AK GMU23 Moose Draw/Regs Changing

[carter33]

I plan on doing a moose hunt in GMU23 this next season with my father, already have a transporter lined up. I am a resident of AK and he is a non res. I noticed in the draw supplement that draw hunts for the GMU were no longer listed (DM872/874-876, DM871). This must mean they are either not going to allow non resident hunters to hunt the GMU at all this next year or they are loosening the regs and making it a harvest ticket hunt. I plan on calling ADF&G in the next week about the changes as well.

Does anyone have any info?

Thanks.

 

[Ray]

If you go to the Unit 23 hunting maps it shows that moose in Unit 23 is resident only. Either a registration hunt or a HT. When the regulations are updated on July 1 and published then the tables should show this change.

 

[carter33]

I found the page you were referring to, thanks. That clears it up, probably going to stick with my planned location in the GMU still as we weren't banking on my father getting a draw. He can still hunt caribou with a HT and bear with a draw it looks like (as well as locking tag of course which is quite expensive after the increase).

Any idea why they closed it to non residents and also did away with the any bull draw? Also I am considering catching a flight to a village to purchase the RM880 tag as I hate having to try and verify 4 brow tines/ 50in spread.

 

[william schmaltz]

Good question on why they shut it down. If they are going off of what the locals say, it was shut down because of the claim that there are no moose left in the area because all the non-locals are killing every single one they see and leaving the carcasses to rot on the tundra. However, I like to believe the AF&G has a decent reason. Wish i knew it.

If you are going up to get the 880 tag, give the manager at the North Star Market a call. He helped me out a bunch. I e-mailed all my information to him and he had the tag filled out and ready for me to sign when I arrived. I think the AK Airlines jet landed at 7:30 am, I ran across the street to the store, had my tag by 8, and I was on the 8:30 flight out of there. They used to sell the tag at the USFWS building next to the airport so you can also check with them.

Have a contingency plan with your transporter. We had big plans on hunting the headwaters of a popular river; above where other hunters were getting dropped off. The whole river was flooded top to bottom for several weeks. There were two strips on the whole river that multiple groups were getting dropped and floating one after another. Also have a potential exit plan in place with your transporter just in case they decide to shut down non-local moose hunting on federal lands.

Keep in mind the non-local rule banning caribou hunting on federal lands in GMU23 (if still in place at time of hunt). Some of the rivers have a very wide corridor that will allow more legal hunting ground when or if the caribou arrive.

I hunted GMU23 September 12-20, 2016. Shot a nice grizzly and a 64 inch moose. As we were flying the last meat load out on the last day, we flew a couple miles up river and the caribou were finally starting to arrive. We would've easily shot a few if we stayed another day or two. One day I will return to hunt moose up there again. There were some MONSTERS around multiple lakes that were miles from any river or potential wheel landing. Most of the lakes have probably never been landed on. That was our original plan but had an insurance claim on my buddies float plane so we were using a loaner 170 on wheels.

 

[KJH]

Also have a potential exit plan in place with your transporter just in case they decide to shut down non-local moose hunting on federal lands.

Keep in mind the non-local rule banning caribou hunting on federal lands in GMU23 (if still in place at time of hunt). Some of the rivers have a very wide corridor that will allow more legal hunting ground when or if the caribou arrive.

This is sage advice...