This is a Preview of Alaska Hunting Regulations.
For The complete Alaska Hunting Regulations Summary Guidebook Click Here
This is a preview of Alaska hunting Information and Regulations. For the Alaska state rules and regulations guidebook Click link above.
You can also access each individual state regulation guidebook by clicking the links below to the main state Regulations page. There you will find the official State regulation Guidebooks for Alaska and the other 50 states and lower canadian providences.
These are just the overviews of the official state regulations.
The Actual state Alaska hunting regulation guidebooks are accessible by clicking on the state you would like to see from the home page map then clicking on the Alaska state hunting regulations books. There you will find the Hunting rules and Hunting laws overviews for Alaska
They are also accessible by clicking on the Alaska Hunting reg. books below and accessing the Alaska Hunting regs link in the Alaska Guidebooks listed below.
The complete Alaska Hunting Laws and Alaska Hunting rules are available at the pertinent government agencies and at most state libraries.Enjoy be safe and have a great time exploring the site and remember to check back often to keep updated on all the new laws, rules, and Alaska regulations pertaining to the hunting, Hunting, trapping, and wildlife sports. Also remember Alaska hunting Licenses, hunters education Information, hunting maps and much more are available at the Alaska Home Page.
Alaska hunting Laws, rules, and regulations preview.

this is a sample of the alaska hunting guidebook you will find on the alaska home page.
this includes regulations for alaska hunting including alaska bear hunting, moose hunting, caribou hunting, alaska grizzly bear hunting, goose hunting, and duck hunting.
with various weapon choices muzzle loader, black powder hunting, bow hunting, and rifle hunting.
Major changes in 2009-2010 hunting regulations
This is a summary of some of the more significant regulation changes adopted by the Alaska Board of Game during the past year. This is NOT a complete list of all the changes. It is your responsibility to read this book carefully before going afield.
Units 1 -7, 11 - 17, 19D and 20, require a black bear harvest ticket prior to hunting. Units 2 and 3, create a controlled use area prohibiting the use of motorized land vehicles for black bear hunting in Units 2 and 3 during the month of September, with the exception of transportation directly to and from public transportation facilities and boat launches.
Unit 6D, open fall black bear season 10 days later, starting Sept. 10. Units 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, extend bear baiting season to June 30.
Units 7 and 15, modify bag limit to allow resident hunters to take 2 bears at any time during the season. Nonresident bag limit is now one bear.
Units 6A, B, C, extend spring season to June 10. Unit 6D, Montague Island, extend the fall season, Oct. 15 – Dec. 31, add a spring season April 1 – May 25, and open the hunt to nonresidents.
Units 7 and 15, open fall drawing season earlier, Sept. 15, and establish nonresident hunt. Units 14B and 16A, lengthen season, Aug. 10 – May 31, modify brown bear bag limit in 14B to one per regulatory year.
Unit 17, open season earlier, Sept. 1 – May 25.
Unit 8, modify no closed season to Aug. 1 – Jan. 31, establish one caribou a year bag limit, and prohibit same day airborne hunting.
Units 9A, B, C, 17, 18, 19A, 19B, Mulchatna caribou, close nonresident season. Unit 9D, Southern Alaska Peninsula caribou, close season.
Unit 10, Unimak Island, close season. Unit 1A, Cleveland Peninsula, decrease the
bag limit from 4 bucks to 2 bucks.
Units 1B, 1C south of Pt. Hobart, including all Port Houghton drainages, and 3, modify the existing bag limit to include moose with antlers having 2 brow tines on both sides. Unit 1C, that portion west of Excursion Inlet and north of Icy Passage, Gustavus, modify the any bull registration hunt to require spike-fork, 50 inch or 3 brow tines bag limit. Unit 13, establish new drawing hunts for both residents and nonresidents. Units 14A and B, shift season by 5 days, Aug. 25 –Sept. 25. Unit 16B, mainland, convert fall Tier II season to general hunt due to increasing bull numbers. Residents only, season will be August 20-Sept. 20 for spike-fork, 50” bulls with 3 or more brow tines. There will still be Tier II permits for any bull Nov. 15 – Feb. 28. Unit 18, open closed area to a resident registration hunt for one antlered bull, Sept. 1 – 10. Unit 20A, establish new drawing hunts for antlerless moose, prohibit taking of calves and cows with calves, Aug. 25 – Oct. 31, shift season dates for antlerless registration hunts to Jan. 10 – Feb. 28. Unit 20B, excluding the Salcha River drainage downstream of Goose Creek, establish new drawing hunts for antlerless moose, prohibit taking of calves and cows with calves, Aug. 25 – Nov. 15. Unit 20B, Fairbanks Management Area, modify bag limit in the antlerless moose hunts to allow the taking of calves and cows with calves.
Unit 1D, that portion between Taiya Inlet and River and the White Pass and Yukon Railroad, open an archery only season by registration permit, Sept. 15 – Nov. 15. Units 7 and 15, establish new bag limit. Hunters taking a nanny will be prohibited from taking another goat in Units 7 and 15 for 5 years.
Units 6 – 11, 13 – 17, require all rams, even rams less than full-curl, to be sealed.
Units 6-11, and 13-17, lengthen hunting season, Aug. 10 – May 25 and increase bag limit to 10 per day.
Units 13A and E, increase winter bag limit during entire season to 10 per day, 20 in possession. Unit 13B, close season from Dec. 1 – March 31.
Predator control areas in Units 16 and 19D. Brown bears or black bears taken under a predator control permit do not count against the statewide bag limit. Please refer to the predator control supplement for additional information.
Unit 16, predator control area-Residents only with control permit--allow black bear baiting from April 15-Oct. 15 with no summer closure, allow young hunters 10- 15 to take bears under the adults control permit, allow foot-snares to be used to take black bears, allow the use of helicopters
to access black bear bait camps and foot- snaring camps. Unit 19D, predator control area- Residents only with control permit-- allow foot-snares to be used to take both brown and black bears, allow sale of tanned black and brown bear hides with sale tag attached.
Upper Yukon/Tanana predation control area in Units 12, 20(B), 20(D), 20(E), and 25(C): eliminate brown bear control area.
How Alaska’s hunting regulations are changed
Alaska has a very public process of setting hunting regulations. The Board of Game determines the hunting regulations and meets at least twice a year. The board does not have time to consider every topic in the regulations at every meet- ing, so it deals with topics on a rotating basis. After the agenda for the next meeting is set, the board issues a “Call for Proposals,” which is sent to various agencies, groups, and individuals and is published in Alaska newspapers.
Advisory committees were created to provide a local forum to discuss and make recommendations on fish and wildlife issues before the board. There are currently 81 local fish and game advisory committees. Advisory committees meet some- time prior to the call for proposal deadline and develop proposals relating to the committee’s concerns. Advisory committees meet after proposals are published to comment and provide reasons opposing or supporting proposals.
Any individual or group in the state can propose a change in a hunting regulation. If you wish to propose a change in a regulation, please do the following:
• When possible, use the printed proposal form available at local ADF&G of- fices or boards support section.
• Use clear, concise wording on your proposal. • State the Alaska Administrative Code number (for example, 5 AAC 92.990)
for the regulation you want to change, or provide the general heading and page number in the present regulation book. (See definitions, pages 26-27 for an example).
• State the problem you are trying to correct and list the reasons why you want the regulation changed.
• Submit your proposal before the deadline and be sure to allow sufficient time for mailing.
• Questions? Call Boards Support at (907) 465-4110 or (907) 267-2354.
Hunter Education in Alaska --- it’s not just for kids
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game offers three types of Hunter Education Courses: Basic Hunter Education, Bowhunter Education (IBEP), and Muzzleloader Education. ADF&G courses are taught by volunteer instructors in many areas of the state. These courses are popular and fill up quickly. Do not wait until the last minute to sign up. Call the nearest ADF&G office, visit the Hunter Education web site at www.huntereducation.alaska.gov, or call 907-267-2187 for information. All hunter education courses are available online.
Requirements for all hunters:
All hunters must successfully complete a Basic Hunter Education course before hunting in the following areas: • Eagle River Management Area (14C black bear and small game) • Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge (14C)
• Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge (1C); hunters under 10 years of age must be accompanied by an adult or must have successfully completed a Basic Hunter Education course. • Palmer/Wasilla Management Area (shotgun for big game)
• Hunter education is now mandatory in most states
Hunters wishing to hunt in a weapons restricted area (archery, muz- zleloader, or shotgun) must successfully complete a course for the weapon with which they will be hunting. Certain Alaskan archery and muzzleloader drawing permit hunts also require the successful hunter to be in possession of a Basic Hunter Education card.
Weapons certification does not satisfy the Basic Hunter Education certification, and Basic Hunter Education does not satisfy archery or muzzleloader certifications. Be sure to read your drawing permit application and do not wait until the last minute to attend a Basic Hunter Education class. There are sufficient classes offered, but you must plan ahead.
If you have successfully completed a hunter education course elsewhere, check to see if you need to attend the Alaska course. ADF&G recognizes approved hunter education courses from other states.
Hunter Education volunteers
Each year, ADF&G trains volunteer instructors to provide quality training and education to thousands of Alaskans, teaching Basic Hunter Education, Archery and Muzzleloader Certification cours- es. Common themes taught in each of these courses are hunter responsibility, ethics, wildlife conservation, management and the safe handling of firearms, muzzleloaders and archery equipment.
Last year, volunteers donated approximately 8000 hours preparing for and teaching 296 classes to 3,900 students. Without their dedi- cation, Alaska would not have a state Hunter Education program. The 2008 Volunteer Basic Hunter Education Instructor of the Year was Ray Johnson of North Pole; the 2008 Volunteer Bowhunter Instructor of the Year was Greg Jacobs of Wasilla; and the 2008 Muzzleloader Volunteer Instructor of the Year was James Fraser, Sr. of Elmendorf AFB.
Thanks to their hard work, hunters of all ages, and especially young people, have received the solid foundation that will ensure the future of Alaska’s rich hunting heritage.
Definitions airport - an airport listed in the Federal
Aviation Agency Alaska Airman’s Guide and Chart Supplement.
antler - the annually cast and regenerated bony growth originating from the pedicle portion of the skull in members of the deer family.
antlerless - the absence of antlers.
ATV (all terrain vehicle) - a motorized tracked vehicle, or a vehicle with four or more wheels operated on land weighing less than 1,000 lbs. dry weight, except for snowmachines.
bag limit - the maximum number of ani- mals of any one game species a person may take in the unit or portion of a unit in which the taking occurs. Animals disturbed in the course of legal hunting do not count toward the bag limit.
bait - any material, excluding scent lures, placed to attract an animal by its sense of smell or taste; bait does not include those parts of legally taken animals that are not required to be salvaged as edible meat if the parts are not moved from the kill site.
big game - black bear, brown/grizzly bear, bison, caribou, Sitka black-tailed deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, muskoxen, Dall sheep, wolf, and wolverine.
boat - a vehicle, vessel, or watercraft oper- ated in or on water deep enough to float it at rest and includes hovercraft, airboats, personal watercraft, and amphibious ve- hicles.
bow and arrow - see bow hunting equip- ment definitions, page 20.
brow tine - is a tine emerging from the first branch or brow palm on the main beam of a moose antler; the brow palm is separated from the main palm by a wide bay; a tine originating in or after this bay is not a brow tine; see pages 34-35.
brown bear - Ursus arctos, including griz- zly bears; the terms brown bear and grizzly bear are synonymous.
buck - a male deer bull moose - a male moose
calf - a moose, caribou, elk, muskox, or bison less than 12 months old.
cub bear - a brown/grizzly bear in 1st or 2nd year of life, or a black bear (including the cinnamon and blue color phases) in the 1st year of life.
dire emergency - a situation in which a person:
(A) is in a remote area;
(B) is involuntarily experiencing an life;    absence of food required to sustain
(C) will be unable to perform the functions necessary for survival, leading to high risk of death or serious and permanent health problems, if wild game food is not immediately taken and consumed; and
(D) cannot expect to obtain other food sources in time to avoid the conse- quences described in (C) above.
domestic mammals - muskoxen, bison, elk, and reindeer, if they are lawfully owned.
domicile - the true and permanent home of a person from which the person has no pres- ent intention of moving and to which the person intends to return when the person is away.
drainage - the area of land drained by a creek, stream, or river unless further defined in regulation.
drawing permit - a permit issued to a limited number of people selected by means of a lottery held for all people submitting valid applications for such permits and who agree to abide by the conditions specified for each hunt.
edible meat - Big game (except black bear): the meat of the ribs, neck, brisket, front quarters as far as the distal joint of the radius-ulna (knee), hindquarters as far as the distal joint of the tibia-fibula (hock), and the meat along the backbone between the front and hindquarters;
black bear: the meat of the front quarters and hindquarters and meat along the backbone (backstrap);
wildfowl: the meat of the breast;
However, edible meat of big game or wild- fowl does not include: meat of the head, meat that has been damaged and made inedible by the method of taking; bones, sinew, and incidental meat reasonably lost as a result of boning or a close trimming of the bones; or viscera.
field - an area outside of established year-round dwellings, businesses, or other developments usually associated with a city, town, or village; “field” does not include permanent hotels or roadhouses on the state road system or state or federally maintained airports.
front quarter - the front leg and shoulder, including the scapula, as far as the    distal joint of the radius-ulna.
full curl horn - see page 32.
fur animal - beaver, coyote, arctic fox, red fox, lynx, squirrel, that has not been domes- tically raised; fur animal is a classification of animals subject to taking with a hunting license.
furbearer - beaver, coyote, arctic fox, red fox, lynx, marten, mink, weasel, muskrat, river otter, squirrel, marmot, wolf, or wolverine; furbearer is a classification of animals subject to taking with a trapping license.
game - any species of bird, reptile, or mammal, including a feral domestic animal, found or introduced in the state, except domestic birds and mammals; game may be classified by regulation as big game, small game, furbearers or other categories.
grizzly bear - the terms brown bear and grizzly bear are synonymous.
handicraft - a finished product in which the shape or appearance of the natural material has been substantially changed by skillful use of hands, such as sewing, carving, etching, scrimshawing, painting, or other means and which has substantially greater monetary and aesthetic value than the unaltered natural material alone.
harass - to repeatedly approach an animal in a manner which results in animal alter- ing its behavior.
hide - see skin highway - the driveable surface of any
constructed road.
hindquarter - means the hind leg, exclud- ing the pelvis, as far as the distal joint of the tibia-fibula (hock).
household - that group of people domiciled in the same residence.
hunting area - that portion of a game management unit where a season and a bag limit for a species are set.
inboard motor - any motor located within the confines of the boat.
meat-on-bone - meat remains naturally
attached to the bone. Requirements vary by area or type of hunt. Check specific hunt requirements.
moose antler - see illustrations on page 34-35.
motorized land vehicle - any motorized vehicle operated on land; includes hover- craft and airboats.
muzzleloader - see page 20.
naturally shed antler - any portion of an antler which has the base (burr) intact and has not been physically removed by cutting, sawing, or breaking from the skull.
nonresident - a person who is not a resi- dent of the state.
nonresident alien - a person who is nei- ther a citizen nor a permanent resident of the United States.
peace officer - a police officer of the state or a person authorized by the Commis- sioner of Fish and Game.
permit hunt - a hunt for which permits are issued on a drawing, registration, or Tier II hunt basis.
processed for human consumption- pre- pared for immediate consumption or pre- pared in such a manner, and in an existing state of preservation, as to be fit for human consumption after a 15-day period.
registration permit - a hunting permit issued to a person who agrees to the condi- tions specified for each hunt; permits are issued in the order applications are received and are issued:
(A) beginning on a date announced by the department and continuing throughout the season, or until the season is closed by emergency order when a harvest quota is reached;
(B) beginning on a date announced by the department and continuing until a predetermined number of permits have been issued.
regulatory year - July 1 through June 30 of the following calendar year.
resident - • a person (including an alien) who is physically present in Alaska with the intent to remain indefinitely and make a home here, has maintained that person’s domicile in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding this application for a license, and is not claiming residency or ob-
taining benefits under a claim of residency in another state, territory, or country; or
• a member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has been stationed in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months im- mediately preceding this application for a license; or
• a dependent of a resident member of the military service or U.S. Coast Guard who has lived in Alaska for the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding this applica- tion for a license. A person who does not otherwise qualify as a resident may not qualify by virtue of an interest in an Alaska business.
salvage - to transport the edible meat, heart, liver, kidneys, head, skull or hide, as required by statute or regulation, of a game animal or wildfowl to the location where the edible meat, heart, liver, or kidneys will be consumed by humans or processed for hu- man consumption in a manner which saves or prevents the edible meat from waste, and preserves the head, skull or hide for human use.
sealing - the placement of an official mark- er or locking tag (seal) by an authorized representative of the ADF&G on an animal hide and/or skull, and may include:
(A) collecting and recording biological information concerning the condi-
tions under which the animal was taken; (B) measuring the specimen submitted
for sealing; (C) retaining specific portions of the
animal for biological information, such as a pre-molar tooth from a bear.
second-degree of kindred - a father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, spouse, grandparent, grandchild, brother- or sister-in-law, son- or daughter-in-law, father- or mother-in-law, stepfather, step- mother, stepsister, stepbrother, stepson, or stepdaughter.
skin, hide, and pelt - are all the same, and mean any untanned external cover- ing of any game animal’s body; but do not include a handicraft or other finished product; skin, hide, or pelt of a bear means the entire external covering with claws at- tached.
small game - all species of grouse, hares, rabbits, ptarmigan, and waterfowl, cranes, and snipe.
snowmachine - a motor vehicle of 850 pounds or less gross vehicle weight, pri-
marily designed to travel over snow, and supported, in part by skies, belts, or tracks; snowmachine and snowmobile are equiva- lent terms.
take - taking, pursuing, hunting, fishing, trapping, or in any manner disturbing, capturing, or killing or attempting to take, pursue, hunt, fish, trap, or in any manner capture or kill fish or game.
three-quarter curl horn - see illustrations on page 32.
Tier II - when the board has identified a game population that is customarily and traditionally used for subsistence and where, even after non-subsistence uses are eliminated, it is anticipated that a reason- able opportunity to engage in the subsis- tence use cannot be provided to all eligible residents.
tine or point - see page 34.
transport - shipping, carrying, importing, exporting, or receiving or delivering for shipment, carriage, or export.
trophy - a mount of a big game animal, including the skin of the head (cape) or the entire skin, in a lifelike representation of the animal; trophy also includes a “European mount” in which the horns or antlers and the skull or a portion of the skull is mounted for display.
unclassified game - all species of game not otherwise classified in these definitions.
unit - one of the 26 geographical areas listed under Game Management Units in the codified hunting and trapping regulations and the Game Unit Maps of Alaska.
year - calendar year unless another year is specified.
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