News Release

New Regulations Prohibit Baiting Brown and Black Bears under State of Alaska Regulations in Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve

Date: May 19, 2016
Contact: Peter Christian, [phone]

As of January 1, 2016, baiting for black and brown bears under State of Alaska regulations is prohibited in Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve. The National Park Service (NPS) new regulations also prohibit taking wolves and coyotes (including pups) from May 1 through August 9 and prohibit using dogs to hunt big game, including black bears. These regulations, which apply to NPS-managed lands statewide, were finalized in October 2015 after a lengthy public process. The new regulations do not restrict or limit subsistence hunting under federal subsistence regulations on NPS-managed lands. Under those regulations, local rural residents may harvest black bears over bait on NPS-managed lands in Wrangell-St. Elias. Currently federal subsistence regulations in the Wrangell-St. Elias area do not allow the harvest of brown bears over bait. The new regulations also do not apply to non-federal lands within the park and preserve boundary; however, if you intend to hunt on private or Alaska Native Corporation lands, make sure that you have permission from the landowner.

Sport hunting in national preserves continues to be primarily regulated by the State of Alaska. The state-authorized practices being prohibited conflict with NPS law and policy. Units of the National Park System are managed for naturally-functioning ecosystems and processes. While sport hunting is allowed in national preserves in Alaska, NPS policies prohibit manipulating native predator populations, typically bears and wolves, to increase numbers of harvested species, such as caribou and moose. The complete text of the regulations and supporting materials are available at https://www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/park-regulations.htm