State and Federal Subsistence 2020 GMU 2 Wolf Harvest Season Closure Date Announced

CRAIG, Alaska – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), announce that the fall 2020 State and Federal hunting and trapping seasons for wolf in Game Management Unit 2 (GMU 2) (referred to as Unit 2 in the Federal Subsistence Regulations) will close at 11:59 pm December 5, 2020.

11/09/2020
Last edited 01/25/2022
Contact Information

ADF&G, Tom Schumacher, Regional Supervisor

(907) 465-4359, tom.schumacher@alaska.gov

 

U.S. Forest Service, Paul Robbins Jr.

Public Affairs Officer

(907) 228-6201, paul.robbins@usda.gov

On Monday, October 26, 2020 ADF&G and the USFS issued a joint news release announcing a proposed fall 2020 wolf hunting and trapping season closure date. The agencies held a public meeting and hearing on October 29. Nearly 100 people were on the call and managers heard testimony from over 30 people.

Since the public meeting, ADF&G and USFS biologists and leadership have again reviewed population and harvest data related to GMU 2 wolves and deer, anecdotal information about wolf recruitment and likely current wolf abundance, probable wolf trapper interest and effort, and determined that a season closure date of Saturday, December 5, 2020 will maintain the fall population within the objective range (150-200 wolves) established to ensure sustainability of the population. Because the federal wolf hunting season was closed on September 1 and re-opened on October 31, the December 5 season closure date will allow federally qualified subsistence users 36 days of wolf hunting opportunity on federally managed lands in GMU 2. The state wolf hunting season, which opens on December 1, will be open for five days. Wolf trappers operating under State or Federal Subsistence regulations will have 21 days of trapping opportunity throughout GMU 2.

State and Federal managers expect the December 5 season closure date will result in sustainable level of harvest. This harvest management decision is consistent with ADF&G’s GMU 2 Wolf Harvest Management Plan.

Although current regulations require wolves harvested in GMU 2 to be sealed within 30 days of the close of the season, State and Federal managers ask hunters and trappers to promptly seal all wolves. Doing so will allow managers to track harvest and ensure it remains sustainable. State and Federal managers also ask trappers to record the exact date (mm/dd/year) and reasonably precise location (drainage, bay, small island name) where individual wolves were harvested and to report that information for each wolf at sealing. Providing more precise harvest data will enable ADF&G to produce more precise population estimates.

The fall 2020 GMU 2 wolf hunting and trapping seasons for Federally qualified subsistence users on Federal lands will open on October 31 and November 15, respectively. State wolf trapping season in GMU 2 opens on November 15 and the state wolf hunting season opens on December 1. All State and Federal wolf harvest seasons in GMU 2 will close on December 5, 2020.

Please call the ADF&G Ketchikan area office at 907-225-2475 for more information. For more information from the U.S. Forest Service, please call District Ranger Scot Shuler at 907-826-1600. Maps of Federal lands within GMU 2 are available at Forest Service offices. Maps and additional information on the Federal Subsistence Management Program can be found on the web at; http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/index.cfm.

2020 Gmu 2 Wolf Nr Season Closure Adfg Nov 6 Final [pdf] (125.44 KB)

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