Hunter Marty Smith with his 61-and-a-quarter-inch moose. (Courtesy AlaskaFish and Game)

Haines hunter Marty Smith with his 61-and-a-quarter-inch moose. (Courtesy Alaska Fish and Game)

Moose hunting season in the Haines area is closing early for the first time in more than 20 years.

Alaska Fish and Game issued an emergency order to close the season at 11:59 p.m. this Thursday, October 1st.

The harvest management goal for Unit 1D, the Chilkat Valley, is 25 bull moose with legal antler configurations.

As of Tuesday evening, 24 moose had been harvested in the Haines area. That includes four spike/fork, 12 three-brow tine, six 50-plus inch and two sub-legal.

A press release from Fish and Game says due to concerns that more moose could be harvested and exceed the management objective, an emergency order will close the hunting season in the area. The season began mid-September and was scheduled to close October 7th. The new closing date is October 1st.