Brown Bear Hunting Emergency Closure In Southeast Alaska Unit 1D

The following emergency order is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

GMU 1D RB050 Closed to Brown Bear Hunting

(Juneau) – An emergency order (R1-16-24) has been issued to close the RB050 brown bear hunting season in Unit 1D at 11:59 P.M., on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

During 2020, forty-nine brown bears (24F: 23M: 2 Unk) were killed in GMU 1D including 19 harvested by hunters (9F: 10M) and 30 non-hunt kills (15F: 13M: 2 Unk) (agency kills, defense of life and property, and vehicle collisions). This record high mortality level resulted in an estimated 16-20% reduction in the population and prompted the development of a new brown bear management strategy for GMU 1D. The goal of this plan is to recover the brown bear population and future sustainable hunting opportunity. The plan does that by temporarily reducing hunting mortality through a harvest cap and by seeking to reduce human-bear conflict that results in bear mortalities through educational outreach by ADF&G and our partners.

Beginning in spring 2021 ADF&G limited hunter harvest of brown bears in GMU 1D to five total brown bears including no more than two females in a calendar year. Because other human caused mortality (DLP, etc.) reduces the population, hunting will also be closed when total brown bear mortality for the calendar year reaches seven total bears (excluding cubs) or three female bears. Based on research and monitoring the population, in 2020—2024, ADF&G managers increased the limit on total female mortality from 2 to 3 per calendar year for the time being. However, to ensure timely recovery of the population and hunting opportunity, human-caused mortality in excess of seven bears may be deducted from the hunting harvest quota for the following hunting season (i.e., the next calendar year).

As of October 12, 2024, a total of three brown bears have been harvested (one male and one female in the spring season, and one male in the fall season). Five additional brown bears (one adult female, two subadult females, one female cub, and one male cub) were killed in defense of life and property for a total mortality of eight brown bears. Because the total brown bear mortality has reached eight bears (including at three independent females) and due to the vulnerability of brown bears in this area to overharvest, this emergency order is being issued.

Hunters are encouraged to target male brown bears to help preserve future hunting opportunity.