NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE REGULATIONS
OF THE ALASKA BOARD OF GAME
Notice is given that the Alaska Board of Game, under the authority of Title 16, Alaska Statutes, proposes to adopt, amend, or repeal regulations in Title 5 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with the use and taking of game. Regulations subject to board action are in 5 AAC 84, 85, 92, 98 and 99 for the Arctic, Western and Interior/Northeast Arctic Regions including statewide reauthorization of antlerless moose hunts and brown bear tag fee exemptions, and statewide regulations as described below:
For the Arctic and Western Region, Game Management Units 18, 22, 23, and 26A, and the Interior/Northeast Arctic Region Game, Management Units 12, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26B, and 26C, the following subject matter areas to be addressed are:
A. TRAPPING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS for furbearers, including: Lynx, wolverine, black bear, and wolves.
B. HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS for all species including: Moose, caribou, black bear, brown bear, Dall sheep, wolves, wolverine, fur animals, and small game. In addition, the potential for identifying general, Tier I or Tier II hunting for each population.
C. LICENSES, HARVEST TICKETS, HARVEST REPORTS, TAGS, FEES, AND PERMITS including: Discretionary and required permit hunting and trapping conditions and procedures including guide-client agreements for nonresidents hunting big game; special provisions for moose, brown bear, and Dall sheep permit hunts; permits and guide requirements for hunting black bear and brown bear with the use of bait or scent lures; harvest ticket requirements for sheep and caribou; community subsistence harvest permit hunt areas; permits for hunting game with dogs; permits for harvesting moose for celebratory events; and permits for disabled veterans.
D. METHODS AND MEANS FOR TAKING BIG GAME, GAME, FUR ANIMALS, AND FURBERAERS, including: Lawful methods of taking game, big game, and furbearers including restrictions for the use of aircraft for hunting caribou and sheep; use of crossbows, snow machines, and dogs for hunting; and same-day airborne taking of wolves and coyotes.
E. POSSESSION, TRANSPORTATION, AND USE OF GAME including: Salvage requirements including edible meat for game birds, and requirements for bear taken over bait.
F. RESTRICTED AREAS including: Areas closed to hunting and trapping including the establishing of closed areas for taking wolves near Denali National Park and caribou along the Taylor Highway; management areas including the Dalton Highway Corridor Management Area; permits for qualified disabled veterans and disabled active-duty military personnel in the Delta Junction Management Area; and establishing new management areas for Chena Slough and Eielson Farm Road; controlled use areas including boundaries and regulating use within the Noatak Controlled Use Area; restrictions for the use of boats in the Holitna-Hoholitna Controlled Use Area; and authorized airports in the Upper Kuskokwim Controlled Use Area.
G. INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT AND PREDATOR CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION PLANS including: Prey populations and populations having a positive finding as identified big game prey populations including the Delta caribou herd; predation control areas implementation plans including nonresident wolf tag requirements; and related findings.
H. CUSTOMARY AND TRADITIONAL USES OF GAME POPULATIONS including: Brown bear in Unit 25; Emperor geese; and amounts reasonably necessary for subsistence uses for the Teshekpuk and Western Arctic caribou herds.
I. ADDITIONAL TOPICS: In addition to items described above, the Board of Game will address the following topics for other units which were approved through the agenda change request process, or in the case of antlerless moose hunts and brown bear tag fees, must be authorized annually: Annual reauthorization of antlerless moose hunts and brown bear tag fee exemptions for all units statewide; seasons, bag limits, and a customary and traditional use finding for Emperor geese (proposal 157); testing requirements for raptors (proposal 158); modifications to the Mulchatna caribou herd and the Unit 15C intensive management plans and objectives (proposals 155 and 156); and hunter orientation requirements for moose in Unit 15 (proposal 159). In addition, the board will consider statewide bag limits for residents and nonresident second degree of kindred relatives (proposals 19 and 49) which may be amended to apply statewide.
The board will also take action on non-regulatory items during the meetings such as resolutions, findings, letters, and delegations, typically at the end of the meeting under miscellaneous business but action may occur earlier in the meeting if necessary.
The proposed regulation changes are available on the Board of Game meeting information websites at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo or from the ADF&G Boards Support Section Office at (907) 465-4110. Additional information will be added to the meeting websites as it becomes available for each meeting.
You may comment on the proposed regulations including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes by submitting written comments, limited to no more than 100 single sided or 50 double sided pages, to the Alaska Board of Game, Boards Support Section at P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811-5526. Comments can also be submitted online at www.boardofgame.adfg.alaska.gov, by fax to (907) 465-6094, or emailed to dfg.bog.comments@alaska.gov (PDF format only). The deadlines for receiving comments are December 22, 2016 for the Arctic & Western Region meeting, and February 3, 2017 for the Interior/Northeast Arctic Region meeting.
Submission of written comments after the deadlines are limited to ten single-sided or five double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group and will be provided to the board members at the beginning of the meetings. During the meetings, written comments from any one individual or group may be submitted by hand delivery if 20 copies are provided. Written comments that are submitted are public records and are subject to public inspection.
The Board of Game shall consider all factual, substantive, and relevant comments in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, Alaska Statute 44.62.210. Comments having disparaging statements or personal attacks will be withheld or redacted.
The public hearing portion of the meetings is scheduled at the beginning of each meeting following staff reports, and will continue until everyone who has signed up and is present when called has been given the opportunity to be heard. However, state advisory committee representatives may elect to provide testimony at a later portion of the meetings. Additional public hearings may be held throughout the meetings just before consideration and adoption of proposed changes in the regulations. The board will take oral testimony only from those who register before the cut-off time announced by the board chair at the meeting. The length of oral statements may be limited to three to five minutes, or less for the public and 10 to 15 minutes or less for fish and game advisory committee representatives. Anyone interested in, or affected by, the subject matter contained in this legal notice should make written or oral comments if they wish to have their views considered by the board.
Tentative BOARD OF GAME Meeting DATES & LOCATIONS
Arctic and Western Region Meeting
January 6-9, 2017
Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center
420 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway Bethel
Bethel, Alaska 99559
Interior/Northeast Arctic Region Meeting
February 17-25, 2017
Pike’s Waterfront Lodge
1850 Hoselton Drive
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
Any changes to meeting location, dates or times, or rescheduling of topics or subject matter will be announced by news release and posted on the board’s website. Please watch for these announcements or call (907) 465-4110. Please carefully review the PROPOSAL INDEX and the additional proposal listing on the above-mentioned websites for all specific proposal issues to be addressed by the board.
Anyone interested in or affected by subsistence and general hunting or trapping regulations is hereby informed that, by publishing this legal notice the Board of Game may consider any or all of the subject areas covered by this notice. THE BOARD IS NOT LIMITED BY THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE OR CONFINES OF THE ACTUAL PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED BY THE PUBLIC OR STAFF. Pursuant to AS 44.62.200, the board may review the full range of activities appropriate to any of the subjects listed in this notice. The board may make changes to the hunting and trapping regulations as may be required to ensure the subsistence priority in AS 16.05.258 including reexamining customary and traditional use findings and determinations for amounts reasonably necessary for subsistence use. After the public hearings, the Board of Game may adopt these or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or amend, reject, supplement, or decide to take no action on them. The language of the final regulations may be different from that of the proposed regulations. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMMENT DURING THE TIME ALLOWED IF YOUR INTERESTS COULD BE AFFECTED.
If you are a person with a disability who may need special accommodations in order to participate in this process, please contact ADF&G, Boards Support Section at (907) 465-4110 no later than two weeks prior to the beginning of each meeting to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.
Statutory Authority: AS 16.05, AS 16.30.
Statutes Being Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: AS 16.05.255; AS 16.05.256;
AS 16.05.258; AS 16.05.330; AS 16.05.340; AS 16.05.346; AS 16.05.405; AS 16.05.407; AS 16.05.780; AS 16.05.783, and AS 16.30.010 – .030.
Fiscal Information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.
DATE: December 1, 2016 
| Kristy Tibbles, Executive Director Alaska Board of Game 465-4110 |
ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS NOTICE INFORMATION
(AS 44.62.190(d))
- Adopting agency: Alaska Board of Game
- General subject of regulation: Hunting and trapping regulations for the Arctic, Western & Interior/Northeast Arctic Regions, and other miscellaneous provisions.
- Citation of regulations: 5 AAC 84, 85, 92, 98, and 99
- Department of Law file numbers: JU2016200589; and JU2016200590
- Reason for the proposed action:
( ) compliance with federal law
( ) compliance with new or changed state statute
( ) compliance with court order
( ) development of program standards
- ( X) Other: Regularly scheduled topics and other miscellaneous provisions for the Board of Game Arctic/Western & Interior/Northeast Arctic Regions. Implement, interpret, or make specific the provisions of AS 16.05-16.30.
- Appropriation/Allocation: Natural Resources and all RDUs
- Cost of implementation to the state agency and available funding: It is not possible to estimate costs. However, this action is not expected to require an increased appropriation.
- The name of the contact person for the regulations: Name:Kristy Tibbles
Title: Executive Director, Board Game
Address: Boards Support Section
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game PO Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
Telephone: (907) 465-4110
E-mail: kristy.tibbles@alaska.gov
- The origin of the proposed action:
X staff of state agency
X federal government
X general public
The following proposals are in addition to those published in the 2016/2017 Regulations Proposal Book. The full text of the proposals is available on the Board of Game meeting information website at: www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.proposalbook .
This proposal was accepted by the Board of Game as an Agenda Change Request (ACR 5) for consideration at the Arctic/Western Region meeting scheduled for January 2017.
This proposal was accepted by the Board of Game as an Agenda Change Request (ACR 12) for consideration at the at the Arctic/Western Region meeting scheduled for January 2017.