Zone 1 closed in Resident Moose Hunt in the Lower Kuskokwim portion of Unit 18

Unit 18 Moose Hunt RM615. Zone 1 closed on Sept. 6th, 2017. Zone 2 will remain open until September 25th.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announces an Emergency Order closure of the resident moose season in Zone 1 of the RM615 Kuskokwim moose hunt. The State resident season for bull moose by registration permit RM615 in Zone 1 in Unit 18 closes at 11:59 p.m. on September 6, 2017. The harvest of 170 bulls is expected to be reached by the season closing date announced in this emergency order and no further harvest is warranted.

Zone 2 of the RM615 hunt area will remain open until September 25, 2017.

The Alaska Board of Game established a registration permit hunt for antlered bull moose in the Unit 18 Kuskokwim Area hunt area. The moose population in this portion of Unit 18 is estimated at 2100 moose for both zones. A harvest quota of 170 antlered bull moose on Zone 1, and a harvest goal of 110 bulls in Zone 2 has been established to prevent overharvest of bulls. Hunting began on September 1 and harvest rates show that the quota of 170 bulls in Zone 1 will be reached by September 6, 2017. Hunters are reminded to report their harvest within 72 hours to the Bethel ADF&G office. Unsuccessful hunters and hunters that did not hunt need to report by October 15, 2017.

All other moose seasons and bag limits in Unit 18 remain unchanged and are not affected by this emergency order.

This news release was issued on September 5, 2017.