Moose hunting by the numbers

This is the second in a two-part series of columns about the Copper Basin community subsistence harvest (CSH) hunts for moose and caribou in game management units 11, 12 and 13. I want to mention some positive aspects of the CSH hunts, but first I need to correct some numbers mentioned in last week’s column addressing some perceived negatives of the CSH system.

I was told by irate sport hunters that the CSH groups harvested at least 40 any-bull moose beyond the regulation-specified maximum of 100 any-bulls. This is false. According to the Glennallen Fish and Game office, CSH hunters can harvest the same bulls specified in regulation as legal for the sport hunters — spike-fork, 50-inch and greater, or three or four brow tines, depending on the GMU or subunit. They can also harvest up to 100 any-bulls, but this total quota is dispersed throughout the various GMU subunits where the CSH hunt occurs.

The actual numbers of bulls harvested in the CSH moose hunt for 2013 were: 82 any-bulls; three federally permitted any-bulls; 73 spike-fork, or 50-inch bulls (regulation bulls); and three federally permitted regulation bulls. The state figures the federal counts into their total numbers for harvest management. The overall total, then, was 161 regulation and any-bull moose harvested. The confusion among sport hunters may have been that subunit 13A had a quota of 16 any-bulls and 42 any-bulls were taken. When that total was learned, Fish and Game looked at modifying other subunit quotas to account for the high GMU 13A number, but decided to close the any-bull harvest to avoid exceeding the overall quota.

Another correction is that in 2013 there were 45 CSH groups registered for moose and 28 groups registered for caribou. There was some overlap between groups, but not a lot. The majority of these groups come from the Mat-Su area. I had guesstimated perhaps as many as 24 groups currently, compared to the original six to eight groups when the program was established in 2009. One further comment: what constitutes a positive condition to one person may be a negative to another, as you’ll see.

CSH moose hunters are allowed to begin their hunts on Aug. 10 in the more popular hunting areas. Sport hunters must wait until either Aug. 20 or Sept. 1, depending on the GMU, for the general season hunt to begin. GMU 12 has the same dates for both types of hunts. CSH hunters holding an any-bull permit can shoot the first bull they see. One CSH group coordinator told me he sees this as a strong positive by significantly reducing the chances an illegal bull is killed, thus reducing stress and making the hunting experience more enjoyable. Sport hunters must confirm the bull meets the sport hunting antler requirements for the GMU they’re in before attempting to harvest it on their general season harvest ticket.

The CSH hunts allow non-local subsistence-oriented hunters, both new folks and those with a long history and tradition of hunting for moose in these areas, to continue that practice. Many of these hunters are older and look forward to the ability to pass along hunting traditions and knowledge to future generations, like their grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Others use this opportunity to introduce young people (age 10 or older) from their extended families or communities to the tradition of hunting. The earlier season allows them to do so without interfering with the fall school schedule.

Hunters participating in the CSH hunts cannot hunt caribou or moose anywhere else in the state that year or hold drawing, registration, Tier I/Tier II or federal moose permits for moose or caribou anywhere else. The CSH hunts also have a very strict salvage requirement. All edible meat from the forequarters, hindquarters, ribs, neck and backbone, plus the head, heart, liver, kidneys, stomach and hide must be salvaged.

During the fall season, meat from the forequarters, hindquarters and ribs must remain naturally attached to the bones until delivered to the place where it is processed for human consumption. Proof of sex is also required. At least one communal sharing event featuring moose harvested under the terms of this Copper Basin CSH hunt must be held with details reported to the group coordinator for inclusion in the final hunt report. You decide whether these requirements are pros or cons.

The Board of Game made changes in how the 2014 any-bull permits will be dispersed. Contact Fish and Game for further information.

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