FortyMile Caribou Hunt Shut Down After Three Days Near Fairbanks

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced a closure of a section of Fortymile Herd caribou hunt in the Fairbanks area. Here’s the full ADFG release:

Fortymile Caribou Season on Steese Highway to Close after 3 Days
The State of Alaska fall hunting season for Fortymile caribou in areas accessible from the Steese Highway and Chena Hot Springs road in Zone 1 will close after 3 days on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at
11:59 p.m.
Caribou are present in portions of Zone 1 and harvest in the first 3 days of the season is expected to meet the quota of 530 bulls in that zone. The state hunting season is scheduled to remain open in Zones 2, 3, and 4.
Caribou are abundant in Zone 2 (located in parts of Game Management Units 20B, 20D north of the Tanana River, and western Unit 20E) and widely scattered in portions of Zones 3 (Taylor Highway area in a part of Unit 20E) and 4 (White Mountains in parts of Units 20B and 25C).
State hunting seasons for Fortymile caribou opened on August 12 in all zones. ADF&G staff will be monitoring the hunt carefully to minimize chances that the quota is exceeded in these zones.
Caribou movements during fall are largely unpredictable, and seasons may be closed in other zones to keep the harvest within the harvest quota. Hunters are advised to phone the Fortymile Caribou
Hotline at 907-267-2310 before departing for the field to obtain the most current information on status of the hunt.
The annual Fortymile quota is 2,030 caribou, with 1,525 allocated to the fall hunt and 505 to the winter hunt. The fall quota of 1,525 is divided as follows: Zones 1 and 4 combined is 530, Zone 2 is
200 and Zone 3 is 795. The fall bag limit is 1 bull for all hunters in August, while during September it is 1 caribou (bull or cow) for residents and 1 bull for nonresidents.
These changes only apply to state caribou hunts in these areas. The federal caribou hunt on federal lands is not affected by these changes. Hunters with questions about federal subsistence regulations should call (800) 478-1456.
Successful hunters must report within three days of the kill on the internet at http://hunt.alaska.gov, or in person or by phone to the ADF&G office in Tok (883-2971). Hunters
who report by phone must also mail their permit reports or drop them off to the Tok ADF&G office.
ADF&G News Release, August 13, 2018 Fortymile Zone 1 Closure 
Unsuccessful hunters must return their reports to the Tok office or report online at http://hunt.alaska.gov by October 15.
Hunters are urged to obtain a receipt when they turn in their hunt reports or to mail them by
delivery confirmation receipt. Permit holders who fail to report will not be allowed to obtain registration, drawing, or tier I and II permits next year, and may be cited for a violation of the Alaska
hunting regulations.
The Alaska Board of Game endorsed the Fortymile Caribou Herd Harvest Plan (harvest plan) as a means of guiding harvest of the herd from 2012 through 2018. The harvest plan allocates all
available Fortymile Herd harvest to a hunt area, divided into 4 Zones, south of the Yukon River in portions of Units 20B, 20D, 20F and all of Units 20E and 25C. Management is designed to allow the
Fortymile Herd to continue to grow and expand within habitat limitations into its former range in Alaska and Yukon. At about 78,000 animals, the Fortymile Herd is the largest caribou herd in Interior Alaska.