Hunters take 116 moose in Wrangell area this season

Not every year can be a record-breaker, and after an exceptional 2021 yield, the 2022 Wrangell moose harvest has returned to average levels.

Hunters took 116 moose in the region, according to Frank Robbins, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Petersburg. This year's harvest is "down a bit from last year," Robbins said, but it is still "within what we'd expect for the average on this hunt."

"Keep in mind, last year was a record harvest," he added.

The five-year average for the area is 119 moose per season - a number that includes the above-average 2019 harvest of 127 and the 2021 record of 129. This year's count is consistent with the 2020 harvest, which was 115.

Counts were above average in some areas of the region and below average in other areas, evening out to a consistent overall harvest. Most of this year's moose were taken on the western side of Kupreanof Island, an area which has seen a high success rate in recent years.

The season closed Oct. 15.

A bull was reported on Etolin Island for the first time since 2015 - Robbins described the take as "noteworthy."

The harvest of 3 moose on Mitkof Island, however, was well below the previous five-year average of 11. The island has been seeing a dip in moose numbers for the past two years, Robbins explained.

This "curious" trend may be due in part to unusual weather patterns. "The third week of the season, we had sunny, warm temperatures. I imagine that impacted moose movements and there might have been fewer visible bulls for hunters," said Robbins.

The Stikine River harvest was 20, which is consistent with long-term averages for the area.

Since 2014, moose numbers in the Wrangell area have consistently surpassed 100 due to mild winters, liberalized antler regulations, and the increasing popularity of Southeast hunting, according to a previous Sentinel reporting. In 2013, area hunters took 85 moose.

The percentage of illegal kills has risen to 10% this year, which is up from 7% in 2021 and 4% in 2020. The Department of Fish and Game aims to keep illegal kills under 9% and this year's number was slightly above that, which was disappointing for Robbins. "I was hoping we'd continue this trend of being below 10%," he said.

Sgt. Cody Litster of the Alaska State Troopers agreed that he had seen "a few more illegals than we would have liked," but commended hunters for owning their mistakes and turning themselves in.

The majority of illegal moose were bulls with the wrong number of brow tines. "So far, my office isn't aware of any full-on poachings or waste cases," Litster said, but he encouraged any community members who may be aware of violations to contact the troopers. "We'd appreciate them stepping forward and helping us protect all hunters' resources."

The meat from illegal moose in Wrangell will be ground into burger patties and distributed throughout the community. Chris Guggenbickler of the Wrangell advisory committee to the Department of Fish and Game organizes the distribution effort alongside a committee of representatives from the Stikine Sportsmen Association, the Wrangell Cooperative Association and others. This year, the committee will allocate meat from three illegal moose.

"The intent is really to get it to the people who need it most in the community," said Guggenbickler. The committee prioritizes elderly and food-insecure community members on its list of recipients, though in the past some meat has gone to organizations like the Senior Center and Salvation Army.

Guggenbickler encourages community members to reach out to him if they know someone who should be included on the distribution list. "There's probably going to be somebody that we're going to miss on one of these lists," he said. "We're doing our best. We really don't want to miss people."

Guggenbickler plans to begin processing the meat on Nov. 2, after the illegal moose cases go to court.