Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Unit 26 RAC wants to close Central Arctic Herd no Haul Road Caribou

I had a long discussion with Fish and Game employee who told me that USFWS and Unit 26 RAC was pretty solid on closing down caribou hunting opportunities on the Dalton Highway. No one caribou per hunter. Just straight up closing down the hunting for nonrural subsistence users.

We need a democrat governor

"USFWS" says all that needs saying.


Have a friend who put up a very small, crude trapping shelter on BLM land. It's accessible in winter as the river it sits along is actually more of a shallow, rocky stream. It sits in a section of river which has steep sides for miles in both directions...very difficult to get into and out of, and very prone to treacherous ice and overflow. Well, for a couple of years, this friend left the state, and during that time, BLM flew around in a helicopter sightseeing on their lands and discovered the shack- though it is difficult to see where it is hidden in the spruces. So they landed and went down to peruse and 'catch' the interloper. Then based on a magazine or something that was left in there, they began asking around to get in touch the fellow. Needless to say, no one was too excited to help them. Most of the very few people who travel such country appreciate knowing that there is some form of shelter, should they get in trouble out there. Surprisingly, after a few more helicopter forays (at what expense), they didn't haul it out of there, or burn it to the ground. I suppose in the Gubermint's eyes, it would make more sense for them to build a shelter in such a place (or some place where no one goes at all), at a cost of a couple hundred thousand dollars. Then they could create a registry and sign-up, charge $20/night/person; one or two locals would use it, maybe. Revenue, though it would never cover maintenance costs if people paid, would never be paid anyway.

We need more trappers/hunters, less fed-gub.

Maybe they won't require as much government subsistence now?

We've all seen what happens when the transporter's zero in on a herd of caribou, AI The Mulchatna Herd and The western Arctic! Now the caribou with-in range of the Haul Road have been getting hammered by the same outfit's. What's next,,40 mile? Nushagak Penisula,Unit 18,, It took the tranporters about 10 years to level the Mulchatna Herd and were well on the way in the Kotzebue region. Put the brakes on the hoards so insistant on killing rutting caribou bulls that are damn near inedible, even sled dogs shun rutting bou!!

So the answer to the transporter issue is somewhat simple. Limit the numbers harvested. Even if that ends up being a draw. Especially for us NR folks.

Connected to what Jim is saying. ADFG are also talking about a registration hunt for the Nelchina Herd. This means that it will be an open registration hunt on the Denali highway. It will look like the Steese with 50,000 hunters. That herd which is doing ok is going to be completely decimated.

There is that, for sure.

I know some hunters, often with the consent and assistance of the guides, leave much moose meat behind to be distributed in local villages. And that can be a good thing in several ways, especially if the meat has been handled well. But caribou are a different deal, and you are certainly right about rutting bulls.

They might do that but I doubt it will be a free for all. They will assign a number of points allowed and once it gets close they will shut it down, just like the goats in PWS. People will have to call in nonstop to find out if its still open or not.