Final harvest numbers for the fall moose hunt near Petersburg, Wrangell and Kake show hunters had another record-high season.
The month-long moose hunt closed Oct. 15. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, hunters harvested a new high of 162 moose this fall.
That total tally exceeds last year’s record harvest of 147 moose, which outperformed the prior record set in 2023.
The fall moose hunt in central Southeast Alaska covers several main islands in Unit 3, plus Unit 1-B on the mainland and the extreme southern portion of Unit 1-C, also on the mainland.
As a restricted antler hunt, hunters can only legally harvest bulls with specific antler configurations.
The highest legal harvests came from Kupreanof Island with 54 bulls, the Stikine River with 30 bulls, and Kuiu Island with 38 bulls.
The other areas were in the single digits.
Farragut Bay, Thomas Bay, and other mainland areas in Unit 1B each saw five legal bulls harvested.
Both Mitkof Island and Zarembo Island had four legal harvests.
Unit 1C on the mainland and Wrangell Island each saw two legal harvests.
This season, 13 kills were sub-legal, due to insufficient brow tines or damaged antlers: three on Kupreanof Island, five on Kuiu Island, one on Wrangell Island, two on the Stikine River, one on Mitkof Island and one on another mainland area in Game Unit 1B. That’s more than last year, which saw just seven sub-legal harvests.
No moose were taken on Woewodski Island or Etolin Island.
Hunters who did not get a moose have until Oct. 30 to file a report to the state.
Harvests and hunter success rates in the fall moose hunt have been gradually increasing in recent years. This fall marks the second season in a row that hunters have set a new high harvest record.
