice Personally, I’m waiting for some thicker ice before I venture out to try my luck.) I’m talking about the open period to apply for drawing permit hunts in Alaska!

The annual application period for drawing permit hunts began on Nov. 1 and will run through Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. Applications will generally only be accepted online and submitted applications are considered final. The only form of accepted payment is by credit card (VISA or MC) when the application is submitted. There is no refund of permit application fees.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you submit your application:

All of these hunts take place in 2015 unless listed as a 2016 hunt; You may apply for up to three different hunts per species, except moose, for which you can apply for up to six hunts, only three of which may be for bulls; The actual number of permits to be issued for each hunt will depend on the outcome of the most recent population survey, many of which were not complete by the Nov. 1 beginning of the application period; You must obtain or have applied for an Alaskan big game hunting license before applying for these drawing hunts; You must be 10 years old by the starting date of the hunt to apply for a drawing permit hunt; You must use the unique drawing permit hunt number listed in the drawing permit hunt supplement for the hunt you apply for; You can only apply for the same hunt once — either as an individual or as a party applicant — per year; No one can receive more than one drawing hunt permit per species per regulatory year; If you received a drawing permit for a hunt last year, you are ineligible to receive a drawing permit for that same hunt this year.

There are several other factors governing the issuance of permits contained in the 2015-2016 Alaska Drawing Permit Hunt Supplement with which you should be familiar before applying. These factors include hunter education requirements, youth hunting opportunities, proxy hunting requirements for drawing hunts, restricted weapons areas, and so forth.

Now that the formal stuff is out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about the hunts themselves. In looking through the supplement, I didn’t notice any new hunts this year in our area. There are a couple of new, youth-only hunts for caribou and a pile for antlerless moose up in GMU 20, in the Fairbanks area. That should help encourage some of our young folks to get involved with hunting, hopefully for a lifetime of enjoyment. If you live in the Valley but are willing to travel either up north or down on the Kenai, there are multiple opportunities to apply for a moose permit, either antlerless or bull.

There are the usual brown bear or black bear hunts, along with some mountain goat and Dall sheep permits available. The whole Dall sheep permit situation is scheduled to come before the Board of Game this cycle for, hopefully, some resolution on the number of non-resident permits offered per hunt and several other contentious situations that have been brewing for a few years. If you’re interested in hunting Dall sheep, you might want to attend these BOG meetings and offer your thoughts on how to deal with these issues. Don’t forget muck ox, bison, elk, and caribou drawing hunts as well.

I usually apply for the six moose hunts I’m allowed to try for, at least one bison hunt, and one or two caribou hunts, too. Like I said last week, my mountain hunting days are now just fond memories, so sheep and mountain goats are not high on my list. I’ve never been interested in shooting a brown bear and black bear opportunities are readily available without the need to apply for a special permit. Musk ox are way out of my affordable hunt capability. I hunted and harvested elk when I lived on Afognak Island, so they don’t hold any fascination for me either.

My application thoughts follow this reasoning: a moose means meat in the freezer; caribou can be fun and challenging. My critter of fascination is the bison. A big bull on the ground would be my top-of-the-list lifetime hunting achievement!

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