Caribou Hunt Around Yukon River Upstream From Fourteen Mile Creek (Unit 25B) Now Closed

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

Caribou Season in Southern Unit 25B to Close

(Tok, Alaska) – The State of Alaska hunting season for caribou in the portion of Unit 25B north of the Yukon River and upstream from and including Fourteenmile Creek (southern Unit 25B accessible from the Yukon River upstream of Circle) will close at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, January 7, 2026.

A portion of the Fortymile Caribou Herd has made a movement north of the Yukon River into southern Unit 25B. Harvest management of the Fortymile Caribou Herd is guided by the Fortymile Caribou Herd Harvest Plan (harvest plan). This harvest plan allocates the entire annual harvest quota for the Fortymile Herd to a hunt area south of the Yukon River in portions of Units 20B, 20D, 20F and 25C and all of Unit 20E. Therefore, closure of the caribou season in southern Unit 25B is required, because no Fortymile Caribou Herd harvest is allocated to Unit 25B.

In addition, the winter-long season and the bag limit of 10 caribou in Unit 25B were designed to provide harvest opportunity for the much larger Porcupine Caribou Herd. There are currently no Porcupine Caribou within the portion of Unit 25B that will be closed, so hunting opportunity for Porcupine Caribou will not be impacted.

The state Fortymile caribou hunting season (RC867) will remain open in all hunt Zones (1–4). The closing date for all Fortymile hunt Zones is March 31, 2026, unless closed early by emergency order.

The winter Fortymile Herd harvest quota is subdivided between the road accessible Zones within the RC867 registration hunt area, each with its own quota. The 2025 overall winter quota is 320, with 190 allocated to Zones 1 and 4 combined and 130 for Zone 3. Harvest in Zone 2 (roadless portion of the hunt area) will be taken from the overall winter quota. There are currently 58 caribou remaining in the combined Zones 1&4 quota and 105 remaining in the Zone 3 quota, with no recent harvest reported.

Hunters are reminded to call the Fortymile Caribou Herd Hotline (907) 267-2310 for updates about the hunt quota and bag limit before departing for the field to learn of Zone closures.

Hunters with questions about federal subsistence regulations should call (800) 474-2200.

Successful hunters must report within three days of the kill online at (http://hunt.alaska.gov), by phone (907- 883-2971), or in person at the ADF&G office in Tok. Hunters who report by phone must also mail their permit reports or drop them off to the Tok ADF&G office. Unsuccessful hunters must return their reports to the Tok office or report online at http://hunt.alaska.gov by April 15, 2026.

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 eligible to receive any permits (Draw, Targeted, Tier II, or Registration, including Tier I Nelchina caribou) during the next regulatory year, and may be cited.

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