Registration permit hunt RM160 for bull moose in the Bering River moose hunt closed on Tuesday, Sept. 15 by emergency order by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The hunt area, officially Game Management Unit 6A, includes the western portions of Unit 6A, all drainages into the Gulf of Alaska between Cape Suckling and Palm Point.
Charlotte Westing, area wildlife biologist for ADF&G in Cordova, said the moose population estimate for Unit 6A West is 200 moose.
The department set a maximum allowable harvest of 15 bulls in the registration hunt and the current reported registration harvest is 15 bulls.
With hunters still in the field on Monday, Sept. 14, there was a possibility of additional moose having been taken and not yet reported. The closure was necessary to prevent excessive harvest, Westing said.
The closure affects only registration permit hunt RM160 in Unit 6A. DM160 and other moose hunting regulations in the remainder o Game Management Unit 6 are not impacted by the emergency order.
