Federal subsistence hunting permits for Wrangell St Elias National Park and Preserve available starting July 23

Date: July 12, 2012

Federal subsistence registration permits for permit hunts in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve will be available starting Monday, July 23, at the park's Visitor Center in Copper Center, the Slana Ranger Station, and the Chitina Ranger Station. The Visitor Center is open seven days a week during the summer from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Slana Ranger Station is open seven days a week through September, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Chitina Ranger Station is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week through August 20 and then Friday through Monday (closed Tues.-Thurs.) through Labor Day. In the McCarthy-Kennecott area, contact the Kennecott District Ranger at 554-1144 for permit information.

Permits will be available for moose hunts in Unit 11 and a portion of Unit 12, goat hunts in Unit 11, and sheep hunts for persons 60 years of age or older in Units 11 and 12. New this year, the elder sheep hunt now starts on August 1 and there is a joint state-federal permit for moose that is valid in both Units 11 and 12 along the Nabesna Road.

There is no federal registration permit for the general sheep hunts in Units 11 and 12. Federally qualified hunters wishing to harvest sheep in Units 11 and 12 during the regular season may do so under the federal harvest limit, but must obtain a state harvest ticket and comply with the state's reporting and horn sealing requirements. Note that the state sealing requirement for Unit 11 applies to all rams, even rams with less than full-curl horns. Sealing is not required for sheep harvested under a federal registration permit during the elder hunts.

Please bring your State of Alaska resident hunting license, a photo ID (such as a drivers license), and proof of local physical address when you come to get a permit. Documentation of physical address can include a voter registration card or a utility bill listing your physical address.

Permit applicants must be federally qualified subsistence users and meet special eligibility requirements for lands managed by the National Park Service. They must have their primary permanent residence in rural Alaska, and their community must be listedin the "Species/ Customary & Traditional Use Determination" (C&T) column of the Federal Subsistence Management Regulations Booklet for Wildlife for the intended species and location.Individuals wanting to hunt on National Park lands (as opposed to in the National Preserve) must additionally have their primary residence in one of the park's 23 resident zone communities. Please note that residents of Kenny Lake do not have C&T for goat in Unit 11.

For more information, contact the park headquarters at [phone].