Plans for Subsistence Hunt for Chisana Caribou Herd Announced

Date: July 22, 2014

For Immediate Release – July 17, 2014
Mark Keogh – [phone]

Plans for Subsistence Hunt of Chisana Caribou Herd Announced

Copper Center, AK – Plans for a federal subsistence hunt for the Chisana caribou herd were announced today by Wrangell-St. Elias Superintendent Rick Obernesser, the designated federal manager for the hunt. The Federal Subsistence Board authorized a limited harvest from the Chisana caribou herd at its January 2012 meeting. Consistent with the cooperative management plan for the herd, the harvest quota will be 7 bull caribou, and a maximum of 18 federal registration permits will be issued to federally qualified subsistence users. The hunt will open on August 10 and close on September 30 or when the quota has been reached. Hunters are asked to report back within three days of harvesting an animal or at the end of the season if unsuccessful. The hunt area is Federal public lands in Unit 12 that lie east of the Nabesna River and Glacier and south of the Winter Trail running southeast from Pickerel Lake to the Canadian border.

Eligibility for the hunt is limited to permanent residents of Chisana, Chistochina, Mentasta Lake, Northway, Tetlin, Tok, Unit 12 along the Nabesna Road (mileposts 25-46), and that portion of Unit 12 east of the Nabesna River and the Nabesna Glacier and south of the Winter Trail. For residents of Chistochina, Mentasta Lake, Northway, and Tetlin, permits will be distributed through the tribal council offices in those communities. Contact the council offices for additional information, including any application deadlines. Permits will be issued to residents of Tok on a first-come, first-served basis at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge office in Tok, between 11 AM and 1 PM on Tuesday, July 29. Please bring your State of Alaska resident hunting license, a photo ID (such as an Alaska driver's license), and proof of local physical address. Documentation of physical address can include a voter registration card or a telephone or electric bill listing your physical address. For residents of other eligible areas and for Tok residents after July 29, contact Barbara Cellarius, Subsistence Coordinator, at 822-7236 for permit information.

The Chisana caribou herd is a small international herd occurring in Yukon and Alaska on the Klutlan Plateau and near the headwaters of the White River. In the United States, its range is primarily within the boundaries of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. From the late 1980s through 2003, the herd experienced a decline in population and almost all hunting was stopped in 1994. From 2003 to 2006, a recovery effort designed to increase recruitment and calf survival was conducted. The herd population currently appears stable at approximately 700 animals. The herd management plan provides recommendations and strategies to guide its management and conservation. The conditions for this hunt are consistent with the plan.

For more information, contact Barbara Cellarius, Subsistence Coordinator, at [phone] or [e-mail].

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