The latest on hunting in Alaska

This column will contain another mixed bag on hunting situations as announced by ADF&G. First, the bad news: Fish and Game announces the closure of Registration Permit Hunt 835 for Macomb Caribou. This closure goes into effect at midnight on August 25.

Quoting, “This emergency order closes the State of Alaska fall hunting season for Macomb caribou by Registration Permit Hunt RC835 in Unit 12, west of the Glenn Highway (Tok Cutoff) and south of the Alaska Highway, excluding the Tok River drainage, and in Unit 20D south of the Tanana River and east of the east bank of Jarvis Creek.”

Continuing, “A recent decline in the population size of the Macomb caribou herd has resulted in a reduced quota of 30 bull caribou for the fall hunt in 2023. A portion of the registration hunt area is within the Delta Control Use Area which prohibits the use of motorized vehicles for hunting during August 5th -25th. This emergency order closes the RC835 hunt prior to when motorized vehicles are allowed for hunting to prevent overharvest and ensure conservation of the herd.”

That’s the negative side for this week. The positive is this, quoting, “The State of Alaska is pleased the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) correctly found that listing of wolves in Southeast Alaska under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is not warranted. This ESA listing was proposed in a 2020 petition submitted to the USFWS by conservation groups, and the USFWS announced today, Aug. 22, 2023, that the listing is not warranted.”

“’Alaska is pleased with the Service’s decision that listing the Alexander Archipelago wolf is not warranted at this time,’ said Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. ‘The Service found these wolves are not at risk of becoming endangered with extinction, and that Alaska’s management of these wolves is sustainable.’”

“This is the third time since 1993 that conservation groups have petitioned the USFWS to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) under the ESA and to designate critical habitat for the population.”

Animals from this population are hunted and trapped every year under a revised management scheme, which was recently changed to better track in-season take of wolves and ensure the sustainability of harvests over the long-term.

On to other topics. Things are finally happening on all fronts in my attempts to recover from last winter’s heavy snowfall, which collapsed my storage building and damaged some of my stuff. As I said in an earlier column, my small, covered utility trailer has been repaired. Work is beginning on the repair and repainting of my riverboat. We finally drove the small motorhome over to the repair facility late week so work could begin on replacing the roof and other repair needs. The rebuilt storage building is waiting on roof trusses so it can be completed.

The RV repair manager told me that, because of an overload of work and the shortage of qualified employees, the work on the motorhome won’t be completed until “after the snow flies.” I’m not thrilled, but at least I should have the unit back to use next summer.

This problem of finding qualified employees who are willing to work has plagued every repair shop I’ve dealt with. The fact that many other folks also suffered loss because of last winter’s heavy snow doesn’t help circumstances either.

I could have the riverboat back in time to do some late season lake fishing, specifically for trout and pike. I’ve had the boat set up for trolling with downriggers for a couple of years now. Maybe this fall things will finally come together to use the gear. I hold out hope for that!

My six-wheeler was not damaged in the building collapse and is running fine (knock on wood), so I hope to get out and do some hunting with it. I’ve got some areas in mind for hunting birds, in addition to moose, and waterfowl season is rapidly approaching. I can use the six-wheeler to hunt both moose and birds now that I just renewed my methods and means exemption for using a crossbow during archery hunts. Some areas I frequent only allow archery equipment to be used.

I have yet to go shooting, but I hope to have done so by the time this sees print. I’ve got three firearms I’ve yet to fire: a 17 HMR single-shot rifle, a 303 British single-shot, and a 380-caliber pistol. I also want to fine-tune the sight settings on my Bang ‘n Clang rifle.