President Donald Trump on Monday signed a measure repealing federal limits on predator hunting on Alaska’s national wildlife refuges.
The sponsor of the repeal, Congressman Don Young, said the Statehood Act and other measures make it clear Alaska has the right to manage hunting across the state.
“This was a matter of law. That’s the reason I’m so adamant about it,” Young said. “It was an encroachment upon the state of Alaska.”
Opponents, most vocally the Humane Society of the United States, wanted to block certain methods of killing bears and wolves on refuges that are considered cruel or unethical, such as killing the animals in their dens. The Alaska Board of Game doesn’t usually allow that, but state law gives it the authority to OK those methods when needed to manage predator numbers.
Young said the next battle will be getting the feds to respect the repeal.
“I’ve already heard from Fish and Wildlife,” Young said. “They said, ‘We’re not going to change.’ Well, we’ll see about that. There’s a new sheriff in town, so we’ll see.”
The National Park Service still has a predator-hunting rule on the books like the one repealed today that would apply to Alaska’s national preserves. A court challenge is pending.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
