Let’s take a look at hunting permits and regulations

In case you’ve been spending all your time recently, voluntarily or otherwise, focusing on political campaign rhetoric and ignoring outdoor events, hard copies of the 2017-2018 Alaska Drawing Permit Hunt Supplement have been out for a few weeks now. The electronic version has also been available. The application period opened on Nov. 1 and continues through the close of business on Dec. 15. Only online applications are being accepted.

Before we talk a little about the various hunts, let’s get the onerous stuff out of the way. The number of permits issued for each hunt is subject to adjustment depending on the most recent surveys available. If you have failed to report on previous drawing, Tier II, targeted, or registration permit hunts, you are ineligible to receive any hunting permits for the coming regulatory year. You must have an Alaskan big game hunting license in your possession before applying for a drawing permit hunt.

If you’re between the ages of 10 and 15, you don’t need the hunting license. However, you must be at least 10 years old prior to the start of the drawing permit hunt in order to apply for that hunt. Each drawing hunt has a unique number — be sure to use the complete number for each hunt for which you apply. Nobody can receive more than one permit per species per year and you may not apply for any hunt in which you drew a permit the previous year.

For any of the restricted weapons permit hunts or if you’re hunting on a military base, you’ll need to be in possession of the proper Hunter Education certification necessary for that hunt. For instance, say you apply for an archery moose permit on JBER. The state will require the archery certification and the military will require the basic certification. You’ll need to have the HE certification required for a specific hunt prior to even applying for that permit hunt.

Also, if you are hunting with archery equipment, either during the special archery or general seasons, or in archery-only hunts and you were born on or after Jan. 1, 1986, you must have in your possession an ADF&G bowhunter education certification. If you’re hunting in Units 7, 13, 14, 15, and 20 and you were born on or after Jan. 1, 1986, you’ll also need to have a basic HE certification in your possession.

The drawing permit winners will be announced by the third Friday in February. All applications submitted are final and application fees will not be refunded. This last applies especially to antlerless moose hunt applications in the event the hunt is either canceled or the local advisory committee doesn’t authorize the hunt.

I am not an attorney and this is not a complete listing of the rules, requirements, and regulations. Pick up a copy of the drawing hunt supplement and the current hunting regulations booklet and read them to make sure you don’t inadvertently break the rules.

The 2017-2018 subsistence permit hunt supplement is also out. The application period is the same as the drawing hunt timeframe. If you are interested in applying for subsistence permit hunts, I suggest you pick up a copy of the supplement and study it. Some of the rules are similar to the drawing permits and other requirements are unique to the subsistence permit hunts.

All the rules aren’t necessarily bad. An ADF&G email I received about the drawing permit hunts stated: “Beginning this year, applicants for drawing hunts may select up to six hunts for most species. For moose, only three of those selections may be for bulls; however, all six choices may be for antlerless hunts. Hunters may also apply for the same hunt number as many times as allowed for that species, but not more than six times on all individual and party applications combined. Past exemptions specific to Kodiak brown bear hunts and moose hunts in the Koyukuk Controlled Use Area, Unit 21E, and Unit 23, remain in effect. New rules require guides to apply on behalf of nonresident clients for all drawing hunts where a guide is mandatory.”

My hunting interests are shrinking as age and health issues start to catch up with me. Mountain hunts are no longer an option. I can’t afford traveling long distances to hunt and some species either don’t interest me or I’ve already taken a representative animal. My application will be for local moose hunts, some caribou, and the Delta bison.

Bison are my fantasy animal!