Nelchina subsistence hunt closed

GLENNALLEN -- The state subsistence hunt for the Nelchina caribou herd (TC566) in Game Management Unit 13 closed by emergency order at midnight on Nov. 21, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The harvest objective of 1,000 bulls has been met for this season, according to Fish and Game staff.

"We know that 750 bulls have already been taken during the state hunt," said assistant area biologist Brad Scotton. "Some hunters haven't sent in their reports yet and harvest from the federal subsistence hunt will raise the total to over 1,000 bulls."

The Nelchina herd is still below the desired population objective of 35,000 to 40,000 caribou.

"We are cautiously optimistic that the herd is doing better and showing some signs of growth," Scotton said. "Calf production and survival was good this year, but those young animals cannot be counted in the breeding population until they survive their first winter. Once the population reaches our management objective, we'll be able to allow more harvest to occur."

Scotton said delayed migration of the herd is also partially responsible for the emergency closure.

"In past years, an early closure of the season was unnecessary because most of the Nelchina herd migrated out of Game Management Unit 13 by mid-October," Scotton said. "This year, two-thirds of the herd is still in Unit 13, making the hunting success rate higher than usual. Additional harvest of bulls this winter would lower the bull:cow ratio further below our management objective of 40 bulls per 100 cows."

The closure affects the state Tier II hunt (TC566) for the Nelchina caribou herd only. The federal hunt remains open. State hunters are asked to complete and return their Tier II permit reports to Fish and Game.