2009 Hunting Edition

HUNTING EDITION August 2009

Ethan Graham, right, of Healy, brought down this 63-inch bull in the Alaska Range in 2008 from 150 yards with a .270. It was Ethan’s first big game kill. With Ethan is his dad, Billy.

Everything you need to know about bagging big game in Alaska • When, where and what you can hunt • Your hunting license: Don’t get caught without it • Pack it out: Keeping your meat fresh • Cooking at camp: Savory game dishes are the freshest of fresh

2

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Who takes Alaska’s big game home? Depends on the animal

By RILEY WOODFORD Alaska Department of Fish and Game At the end of hunting season, who takes home Alaska’s wildlife? Is it residents or outof-state hunters? The answer depends on the animal — most brown bears head out of state; most moose and caribou are eaten by Alaskans.

Alaska is home to almost a million caribou and close to 200,000 moose. In 2007, Alaskans took home 90 percent of the 7,400 harvested moose.

About 6,750 moose were harvested by Alaskans and 685 by nonresident hunters.

Nonresident hunters harvested only about 1,350 caribou in Alaska in 2007, out of a harvest of about 22,000 animals.

That’s about six percent. Alaskans took home about 94 percent of the caribou harvested in the state — and probably more, since that estimate of resident

harvest is conservative.

A management myth Critics of predator management claim the practice is done to benefit, “ ... wealthy out of state hunters,” and “ ... nonAlaska trophy hunters.” But the numbers don’t support that, and hunting is closed to nonresidents in most of the areas where predator management is taking place.

Predator management is taking place in six areas: near Fairbanks in parts of Game Management Units 20 and 25, near Tok in Unit 12, near Glennallen in parts of Unit 13, near McGrath in parts of Unit 19, west of Anchorage in parts of Unit 16, and on the southern end of the Alaska Peninsula in part of Unit 9. In all these areas combined in 2007, nonresident hunters took just 6 percent of the caribou and 5 percent on the moose.

Wildlife biologist Becky

Schwanke helps manage Unit 13 near Glennallen, an area that’s home to the Nelchina Caribou Herd. Schwanke said all the caribou harvested in Unit 13 in 2007 were taken by residents, as well as all of the moose.

Schwanke said that because of the structure of the intensive management law as well as subsistence laws, nonresident hunting is eliminated when there is not enough game for residents. But even before Unit 13 was closed to nonresidents, the majority of hunters were residents. In 2001, only two percent of the almost 3,000 hunters in Unit 13 were nonresidents.

Wildlife biologist Roger Seavoy is based in McGrath and helps manage wildlife in that area, GMU 19. Seavoy said that the area is closed to nonresident hunting. He wrote, “There are no nonresident seasons for moose within 19A or the portion of Unit 19D East where we have a predator control program. It

is fair to say that there is no nonresident harvest in any of the predator control areas managed out of McGrath. Once in a while a nonresident reports taking a moose within these areas, but on further review, it generally turns out that they have misreported a moose taken elsewhere.”

Why are nonresidents taking even a few percent of the animals in predator management areas? GMUs are divided into smaller subunits, and hunting may be permitted in one subunit and not another.

Predator management is implemented to increase numbers of caribou in some areas, moose in others. Predator control in the Delta Junction area (20D), for example, is intended to benefit caribou, and nonresidents are permitted to hunt moose there.

Thirdly, unlike moose, caribou move extensively between Game Management Units depending on the season and the year, and

caribou management focuses more on the herd than on the GMU. Nonresidents may be allowed to hunt one herd in a GMU but not another.

Big game breakdown Alaska has an estimated 30,000 brown bears statewide.

Nonresident hunters harvest more brown bears than Alaskans. In 2007, about 1,900 brown bears were harvested in Alaska. About 700 were taken

by Alaska residents and about 1,200 were taken by nonresidents — about 67 percent.

About one-third all the brown bears harvested come from the Alaska Peninsula: 630 bears were taken from Unit 9 and more than half those came from the southern half of the peninsula, Unit 9E, where 50 bears were taken by residents and almost 300 by nonresidents.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009 Eric Engman /News-Miner

In 2007, Alaskans took home 90 percent of the 7,400 harvested moose.

About 6,750 moose were harvested

by Alaskans and 685 by nonresident hunters.

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Southeast Alaska’s Admiralty, Chichagof and Baranof islands (Unit 4) are the other top brown bear producers.

There are an estimated 100,000 black bears in Alaska.

In the past five years, harvest has averaged about 2,800 each year. Statewide, harvest has increased steadily in the past five years, from about 2,500 in 2003 to 3,250 in 2007.

In general, about half the statewide harvest of black bears is by resident and half by non-

residents. However, that varies tremendously from area to area, and some areas see considerable nonresident hunting. In Unit 2 in Southeast Alaska, Prince of Wales and adjacent islands, the five-year average (450/year) shows that about 88 percent of the black bears are taken by nonresident hunters.

Alaska’s Dall sheep are popular with nonresident hunters, and the harvest is split fairly evenly between residents and nonresidents. In 2007 nonresidents took 403 sheep, while resident hunters took 513, about

57 percent.

In 2007, 518 mountain goats were harvested, 158 by nonresidents (about 30 percent) and 360 by resident hunters.

Other animals receive virtually no attention from nonresident hunters. Only one musk ox was taken in 2007 by a nonresident, and 257 were taken by Alaskans. Only three bison were taken by nonresidents, and 117 were harvested by residents.

Riley Woodford is the editor of Alaska Fish and Wildlife News. He can be reached at riley.woodford@ alaska.gov.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Fish and Game refutes decline in hunting numbers

By RILEY WOODFORD Alaska Department of Fish and Game

ON THE WEB

The number of hunters in Alaska is in steep decline, according to a survey released last year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There’s just one problem — it’s not true.

The report, “2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: Alaska,” released in May 2008, compared hunters in Alaska in 2006 to hunters in 2001 and reported 26 percent fewer hunters. The 81page report contains a lot of information, but that detail was highlighted in the news, triggering an outcry of concern that hunters are a dying breed in Alaska.

That didn’t ring true for Bob Sutherland, a biometrician with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Sutherland works with hunter harvest data, among other things, and he just didn’t see that trend.

“If the number of hunters dropped three percent or eight percent you’d be asking, ‘What happened?’ A 25 percent drop would be really striking,” he said. “We haven’t seen that drop in numbers.”

The USFWS survey reported there were about 55,000 Alaska resident hunters in 2006. They contrasted that with their 2001 figure of 74,000 Alaska hunters — a 26 percent decline.

Sutherland knew from harvest data that the number of

• The Alaska survey can be found at www.census. gov/prod/2008pubs/fhw06ak.pdf • The national survey can be found at library.fws. gov/nat_survey2006_final. pdf

individuals who entered the Division of Wildlife Conservation’s hunter harvest system and then detailed their reappearance over time.

“If they came in on a registration hunt, a draw hunt or a general season hunt for big game animals, they enter Jeri Carpenter/News-Miner file The Chena Pump Landing is a popular place for hunters to drop their boats in the Chena Wildlife’s hunter harvest system,” he said. “We can River so they can head out moose hunting. uniquely identify him, and hunters had not declined by many hunters are there in phone surveys. Sutherland now I can track that guy.”

26 percent. But how do you Alaska?” looked at harvest data over a Please see NUMBERS, Page 7 answer the question, “How The USFWS used tele- five-year period. He tracked

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

The early hunter gets the caribou in Fortymile hunt Best chance is to be there on opening day

FORTYMILE CARIBOU CLATTER Season: Aug. 10 to Sept. 20, unless closed by emergency order.

Harvest quota: 640 for the fall hunt — 290 for the Taylor Highway; 190 for the Steese Highway; and 160 for roadless portion.

Permits: Available online at the Department of Fish and Game Web site or at ADF&G offices in Delta Junction, Fairbanks and Tok, as well as the Eagle Trading Post in Eagle; the Outpost in Tok; and the Steese Roadhouse in Central.

Hotline: 267-2310.

By TIM MOWRY tmowry@newsminer.com

Matt Hage photo

The fall Fortymile hunt with the biggest quota is the Taylor Highway hunt in game units 12 and 20E. The harvest quota for that hunt is 290 animals. The Steese Highway hunt in Game Management Unit 25C and 20B has a quota of 190 animals and the quota for a roadless hunt in Units 20B and 20D is 160 animals. quota is 640 animals. The winter quota is 210.

The fall hunt with the biggest quota is the Taylor Highway hunt in Units 12 and 20E. The harvest quota for that hunt is 290 animals.

The Steese Highway hunt in Game Management Unit 25C and 20B has a quota of 190

animals and the quota for a roadless hunt in Units 20B and 20D is 160 animals.

Last year, hunters reached the quota in all three hunts.

Biologists did a photo census of the herd in July, which should allow them to get a good estimate on the herd, Bentzen said. They were not

able to do a herd census last year. The last census two years ago estimated the herd size at about 40,000 animals, the same number it has been at for the last three or four years.

“We did get a good census but we haven’t finished counting the photographs,”

he said. “This year, we’ll actually be able to pin it down and figure out if we do have some kind of increase or not.”

The herd had a relatively weak calf crop this year, with only about 70 percent birth rates this spring.

“That’s low,” Tok area biologist Jeff Gross said. “Above 80 percent is what we like to see. Ninety percent is ideal.”

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The fall Fortymile caribou hunt is like one of those small towns you drive through in the Midwest at 80 mph — if you blink you miss it.

Last year, for example, the hunt off the Steese Highway lasted only four days and the Taylor Highway hunt was open for six days before hunters reached the harvest quotas and the Department of Fish and Game closed the hunt in both areas by emergency order.

There’s no reason to think this year will be any different, assistant area biologist Torsten Bentzen in Tok said.

“That’s what we’re expecting based on previous years,” he said. “That’s how it’s tended to go in the last few years.

If the herd isn’t right on the road and it’s not as accessible to hutners on ATVS, it may stay open longer.”

The Fortymile caribou hunt is broken into three separate hunts in the fall and two in winter. The total fall harvest

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

7

NUMBERS: Feeding yourself, your neighbors and everyone in the villages Continued from Page 5

is a proportionately smaller percentage.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service said there were 25 percent fewer hunters, and I show indeed that is not the case,” Sutherland said.

The survey also reported that sport fishing in Alaska was down. Bill Romberg, a fisheries biologist with the Department of Fish and Game, said that is inconsistent with the department’s data. He wrote: “Specifically, the 2006 FHWAR survey reported a 25 percent decline in numbers of resident Alaska anglers, almost 30 percent decline in total anglers (resident and nonresident), and a 18 percent decline in participation (days fished) between 2001 and 2006. However, our agency surveys indicate a nearly 10 percent increase in the number of anglers, a 2 percent increase in resident anglers, and a 2 percent increase in days fished during this same time period.”

A copy of the survey was provided to state biologist for review prior to publication, and the Department of Fish and Game contacted the USFWS regarding the discrepancies. As a result, the final survey contains the following caveat: “The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) has expressed concerns regarding Alaska participation and trend estimates from the 2006 National Survey.”

So why was the USFWS survey so wrong? This was a national survey, with state components. The Alaska sample size was relatively small, probably too small, and very likely, the surveyors asked the wrong questions at the wrong time. Information in the survey was gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau through telephone interviews conducted in the springtime, and initially, about 550 Alaska households participated. Callers were asked

if they had already participated in hunting or fishing in 2006 at the time of the interview, and were then categorized.

Fish and Game data indicates about 175,000 Alaska residents are hunters.

Bruce Bartley, an information officer with Fish and Game, pointed out that the number of people benefiting from hunting — eating wild game — is much larger than the number of hunters, particularly in some rural areas where a few hunters provide lots of game for numerous residents in villages. Sutherland echoed that sentiment.

“I share my game with friends,” he said. “Everybody I know shares this stuff, so it’s benefitting a bigger segment of the population than just the hunters.”

Riley Woodford is an information officer for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and editor of Alaska Fish and Wildlife News. He can be reached at riley.woodford@alaska. gov

13354007-8-7-09HE

Sutherland found that 174,272 Alaska residents went hunting between 2003 and 2007, about 25 percent of the total population. Overall, he found the number of hunters is stable.

The number of Alaska hunters isn’t defined simply by the number of hunting licenses sold to Alaska residents in a given year. Sutherland found that many hunters don’t hunt every single year. But license sales do offer some clues. In 2006, there were 90,675 Alaska resident hunting licenses sold. In 2001, there were 86,155 Alaska resident hunting licenses sold.

That would indicate an increase of about four percent.

The number of unique resident hunters who have obtained at least one harvest ticket in a year is another trend indicator.

State records indicate that consistently between 56,000 and 66,000 resident individuals (age 16 and older) participated in big game hunting. There is no evidence to indicate a significant drop in participation in big game hunting by Alaska residents during this period.

Another indicator of hunting trends is the number of unique resident applicants for draw permit hunts. That has also remained stable between 2001 and 2006. During this period harvest records show annual unique applicants for draw permits has consistently remained in the 20,000 to 22,000 range every year.

Sutherland added that his numbers don’t reflect trappers, any bird hunters (upland and ducks) or bear hunters unless they hunt on a draw ticket. So those are additional hunters.

Using the hunter harvest data, Sutherland performed a mark-recapture experiment on Alaska hunters. Mark-recapture is a fundamental tool used by wildlife biologists, a technique that allows biologists to estimate numbers of animals.

“I did a mark recapture experiment just like you do with grouse or bears. But I’m using humans,” he said.

Sutherland found some interesting things about Alaska hunters. Comparing hunters year-to-year over five years, he found about one-third only hunt one year and do not reappear in

the system.

About one-third hunt every single year, and about one-third skip a year or two.

Sutherland offered some suggestions as to why hunters might take a year off. He said many hunters apply for permit hunts, for sheep or moose for example, and if they don’t get a permit for the hunt they want they don’t go that year. Others have conflicting family and work situations, for example, they have young kids and take a few years off, and then resume when they can start hunting with their kids.

Sutherland concluded the number of hunters in Alaska is stable. Although there was not a drop in the number of hunters between 2001 and 2006, the percentage of the population that hunts is slightly lower.

That’s because the Alaska population increased, from about 630,000 to about 680,000, and that stable number of hunters

8

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

FORTYMILE: Head out to Chicken Ridge Continued from Page 8

from the state’s intensified predator control program in the region last year, Gross said.

Not satisfied with how many wolves permit holders in the state’s aerial wolf control program were taking, the department used a helicopter to find, shoot and kill 84 wolves in the Fortymile region in March. Adding in the number of wolves taken by permit holders, trappers and hunters, a total of 217 wolves were killed in the region last year.

“With some of the wolf reductions from last winter

I think the herd stands a good chance to remain pretty stable,” Gross said. “We don’t anticipate much of an increase.”

At the time of the census in early July, most of the herd was located in the upper Salcha River country but they are likely scattered between the Steese Highway north of Fairbanks to the Canadian border by now, Bentzen said.

Biologists were planning to conduct an aerial survey of the herd earlier this week to find the herd.

The results of that survey are available on the Fortymile caribou hotline at 267-2310.

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“We don’t give specifics but it should be updated with a general idea of where the caribou might be available,” Bentzen said.

The most popular hunting spot for the herd is Chicken Ridge, about 60 miles out the Taylor Highway. The area is accessible by ATV and there is a network of trails that hunters can use to access the herd.

“All along the Taylor Highway there are various spots people hunt,” he said. “Definitely the most traffic is on Chicken Ridge.”

The situation is much the same on the Steese Highway, where Eagle and Twelvemile summits are the hotspots for hunters.

“Pretty much wherever there is ATV access there’s going to be other people,” Bentzen said.

Contact outdoors editor Tim Mowry at 459-7587.

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Wild game: It’s what’s for dinner

By Roxie Dinstel Cooperative Extension Service Not only does wild game meat taste good, it’s good for you.

Game meat is typically lower in saturated fat and calories than domestic meat. Wild animals in Alaska feed on wild plants, shrubs and trees

SPECIES

PROTEIN

% Black bear 20.1 Beef (lean ground) 17.7 Beef (USDA choice) 22.0 Buffalo 21.7 Caribou 22.6 Chicken 23.6 Sitka black-tailed deer 21.5 Elk 22.8 Canada goose 22.8 Sharptail grouse 23.8 Mallard 23.1 Moose 22.1 Ptarmigan 24.8 Rabbit 21.8 Wigeon 22.6

that do not contain pesticides or herbicides.

When game meat is cared for properly, many people prefer it instead of domestic meat because of its flavor, lower fat content and lack of additives such as antibiotics or growth hormones.

This table compares the levels of protein, fat, cholesterol and calories in various types of game and domestically available meats:

FAT

CHOLESTEROL

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(mg/100g*) ** 75 72 62 67 62 18 67 84 105 140 71 20 81 131

CALORIES (Kcal/100g*) 163 264 180 138 127 135 117 137 161 142 152 130 128 114 153

John Hagen /News-Miner

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Under New Ownership – Jeff Masters, owner

The airstrips depicted on the map at left are owned by Doyon, Limited. They are closed and abandoned.

Trespassers are subject to prosecution.

The airstrips are located at: Salmon Trout River in Sec. 22, T.21N., R. 28E. F.M. at approx. 66º 49’, 141º 40’, Black River in Sec. 28, T.10N.,R.27 E. F.M. at approx.

65º 40’, 142º 10’, Alder Creek in Sec. 30, T.2N.,R. 27 E. F.M. at approx.

64º 58’, 142º 18’, Slate Creek in Sec. 22, T.4S., R. 26E. F.M. at approx. 63º 32’, 142º30’.

For more information contact Doyon, Limited, 1 Doyon Place, Suite 300 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 Phone: 907-459-2030

10

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Some military training areas closed to hunting Parts of two military training areas south of Delta Junction will be closed at different points in the hunting season for training exercises, the U.S. Army announced.

In the Donnelly Training Area East, 33-Mile Loop will be closed to hunting while the Donnelly Flats, Donnelly Dome and Meadows road areas will remain open. Some of those areas are open to hunting by permit only.

Hunters should refer to Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations and the Army’s Outdoor Recreation Regulation Supplement.

Donnelly Training Area West is closed to hunting but will re-open Aug. 22. It will close again Sept. 18

ASK THE ARMY Hunters with questions about hunting on military training lands should consult the Army’s USARTRAK system to get the most current information about openings and closures. The phone numbers are: • Fort Wainwright: 353-3181.

• Fort Greely: 873-3181.

• See the map on Page 11.

through Oct. 20 for training exercises.

The Yukon Training Area behind Eielson Air Force Base and the Tanana Flats Training Area south of the Tanana River will be open the entire season except for the impact areas

The Army cautioned hunters about entering impact areas.

Unexploded munitions in those areas is a danger, and the impact areas are closed to hunting and other recreational use.

An increasing number of hunters and other recreational users have

entered restricted impact areas in recent years, the Army stated in a press release. Violators who enter impact areas will be cited, the Army said.

Army units remaining in Alaska will conduct required training events during August, September and October. Closures for training are not expected to be as expansive as past years but could come up with little noticed based on mission requirements.

Anyone with additional questions about hunting or outdoor recreation on military training lands should call 361-6490 or visit the Army Web site at www.usarak.army.mil/conservation.

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Open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. • Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

2400 DAVIS ROAD, FAIRBANKS, AK • 456-3885 • www.santassmokehouse.com

NOTICE TO HUNTERS Large Tracts of land along the Yukon and Koyukuk Rivers are owned by Doyon, Limited and Gana-a’Yoo, Limited. Those tracts are generally depicted on the map below.

Under this permit, the Pogo Mine Access Road and Pogo Mine property is restricted to all public access. The DNR permit further stipulates that use of the road for hunting and/or transportation of hunters or hunting equipment is expressly prohibited.

THESE LANDS ARE CLOSED TO ALL GENERAL PUBLIC USES, INCLUDING SPORT HUNTING Permission to hunt and for other uses on Doyon, Limited lands is granted to shareholders, their descendants, and, in some cases, other local subsistence users. Gana-a’Yoo, Limited. shareholders and their families are allowed to travel across Ganaa’Yoo, Limited lands for such purposes, without the need for prior written permission from the corporation’s board of directors. No one is authorized to outfit, guide, or transport on our land, including shareholders.

ENTRY ON ANY OF THESE PRIVATELY OWNED LANDS CONSTITUTES TRESPASS Certain easements are reserved for the public in various locations throughout private lands. These easements are owned by the corporations and are reserved for public use for limited, specific purposes. For detailed information about the location of easements, contact the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Information Office in Fairbanks at (907) 474-2251 or in Anchorage at (907) 251-5960.

SPORT HUNTING, FISHING, AND PROCESSING OF GAME ON OR FROM EASEMENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED USES. For further information contact: Doyon, Limited 1 Doyon Place, Suite 300 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 (907) 459-2031

Gana-a’Yoo, Limited 3000 A. Street, Suite 417 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 1-888-656-1606 (FBKS)

PLEASE RESPECT OUR LANDS AS WE WOULD RESPECT YOURS

13354009-8-7-09HE

TO DONATE MEAT PLEASE CONTACT JOSEPHINE MALEMUTE AT 1-888-656-1606 18358754-8-7-08HE

Pogo Mine wishes to respectfully remind interior hunters that the Pogo Mine Access Road was constructed for the sole use of industrial mine traffic, and that the presence of persons, automobiles, four-wheelers, or any other conveyances used in support of hunting activities shall constitute an act of Criminal Trespass under Alaska Statute 11.46.330(a)(1). While boat traffic on the Goodpaster River is not specifically restricted, hunters may not exit their watercraft onto Pogo Mine property.

11354039-8-7-09HE

• BEAR, SHEEP, DEER or CARIBOU $1.03 lb.

• MOOSE 80¢ lb. • BEEF, HOGS or BUFFALO 74¢ lb.

11

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Ho

e na Ch

p tS

ri n

Fort Wainwright and Donnelly East & West USARTRAK

Road

gs

Fairbanks

YUKON TRAINING AREA

na

lc h

aket Slough

TFTA 10

Alpha Impact Area

AFTAC

Dyke Range

Eielson A.F.B. na

na

YTA 2 YTA 4

ay

TFTA 14

Harding Lake

3

EAST 1) 33 Mile Loop Rec Area 2) Jarvis West Rec Area 3) Donnelly Dome Rec Area 4) Meadows Road Rec Area Riv

TFTA 15

WEST 1) Winter Trail Rec Area 2) Bennet Air Strip Rec Area 3) Delta Creek Assault Strip 4) Other lta De

er

Ri

353-3181 384-3181 873-3181 353-3181 384-3181

DONNELLY TRAINING AREA RECREATION AREA ta R iv e r

TFTA 12

Blair Lake Wo od

Fairbanks Area: Anchorage Area: Delta Junction: Eielson Area: 377 Exchange Use:

YTA 7

ighw

ver

Blair Lakes Impact Area

USARTRAK Phone Access Numbers

YTA 5

on H

TANANA FLATS TRAINING AREA

TFTA 13

Small Arms

Off Limits

a r ds

od

Ri

iv er

Rich

Wo

TFTA 8

R

TFTA 11

Training / Recreation Area

Stuart Creek Impact Area Ta

TFTA 9

Post Boundary

YTA 6

De l

na

Sa

tl e

Ta

r ve Ri

North Pole

Legend

YTA 3

YTA 1

Lit

s rk Pa

Small Arms

ay ghw Hi

WEST

Delta Junction

1

Al ask a

ve r

This map is not for navigation. It is for general reference only.

4

The following is a sample menu of the USARTRAK phone access system:

2

1

4 2

3 EAST

r

This map is not for navigation.

It is for general reference only.

i ve aR

F) Range closure message for area selected.

G) You will be asked if you are entering the area today or tomorrow (remember you can sign in up to 24 hours in advance).

H) Enter the sub-unit of the area you plan to enter (this will vary depending on the post selected in step D).

I) Enter the number of days you plan to be in the area (you must choose a number between 1 and 25).

J) You have now completed the automated check in. Have a great Day!

Impact Area

Hi gh wa y

Delt

E) Choose an activity: A) Welcome Message.

1-Big game hunting.

B) Check in: Please enter your 2-Small game hunting. permit number; confirm number.

C) Enter additional number if traveling 3-Fishing.

4-ORV use. in a group; confirm numbers.

5-Trapping.

D) Select area: 6-Firewood/Christmas tree cutting.

1-Fort Richardson 7-Other (all other activities not listed or 2-Fort Wainwright related to the above such as birding, 3-Donnelly Training Area (formerly berry picking, hiking).

Fort Greely)

Ft. Greely

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12

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

State switches to one application period of permit hunts Hunters will apply from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31

By TIM MOWRY tmowry@newsminer.com Here are two dates that Alaska hunters should mark on their calendars — Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.

Those are the new opening and closing dates for the application period for drawing and Tier II hunting permits for all big game species in

Tulugak Airstrip

Alaska except for one nonresident brown bear hunt on Kodiak Island.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game made the change to one winter drawing permit application period for all resident hunters to make things less confusing for hunters and cheaper for the department, regulations program director Suzan Bowen in Anchorage said.

In addition, hunters will have more time — two months instead of one — to apply and more time to plan for their hunts, she said.

Elusive Lake

“There are several advantages to it for both us and the public,” Bowen said of the new winter application period.

For the last eight years, the state had two application periods for drawing and Tier I and II permits. There was a Nov. 1 to Dec. 5 winter application period for Dall sheep, mountain goat, Kodiak brown bear, Koyukuk moose and some other moose hunts and there was a May 1-31 application period for all other permit hunts.

The two different application

periods sometimes confused hunters, many of whom applied for permits during both.

Hunters are allowed to apply for only three hunts for any one species and the two application period system sometimes resulted in hunters applying for too many moose hunts.

“People would apply for a couple of moose hunts in the winter draw and a couple more in the spring draw and then get kicked out of the system,” Please see PERMIT, Page 14

NOTICE TO ALL HUNTERS:

Killik Airstrip

Please respect our lands as we would respect yours.

NOTICE TO AIRMEN, GUIDES, OUTFITTERS, RAFTERS & SPORT HUNTERS Large tracts of land on the Western and Central North Slope are owned by the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC). Entry on these privately owned lands requires the consent of ASRC. Sport hunting and fishing are prohibited on ASRC lands.

Within ASRC lands in the Central and Western Arctic are a number of gravel airstrips that are closed to public access. Entry on the following airstrips requires the written consent of ASRC: AKULIK 69°00’02”N 163°26’33”W; EAGLE CREEK 68°40’46”N 162°39’13”W; KILLIK 68°27’15”N 154°17’43”W; TIGLIKPUK 68°25’25”N 151°27’26”W; TULUGAK 68°59’36”N 151°11’42”W These airstrips are subject to periodic surveillance by ASRC. Trespassers will be prosecuted.

Certain easements are reserved for the public in various locations on ASRC lands. These easements are owned by ASRC and are reserved for public use for limited specific purposes. These easements are reserved to allow access to lakes by float plane, temporary overnight camping at specific 1 acre sites near the lake shores (not to exceed 24 hours), and to allow for trail access to adjacent public lands. Some specific areas that require the proper following of easements are: Elusive Lake, Shainin Lake, Chandler Lake, Udurivik Lake, Imiaknikpak Lake, and Windy Lake.

Any deviation from easement stipulations will be considered trespass and is criminally punishable under Alaska Statute11.46.330. Sport hunting and fishing are not allowed on these easements.

You are highly encouraged to contact ASRC if you are planning a float trip on the Kukpowruk, Kokolik, Utukok, Etivluk, Okokmilaga, Chandler, Anaktuvuk, Kurupa, Killik, or Colville Rivers.

Each of these nonnavigable waterways have unique circumstances or restrictions that must be followed to prevent trespass. In addition, North Slope Borough, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and/or National Park Service permits may also be required for operating on adjacent public lands.

It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permissions and permits to access these areas.

Kurupa River

For more information contact: Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Land Department 3900 C Street, Suite 801 Anchorage, AK 99503-5963 907 339-6017 www.ASRC.com/landinfo

Shainin Lake

12354459-8-7-09HE

Contact: K’oyitl’ots’ina, Ltd. Land Manager 1603 College Road • Fairbanks, AK 99709 907-452-8119

12354456-8-7-09HE

K’oyitl’ots’ina, Limited has enacted a RESTRICTED HUNTING POLICY on its Corporation’s privately-held lands. The shaded areas around the Interior villages of Alatna, Allakaket, Hughes and Huslia are closed to all sports hunting. Rights are granted to K’oyitl’ots’ina, Ltd. shareholders, their descendants and other local subsistence users.

For subsistence access by non-Native local rural residents, you must obtain a permit for sale at our Corporation’s Fairbanks’ office.

13

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Ahtna, Incorporated

B

PO Box 649 Glennallen, AK 99588 | Tel: (907) 822-3476 | Fax: (907) 822-3495 | www.ahtna-inc.com

efore the Gold Rushes...

B

efore the Copper Mining...

B

efore the Highways...

B

efore the Trans-Alaska Pipeline...

This land was inhabited by the Ahtna Athabascan people.

To this day, the land is the heart and soul of the Ahtna people. We treat our land, fish and wildlife with the utmost respect and it is this respect that has allowed our people to maintain the lands’ pristine nature. We welcome visitors to our region and request they treat our land with respect, leaving no trace so others may continue to enjoy all this land has to offer.

Ahtna Region

The Copper, Klutina, Gulkana, Tazlina and Nenana Rivers all run through Ahtna land. The Denali, Edgerton, George Parks, Glenn, Richardson & Tok Cut-off Highways also pass through Ahtna land.

It is your responsibility to contact the appropriate State or Federal agency to determine legal hunting areas outside of Ahtna land. Ahtna does not allow hunting on its land except for a special Bison permit and Predator Control Hunting. A land crossing permit can be purchased to cross Ahtna lands to reach public lands in the area you would like to hunt. No taking of any game is allowed while crossing Ahtna land, with two exceptions:

(1) Unit 13 Predator Control Permit - limited to wolf and you must hold a valid Predator Control Permit from the State of Alaska, and a valid Ahtna Permit (no charge). You must have both permits to take wolves on Ahtna land within Unit 13.

(2) Predator Hunting Permit - All other predator hunting is considered by Ahtna to be sport hunting and a fee is required to take other predators on Ahtna land. This includes the taking of brown bear, black bear and coyote. You must have a valid Ahtna Predator Hunting Permit, in addition to all State required licenses, tags or permits to take bear or coyote on Ahtna land. There are associated permit fees per predator, per person.

You must notify the Ahtna Land Department of any taking after your animal has been reported to the State.

Land-Use Permits are required on all Ahtna land. Permits with associated fees are issued for land crossing, access, fishing, camping, sand, gravel, and bison hunting. Permits are available in person at MP-115 Richardson Highway or by mail at: Ahtna Land Department, PO Box 649, Glennallen, AK 99588.

Maps & additional information are available online at http://ahtna.lands.googlepages.com.

We ask and thank you for your cooperation.

14

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

PERMIT: An increase in online applications Continued from Page 12

analyst programmer Kurt Kamletz said.

The winter drawing period will give all hunters the same amount of time to plan their hunts.

Previously, hunters who applied in the winter hunt had about five extra months to plan their hunts compared to hunters who applied for permits in May. “Applicants in the winter hunt found out in February if they got a permit and applicants in the May period didn’t find out until July,” Bowen said.

“If there are a limited number of transporters for a certain hunt or area, a lot of times they were booked by the time people in the May application period found out they got a permit.”

Under the new system, hunters will now whether they get a permit sometime in February or March, Bowen said.

There are actually two deadlines for submitting permit applications.

The cut-off for submitting paper applications will be

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PERMIT APPLICATIONS Here are the dates for the state’s new application period for drawing and Tier I and II hunts: • Nov. 1 — Application period opens • Dec. 15 — Deadline for paper applications • Dec. 31 — Deadline for online applications

tion is three or four, Bowen said.

That translates to about 100,000 hunt applications, she said.

Currently, about 50 percent of hunters apply online and department officials would like to see that number go higher.

Applying online also benefits hunters by alerting them if they make a mistake that would result in the disqualification of a paper application, such as applying for the same hunt twice or applying for too many hunts for the same species, Bowen said.

“If they do something wrong online they get a little window that says, ‘You can’t do that,’” she said.

“It helps people from making common mistakes that could get them kicked out of the drawing.”

Switching to just one application period also saves the department money because the agency doesn’t have to process two sets of applications, a time and staff consuming job, Kamletz said.

Dec. 15 while those submitting applications online will have until Dec. 31.

Starting next year, the deadline for submitting paper applications will be Nov. 31 while hunters applying online will have until Dec. 31. It takes longer to process paper applications, explained Bowen.

“We’re trying to get people to do it electronically,” she said. “It just increases efficiency across the board.”

The Department of Fish and Game receives about 25,000 to 30,000 permit applications each year and the average number of hunts Contact outdoors editor Tim applied for on each applica- Mowry at 459-7587.

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15

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Harvest tickets now required for black bears hares produces an increase in grouse predators such as lynx, fox, golden eagles, goshawks and great-horned owls.

The snowshoe hare cycle peaked in most of the Interior last year, and there are still lots of predators around as a result, Young said.

Fairbanks grouse guru Jim McCann, author of “Upland Hunting In Alaska,” concurred with Young’s assessment of Interior game bird populations.

“This year is not going to be a good year for the casual bird hunter,” said McCann, who does not fall into that category. “The casual hunter wants to drive down the road and shoot 30 of them.

That ain’t going to happen.”

— Tim Mowry

Hunters stalking black bears in must now have a black bear harvest ticket similar to a moose or caribou harvest ticket.

The statewide change was made starting this regulatory year in an attempt to figure out how many black bear hunters there are in Alaska, Fairbanks area biologist Don Young said.

Requiring a harvest ticket for black bears will give game

also online at the Department of Fish and Game’s Web site.

The black bear harvest tickets will be similar to a moose harvest ticket. Hunters will be asked where they hunted, how many days they hunted, what commercial services were used, what kind of transportation was used, whether or not they killed, the date of kill if successful and the sex of the animal.

“It will give us a lot of information on bear hunters that are unsuccessful,” Young said.

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With grouse numbers down throughout most of the Interior, the fall forecast isn’t good for game bird hunters.

Results of ruffed grouse counts this spring indicate the species is approaching the low point in its sevento 10-year cycle, biologist Don Young with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said.

“We’re not as low as we were in the previous low, but we’re approaching it,” Young said. “I expect next year we’ll be at the low.

The grouse population cycle follows that of snowshoe hares, which also fluctuates on a seven- to 10-year cycle. When the number of snowshoe hares goes up, the number of grouse goes down because the increase in

managers a better idea of hunter effort, Young said.

“There’s no way to capture that information without a harvest ticket,” he said.

The state has a good handle on the harvest of black bears because hunters must have the hides of the bears they shoot sealed by the Department of Fish and Game in most parts of the state, Young said.

Black bear harvest tickets will be available anywhere hunting licenses are sold and

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Forecast dismal for grouse

By TIM MOWRY tmowry@newsminer.com

16

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Army Corp gives disabled hunters a shot at moose

By TIM MOWRY tmowry@newsminer.com For the seventh year in a row, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a hunt for the Paralyzed Veterans of America on the Chena Flood Control Project in North Pole.

This year’s PVA hunt is scheduled for Sept. 11-15, project manager John Schaake said.

The details had yet to be worked out at press time, but Schaake expects four or five paralyzed hunters to participate in this year’s hunt. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has played host to 24 PVA

hunters from the Lower 48 and Alaska in the seven years of the hunt, three of which have successfully bagged a moose.

The hunters use wheelchair-friendly hunting blinds built by the Borealis Kiwanis Club several years ago and are situated in different spots on the Flood Control Project.

This year’s hunt was scheduled later in the season in hopes of cooler weather and more moose activity, Schaake said.

As in past years, Schaake asks hunters to avoid hunting on Corps land north of the Chena River near Moose

Creek Dam before and during the PVA hunt to increase the odds for disabled hunters.

“There are only a limited number of bulls potentially available each year to the PVA guys, and we’d like to give them the greatest chance possible to harvest a bull,” Schaake said.

“We’ve had remarkable support of this request.

“We’ve found that most hunters wouldn’t dream of hunting in the area after they find out about the hunt and many end up volunteering to help the PVA guys,” he said.

As a way of showing its appreciation for the opportunity afforded to PVA mem-

ATTENTION HUNTERS

bers by the Corps, the PVA donated a Hunt Master hunting blind to the Chena Flood Control Project two years ago.

The Hunt Master is a portable hunting blind that raises 18 feet off the ground with an electrical/hydraulic scissor lift.

The unit is self-contained on a trailer that can be towed by a truck to be moved. Last year was the first year the Hunt Master was used.

The PVA hunt has become a passion for Schaake, who goes out of his way to make the hunt as comfortable and memorable for the hunters as possible.

“The PVA hunters always rave about the amount of community support they receive from the minute the come off the plane,” Schaake said. “All say that hunting moose in Alaska is a dream come true.

Having an opportunity to see

and hunt moose in our state is beyond their wildest imagination. Their success comes from just getting to and being in the field with a realistic chance of punching a harvest ticket.”

This year, the Corps built bunkhouses for the PVA hunters to sleep in so they won’t have to stay in hotels in Fairbanks and be transported to and from North Pole each day.

Lt. Lantz Dahlke with Alaska Wildlife Troopers in Fairbanks has donated several confiscated trophies and mounts to hang on the walls of the bunkhouse, Schaake said.

“It’s going to be kind of a neat little place,” he said. “It’ll be their own hunting lodge with a porch that they can hang out on instead of hanging out in the Corps offices.”

Contact staff Writer Tim Mowry at 459-7587.

• NALGENE MARMOT • PATAGOINA • • NIKON

12354484-8-7-09HE

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LANDS CLOSED TO HUNTING

The shaded areas on this map generally show the private lands owned by NANA REGIONAL CORPORATION, INC. (NANA). Access to these lands for hunting and fishing is allowable only by NANA shareholders and their families and by non-shareholders of NANA who have been permanent residents of the NANA region for at least 5 years and who receive a permit from NANA. Other allowable uses of NANA lands require a permit. Detailed maps of NANA lands, further information regarding allowable uses, and permits may be obtained from: NANA REGIONAL CORPORATION, INC. LAND DEPARTMENT P.O. BOX 49 KOTZEBUE, ALASKA 99752 (907) 442-3301 • www.nanalands.com

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

17

Fresh meat, fresh taste Recipes courtesy of Sharon McLeod-Everette.

MOOSE OR CARIBOU TONGUE This is perfect while still in hunting camp.

Put tongue or heart in a large pot; cover with cold water and add 1/4 cup pickling spices, 1/4 cup salt and 1/4 cup either cider (preferred) or white vinegar.

Place lid on pot (or use tin foil) and soak in the shade (ideally, it will be in the low 40s, which is a good refrigerator temperature) for a day or two. Drain water (some pickling spices will partially stay), replace with fresh water, add a couple bay leaves, 1 tablespoon or so of peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon pickling spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a couple hours.

Allow to cool.

Tongue When cool, peel off the outer skin. Slice thinly, add salt and pepper and eat. Makes excellent sandwiches. Also is a good hors d’ oeuvre, served with a hot Chinese mustard.

Heart Serve either hot or cold.

This is good in place of a roast, and it can be diced and added to a stew. Sliced, it makes excellent cold sandwiches; add sweet pickle relish and mustard or horseradish to the sandwich. If you have lettuce, great. If not, it’s good without.

Please see DINNER, Page 19

13354014-8-7-09HE

I usually have a pressure cooker with me in hunting camp, as it has a locking lid — perfect for knocking around in the woods. I don’t cook the heart and tongue under pressure, because it takes too much cold water to bring the temperature down quickly enough. If you happen to be near a source of cold water, though, go ahead and cook under pressure, using the weight guidelines for length of time, and take care not to overfill the cooker.

18

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Best shot at getting a moose means drawing the right permit TIM MOWRY tmowry@newsminer.com As just about any hunter who has seriously pursued a moose in Alaska will tell you, there’s no such thing as a guaranteed moose hunt.

Of the approximately 25,000 hunters who take to the Alaska wilds each hunting season in hopes of bringing home a moose to put in the freezer, only about one in about every four is successful.

The average success rate for moose hunters in Alaska is roughly 25 percent, according to Fairbanks area biologist Don Young with the Department of Fish and Game.

So how do you increase your odds of getting a moose?

Well, it might mean camping out for 24 hours in 40degree below temperatures, like a number of hunters did this in January to get a permit for the Minto Flats Management Area winter hunt.

Or it might mean forking over a few bucks to apply for

a drawing permit and getting lucky enough to draw one.

Here are the hunts in the Interior that have the highest success rates, based on statistics compiled by the Department of Fish and Game.

Success is defined as the percentage of hunters who actually reported hunting.

an antler spread of 50 inches or better or a cow that is not accompanied by a calf.

The hunt is split up into the first three weekends in September and each permit holder is assigned a four-day hunting period.

Delta area biologist Steve DuBois reports that he has seen as many as 50 moose on • Hunt number: DM792 the bison range at one time • Hunt type: Drawing during the hunting season. permit Last year, 244 hunters • 2008 success rate: 100 applied for the 10 permits. percent • Location: Delta Bison • Hunt numbers: RM775 Range in Game Management and RM785 Unit 20D • Hunt type: Registration • Odds of getting a per- permit mit: 4.1 percent • Location: Minto Flats You’ve got to be 16 or Management Area in Game younger to apply for this Management Unit 20B hunt, but if you draw a per• Season: Sept. 1-25 for mit it’s like taking candy RM775 and Jan. 10-Feb. 28 from a baby. for RM785 Last year, all 10 hunters • Success rate: 79 perwho drew a permit reported cent in fall hunt; 74 percent taking a moose. In 2007, nine in winter hunt of 10 permit holders bagged a • Odds of getting a permoose, all of them cows. mit: Depends how long you’re Permit holders can take a willing to stand in line, mayspike/fork bull, a bull with be at 40 below.

You’ll have to stand in line for a day or two to get a registration permit for either the fall or winter registration permit hunts for “any moose” in the Minto Flats Management Area but there’s a good chance your patience will be rewarded.

“Any moose” means just that. Hunters who receive a permit can shoot bulls, cows, cows accompanied by calves or calves.

Last year, the success rate in the fall hunt was 79 percent for hunters who went afield. The state issued 120 permits and 107 hunters reported hunting with a harvest of 84 moose.

In 2007, the success rate was 69 percent.

The success rate in the winter hunt was slightly lower at 74 percent with 76 hunters harvesting 56 moose.

In the winter hunt, the state issued 97 permits, 74 hunters reported hunting and 44 moose were harvested.

The fall hunt runs from Sept. 1 to Sept. 25 and the

winter hunt opens Jan. 10 and closes Feb. 28.

Permits are issued in August and January in Fairbanks, Minto and Nenana on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The line starts forming outside the Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks about 24 hours before permits are issued.

The Minto Flats hunt has just about everything a hunter is looking for, Young said.

“Any moose, a lot of moose, a long season,” he said.

• Hunt number: DM771 • Hunt type: Drawing permit • 2008 success rate: 75 percent • Location: Wood River area in Game Management Unit 20A • Season: Sept. 1-25 • Odds of getting a permit: 4.67 percent Only four out of the 10 hunters who drew permits last year reported hunting Please see DRAW, Page 20

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

DINNER: Moose stew, bear roast ... fresh from the hunt to the table Continued from Page 17

SWEET & SOUR MOOSE STEW 2 pounds moose meat 1 tablespoon butter or oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup water 1 clove garlic 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 1/2 cup ketchup 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon prepared mustard About 1 quart veggies (carrots, spuds, corn, peppers, clean out the fridge) 1 small can crushed pineapple Brown meat in butter in a large Dutch oven.

LENTIL & GAME STEW

1 can whole kernel corn 1 can green peas 1 can green beans 1 can diced stewed tomatoes 1 small can spicy V-8 juice 1 to 2 pounds stew meat (moose or caribou), cut into 1-inch squares or smaller pieces 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoon oregano 2 teaspoon basil big pinch of parsley 1 chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1-2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste optional: 1/4 cup juice from bread & butter pickle stackers, or 1/4 cup lemon juice (helps to reduce gas the next day)

1 16-ounce bag lentils 1/4 16-ounce bag barley

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil; add meat when

Add salt, chopped onion and cook until light brown.

Add water, cover and simmer for one hour.

Stir in garlic, tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and mustard.

Cut veggies in chunks; add to meat and cook till tender.

Add small can crushed pineapple.

After combining all the ingredients, throw into a crockpot on low for 4 to 6 hours (or simmer on stove top for same length of time).

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20

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

DRAW: Want to bag the big one? Make sure you get the right hunting permit Continued from Page 18

in this any-bull hunt in the moose-rich Wood River country but three of them got moose.

A total of 214 hunters applied for 10 permits. Season is Sept. 1-25 • Hunt number: DM770 • Hunt type: Drawing permit • 2008 success rate: 58 percent • Location: Ferry/Healy area in Game Management Unit 20A • Season:Sept. 1-25 • Odds of getting a permit: 7.58 percent This any-bull drawing permit hunt in the easily accessible Ferry and Healy area east

of the Wood River attracted 924 applicants for 70 permits last year.

Of the 52 hunters who reported hunting, 30 got a moose for a success rate of 58 percent. Season is Sept. 1-25.

• Hunt number: DM766 • Hunt type: Muzzleloader drawing permit • 2008 success rate: 58 percent • Location: Wood River in Game Management Unit 20A • Season: Nov. 1-30 • Odds of getting a permit: 50.34 percent The chances of getting a moose in this winter, anybull muzzleloader hunt in the central Tanana Flats around the Wood River were about

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are good you will get a moose and it will be a big one.

The success rate for the hunt in the past 10 years is about 70 percent, biologist Steve DuBois said.

Last year, the state issued 26 permits, 19 hunters reported hunting and 10 moose were killed for a success rate of 53 percent.

In 2007, eight of the 10 hunters who drew a permit bagged a big bull.

“There’s lots of moose, very little competition between hunters and good access,” DuBois said.

Last year, 746 hunters applied for the 26 permits that were issued.

• Location: Eastern portion of Game Management Unit 20A between Delta Creek and the Delta River.

• Season: Sept. 1-25 • Odds of getting a permit: 13.3 percent Less half the hunters who drew a permit for this anybull hunt in unit 20A actually used it.

Only 19 of the 50 permit holders reported hunting and 10 took a moose for a success rate of 53 percent. There were 376 applicants for the 50 permits.

• Hunt number: DM790 • Hunt type: Drawing permit • 2008 success rate: 53 percent • Location: Delta Junction Management Area in Game Management Unit 20D • Season: Sept. 5-15 • Odds of getting a permit: 1.34 percent Only a handful of draw• Hunt number: DM772 ing permits are issued for • Hunt type: Drawing this hunt near Delta Junction permit and hunters who get permits • 2008 success rate: 40 are limited to shooting moose • Hunt number: DM773 percent with an antler spread of 50 • Hunt type: Drawing • Location: Little Delta inches or bigger or with four permit River brow tines.

• 2008 success rate: 53 • Season: Sept. 1-25 If you get a permit, chances percent • Odds of getting a permit: 75 percent The odds for getting a permit in this hard-to-access, any-bull hunt is higher than the odds of getting a moose.

Three out of every four hunters who applied — 375 out of 500 — got a permit but only 141 reported hunting.

They took 57 bulls for a success rate of 40 percent.

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the same as drawing a permit. Only 149 hunters put in for the 75 permits and 28 of the 48 hunters who hunted bagged a bull for a success rate of 58 percent.

21

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

HUNTING In brief

Regulation book error for game unit 25C

“You can’t shoot a cow with a calf, and you can’t shoot a calf,” Fairbanks area biologist Don Young said, There was a snafu in the explaining the lower success regulation book in Game Management Unit 25C north rates in 2008. “That really of Fairbanks that pertains to reduced the number of animals that were available.” nonresident moose hunters.

The drop in success rates The regulation book states came even though the state the nonresident moose seacut the number of permits it son in the unit is open from issued in half — from 151 to Sept. 5-25. The season for nonresidents is actually Sept. 75. Only 14 of the 61 hunters who reported hunting took a 5-15. moose.

Cow harvest In 2007, 42 of the 124 hunters who reported huntin FMA drops ing bagged a moose.

A regulation change that prohibits archery hunters Macomb caribou from shooting a cow accomharvest increases panied by a calf produced a As expected, the harvest drastic drop in success rates of Macomb caribou nearly in the Fairbanks Managedoubled last year as a result ment Area last hunting seaof a change that allowed son. motorized access for the final The success rate for bowtwo days of the season hunters in the FMA, which Hunters killed 44 caribou basically encompasses a in the unit 20D registration circle around residential Fairbanks from Fox to Ester permit hunt last year compared to 27 in 2007. to North Pole, last year The same regulation is dropped from 34 percent to in place for this year’s hunt 23 percent.

Eric Engman/News-Miner

Waterfowl season starts Sept. 1, but have your permits in order. All waterfowl hunters 16 or older must have a federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp and an Alaska Waterfowl Conservation Stamp. Log on to www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=waterfowlhunting. requirements for a list of requirements and waterfowl hunting information. of Fish and Game’s 24th Becoming an Outdoors-Woman in Alaska Workshop is scheduled for Aug. 21-23 at Lost Lake Boy Scout Camp, BOW workshop Mile 306, Richardson Highway. later this month Designed primarily for It’s not too late for women women, BOW workshops are interested in learning how to an opportunity for anyone, hunt to do so before moose 18 years of age or older who season opens. is interested in learning outThe Alaska Department door skills. because the herd is still estimated at just over 1,000 animals, which is above the management objective.

classes are scheduled during the weekend workshop. Registration can also be mailed to ADF&G, attention Nancy Sisinyak, Division of Sport Fish, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701. Registrations cannot be accepted over the phone.

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22

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

Troopers: Cut it close when it comes to meat salvage

By TIM MOWRY tmowry@newsminer.com Alaska Wildlife Troopers refer to it as “knocking the wheels off.”

“They take all four legs off, they take the backstraps and they walk away,” Sgt. Scott Quist with the Fairbanks detachment of wildlife troopers said. “They leave the neck, the brisket, the ribs and very often the tenderloins.

“I betcha I’ve seen 200 of those in my career, veteran trooper said. “It’s most common with caribou.”

In trooper speak, it’s called “failure to salvage all edible meat of a big game animal” and it will bag you a ticket — and possibly jail time — if you get caught. And there’s a decent chance you’ll get caught.

Failure to salvage all edible meat is one of the most common hunting violations wildlife

CLEAN CUT Hunters must salvage all edible meat off all big game animals in Alaska except for fall black bears and grizzly bears, as well as small game birds. That includes: • All of the neck meat • All of the brisket, i.e. chest meat • All of the meat of the ribs • Front quarters as far as the distal joint of the knee • Hindquarters as far as the distal joint of the hock • All of the meat along the backbone between the front and hindquarters, i.e. backstrap and tenderloins

troopers see every year, and it’s one they take seriously, Quist said “There’s not a mountain around that we won’t climb to make a waste case,” he said.

Hunting laws in Alaska were written to emphasize the salvage of meat, not the trophy value of an animal. Depending on how much meat a hunter leaves on an animal determines whether he or she is cited for failure to salvage or wanton

waste, according to Lt. Lantz Dahlke with Fairbanks wildlife troopers. Wanton waste is a more serious offense than failure to salvage.

“You don’t have to worry if we come in there and have a handful of meat but if I come in there and trim a bag of meat off, that’ll get you a citation,” Dahlke said.

Failure to salvage the hindquarter of a big game animal or the breast meat of wild birds,

including waterfowl, carries a mandatory sentence of seven days in jail and a $2,500 fine, he said.

“Technically, if you shoot a teal and waste the meat of the breasts you can go to jail,” Dahlke said.

While some hunters leave meat behind because they don’t want to expend the effort of removing neck or rib meat, others simply don’t know better.

“The two main reasons people waste meat is people don’t have the knowledge (about butchering an animal) and they don’t know what they’re getting into,” Quist said. “They shoot an animal that’s too far away and realize when this truck-size animal is down that they have to pack it out on their back.”

Hunters who have never butchered a moose, caribou or Dall sheep should talk to experienced hunters who have or check out a video produced by

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the Alaska Department of Fish and Game entitled “Field Care of Big Game,” which takes them through the process of butchering a moose step by step.

Not only will it save you a ticket, you’ll probably bring home more meat.

“An inexperienced hunter may not know where the tenderloin is, and they don’t want to get into the guts (to get the ribs),” Quist said. “If you take the four quarters and backstraps the reality is you’ve got 75 percent of the meat. They think that’s good enough, and it’s not.”

On a moose, waste can add up because the animal is so large. A big moose can have more than 100 pounds of neck meat alone and it’s not always easy to cut off. Hunters also need to take care when removing the hindquarters.

Please see HARVEST, Page 23

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Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009

HARVEST

troopers encounter include: • Shooting sub-legal animals, such as a Dall sheep that does not quite have full curl horns or a 48-inch moose in a There are a few little things hunters need stomach, which will taint the meat.

50-inch-only area, and shooting to remember when it comes to butchering big game in Alaska. the wrong sex animal, i.e. a cow Keep it cool moose instead of a bull.

• The quicker you separate the carcass of a Keep it clean • Failure to validate a harbig game animal, the better. Be prepared with • You can never have too many blue tarps. the necessary tools (i.e. knives, game bags, vest ticket or hunting without Be sure to pack lots of them to put the meat on tarps) to do the job in the event you shoot an a license. Hunters must notch after it is removed from an animal. If for some animal. Don’t let it lay there for 30 minutes their harvest ticket or permit unfathomable reason you don’t have a blue tarp, while you run back to camp to grab your gear. immediately and at the site they lay some spruce boughs down, build a rack with • Skin the animal as quickly as possible to killed the animal, not back in logs to lay the meat on or find some dry grass cool it down and remove the front and hindquarcamp when they’re done butchon which to set the meat. Never, no matter ters first to speed the cooling process. ering the animal or at the truck what, place the meat on dirt or sand.

• Do whatever it takes to keep the meat when they get it out of the field.

• When skinning an animal, peel the hide cool, i.e. hang it in the shade, stick in waterHunters are required to have back as you go to avoid getting hair on the proof, plastic trash compactor bags and stick in their licenses and harvest tickmeat. You can use the skinned hide as a tarp, the river or lake to cool. too, but be careful because it can be slippery.

• Never put the meat in plastic bags unless ets and permits in their posses• Tuck a tarp or game bag under the front they are submerged in cold water. sion when they are hunting. and back quarters as you prepare to separate • Don’t remove meat from the bones unless • Shooting on, from or across them so they fall on that instead of the ground. you have to. Boning out meat exposes more the roadway.

• Use quality game bags. The heavy, cotton meat to the air, and it’s harder to keep smaller • Hunting during a closed bags that resemble giant laundry bags are more hunks of meat cool and dry when they are piled season or in a closed area. expensive than the cheaper cheesecloth-type in a game bag.

The hunting regulations game bags but it’s worth it in the long run. They • Hang the meat to get it off the ground. If in some areas can be confusdon’t rip nearly as easily and they are bigger. there is no way to hang it, build something to ing and hunters need to know • Keep game bags as clean and blood-free put it on so it’s off the ground. as possible to avoid attracting flies and other where they are hunting. Dahlke • Check the meat at least once or twice bugs. daily. Pull up on the game bags to prevent them recommends using a GPS to • Immediately rinse off any rumen, bile or from sticking to the meat so a crust begins to make sure you’re in the spot urine that gets on the meat. form on it. Turn the meat if you have it lying on you think you are.

• Do not puncture any organs, such as the something.

• Transporting antlers from the field before meat.

It doesn’t matter whether comes in that we will be more hunter in the field who com- diately via cell or satellite phone it’s a camp, airstrip or trailhead, lenient in our sentencing rec- mitted a violation, they won’t if they do something wrong. all the meat has to be packed ommendation if they call us and cut them any slack, even if the Other common violations out before the antlers or horns. let us know what’s going on and hunter claims he or she planned salvage the meat. We want to to report the violation when see that meat salvaged.” they got back to town. Hunters If troopers do encounter a should contact troopers imme-

Meat mandate: Keeping it clean and cool

“Where people leave it is cutting the neck meat and hindquarters off,” Dahlke said.

“They don’t trim the neck real well, and they don’t trim closely along the hips and backbone.”

If possible, Dahlke advises hunters to take the entire neck bone out with them.

“Take it home where you can clean it up in the kitchen or garage and don’t have to worry about bugs,” he said.

It’s rare that hunters leave behind a whole carcass, but it happens.

“Where we’ll find wanton waste cases a lot of times is when we have shoot through cases on caribou or moose,” Dahlke said, referring to what happens when a bullet passes through one animal and hits another standing behind it. “The hunter panics and says, ‘What do I do now?’ and they salvage the one they shot at and leave the other one. That’s where we find our worst waste cases. They leave the whole animal behind.”

In the event of a shoot through, or any violation for that matter, Dahlke said the best thing a hunter can do is notify troopers of the mistake.

“Just call us,” Dahlke said.

“We tell every hunter that

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24

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, August 7, 2009