December 1 is opening day for Game Management Unit 17B and C's Winter Registration Moose Hunt.
The Winter Registration Moose Hunt starts December 1 for Game Management Unit 17B and C. That includes the communities of Dillingham, Aleknagik, Ekwok, and New Stuyahok, and Koliganek. Neil Barten is the Area Wildlife Management Biologist in for the Department of Fish and Game.
“You can hunt through December,” says Barten as he explains some of the regulations. “You can only kill a bull with antlers. It has to have at least one antler. If you do get a moose, you have to report to us within 24 hours if you kill it west of the Wood River, and if you kill it east of the Wood River you have up to five days to report. But we encourage people to report as soon as they get an animal.”
East of the Wood River, the Iowithla drainage area is closed to moose hunting for the winter hunt. And if people hunt moose west of the Wood River along Aleknagik Lake Road, then they must be at least one half mile off the road.
Barten says the outlook for this winter’s hunt seems good.
“The fall hunt we were a little above average the last three or four years,” he says. “It seems like the easy winters we’ve had, you know lack of snow in the last two or three winters has helped the moose a little bit anyway. And talking to number hunters and some of guides they seemed to be getting a lot of bulls last fall. So hopefully people will do okay in the winter hunt, and those people who still haven’t gotten a moose and want to give it a try certainly have an opportunity.”
For 17A, north of Twin Hills and Togiak, the Department of Fish and Game is keeping its eye on weather conditions to determine the best time to open their Winter Moose Hunt.
“The way we manage that hunt is we have a 30 day season, but we have between December 1 and February to run that season,” says Barten. “We’ll kind of watch the weather, and if we get good travel conditions for snow machines and that kind of thing, we will open that season by emergency order and then they’ll be able to take advantage of that opportunity to take moose out there. But that’s a separate permit from what we’re issuing here.”
The Moose Hunt in 17B and 17C starts December 1 and runs through December 31. Hunters must have a registration permit issued by the Department of Fish and Game. Barten also emphasizes that all permit holders, whether or not they actually go hunting or bag a moose must turn in a hunt report.
