Federal Proposals to CLOSE Alaska's GMU 23 and 26A to caribou and moose hunters

[Uintah]

Despite being deferred, this is fantastic news for 2021 hunters!!! I am booked with RAM for September of this year and was sweating bullets. Now I'm doing a happy dance!

 

[Willie IV]

Despite being deferred, this is fantastic news for 2021 hunters!!! I am booked with RAM for September of this year and was sweating bullets. Now I'm doing a happy dance!

We're going with RAM in August. I too was sweating bullets but can relax now and can keep preparing and getting the last of my gear bought!

 

[Catag94]

I believe the RAC will have to make a new request if they want a closure for next season (which I am sure they will do), and there will be another public hearing etc.

Here is why from Title 36 CFR 219:

(e) The decision of the Board on any proposed special action will constitute its final administrative action.

 

[trapperJ]

Pretty disappointing really when they had all the info they needed to make a decision now.

Agreed.

 

[ddavis_1313]

Despite being deferred, this is fantastic news for 2021 hunters!!! I am booked with RAM for September of this year and was sweating bullets. Now I'm doing a happy dance!

Booked my wife and I next year with ram mid September. Can’t wait to see how it goes with you guys


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[Broomd]

Sorry not sorry, but there is no way in hell the locals didn’t know the difference between moose and caribou.

Bullsh t, there is a way; because it happened.
I wasn't some flatlander on my first trip to AK, lived there a long time and was speechless when
The villagers I met in Shungnak (or Ambler) had no idea that I possessed caribou antlers rather than moose bone. Art Warbelow actually laughed out loud when this happened.

The only other explanation was that they were so hellbent on giving me grief for even being there that they didn't really look at the heads before commenting about prioritizing my 'moose' meat.

Your butthurtness doesn't change what happened there.

 

[Bigsteak]

My father and I are booked with RAM for this August as well. Relieved they at least pushed this off but hopefully we can keep the pressure on to stop this indefinitely.

 

[Sconnie77]

My father and I are booked with RAM for this August as well. Relieved they at least pushed this off but hopefully we can keep the pressure on to stop this indefinitely.

My dad, my brother and I are going with RAM in Sept. I was sweating this and am really glad they didn't shut the public land down. I'm also hopeful this puts them on notice that we're paying attention and they can't just arbitrarily shut us down anymore!!!

 

[Larry Bartlett]

when you listen to natives speak, their dialect isn't as cut and dry and as literal as "non-native" educated people are used to hearing. It is not uncommon for a native to mix up words. "Brusher, you gots to keep dat moose meat clean and get it all out of da field or else dats waste. Dat meat smells bad, it's not good to be in trash bags...you wanna give dat to us cuz the caribou didnt come through dis year? Why you put da moose meat in plastic bags cause dats bad?"

Thats the general conversation i had after a caribou hunt in late August when a native guy rode up to the bush plane on a 4-wheeler as we were unloading gear and meat. The pilots often put the meat bags in trash bags during transport to keep their planes blood-free during season.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Great job in all your responses and attention to this issue.

It's because we defended our resource interests and the science of management that we still have a season to enjoy this year!

Thank you to each of you boys.

 

[mcseal2]

Thank you Larry!

 

[Larry Bartlett]

It's time to update this ongoing dilemma

Nov 17, 2021 from 4-6p Alaska time is public testimony.

 

[Catag94]

Thanks Larry. I truly
Don’t see where the law allows them to take action on this now since it was for a temporary WSA. It seems to me the time passed them by. Your thoughts?

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Well, the decision was "differed" until "more data" could be collected to help with a ruling, which gives the FSB legal authorization to wait for a decision to be implemented the next year. Temporary only means a year-to-year basis, not permanent or indefinite.

There is currently no biological support for a closure and the caribou population is well above the threshold of 200,000 animals that the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group and the state ADFG has used to determine in part when a biological necessity exists to support harvest restrictions of any kind.

The only support for a closure or harvest restriction in GMU 23 and 26A has come from Natives who are using the WACH Working Group, Regional Advisory Committees and the OSM as a tool to propose closures without scientific or biological justification to prevent non-local hunters from being allowed on federal lands in the entire region.

 

[Catag94]

I guess my point is that WSA21-1 was a specific temporary wildlife special action presented to the FSB to close the federal lands for a specific time period starting in August 2021.

It seems to me that for the board to consider a closure for 2022, a new WSA requesting such dates would need to be file.
However, I believe 2022 brings a new regulatory cycle in which case, they may not need a WSA to implement a close if they actually had substantial evidence that it is justified. I


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[Jclark225]

Has anyone seen/heard any updates for the 2022 decision? Called in to the last public hearing to give my 2¢ but haven't heard anything since then.

We're booked for this September but I'm getting (more) grey hairs worrying it'll be closed.

 

[VenaticOppidan]

Has anyone seen/heard any updates for the 2022 decision? Called in to the last public hearing to give my 2¢ but haven't heard anything since then.

We're booked for this September but I'm getting (more) grey hairs worrying it'll be closed.

We are booked early September as well….

 

[Jclark225]

We are booked early September as well….

What outfit? We're booked with Arctic Air for a Sept 11 drop in.

Looks like there's a newer thread (didn't see it before) that mentions a "spring" decision.

too early still. Decision on this WSA is spring '22

 

[VenaticOppidan]

What outfit? We're booked with Arctic Air for a Sept 11 drop in.

Looks like there's a newer thread (didn't see it before) that mentions a "spring" decision.

We are going w Golden Eagle, and i think we are scheduled to be flown in on 9/06 and flown out on 9/14.

I’m going with 2 partners, all of our first hunts in alaska

 

[Catag94]

We are going w Golden Eagle, and i think we are scheduled to be flown in on 9/06 and flown out on 9/14.

I’m going with 2 partners, all of our first hunts in alaska

Hey VO, my buddy and I are scheduled with GEO to fly out on the 7th. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this as we did last year. Regardless, I intend to go.