The moose hunt in central Southeast Alaska ends this week and hunters have already equaled the total harvest from last year.
With a little under a week to go in the season, the harvest total had reached 105 moose. That’s the same as the total from 2018. And it could finish a little higher. The month-long season ends Tuesday, October 15.
Kupreanof Island has produced 44 bull moose, with 16 of those from the Kake area.
Hunters have killed 16 on the Stikine River, 13 on Kuiu Island and nine on Mitkof Island. Another six have come from Thomas Bay, on the mainland north of Petersburg, two from Farragut Bay north of there and another three from the rest of the mainland. Hunters also took four on Wrangell Island.
The illegal harvest now numbers eight. Those are bulls that don’t meet the state’s requirements for antler size and configuration.
The record harvest for this hunt was set two years ago with 117 moose killed.
Joe Viechnicki is a reporter at KFSK in Petersburg.
