A moose hunting brochure from the Alaska Dept of Fish and Game. (Jillian Rogers)
Tier II moose hunting in Haines ended October 7th. Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued 250 permits this year, and by the end of the hunt, 25 moose were taken. That is just within the range of the harvest goal for the hunt.
All of the moose taken during the hunt were legal bull moose. That hasn’t happened in 10 years. Fish and game Wildlife Biologist Carl Koch said it may have had to do with better education on how to identify which bulls are legal to hunt.
“We do have a new moose video this year. I can’t be sure that’s the reason why. Sometimes it just goes well, but I’m hopeful that that had some effect. We had a really good turnout at the moose meeting and everyone that came stayed on watched the video. Anyone who couldn’t make the meeting was able to see it online if they chose to do so. With a little luck, this trend will continue,” Koch said.
For the first time in three years, the tier II moose hunt remained open until the final day. Koch thought the hunt lasted longer than previous years due to warmer weather and low water levels, which may have prevented some hunters from boating to certain spots.
“It seemed to me that it got off to a slow start. Folks complained about the warm weather and the moose weren’t really moving around. Some guys were getting them to come to calls other guys said they weren’t doing that. I think the hunters had to work a little harder earlier in the season,” Koch said.
When ADF&G conducted a survey of the moose population in 2016, it recorded the highest minimum count in ten years. However, the high numbers are likely related to better survey conditions rather than a growth in population. Koch hopes to conduct another moose survey this fall.
