Kenai Peninsula Brown Bear Hunting Set To Close On Thursday

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

Kenai Peninsula Brown Bear Season Closes for Remainder of 2024

(SOLDOTNA) – The hunting season for Kenai Peninsula brown bear (RB300) in Units 7 and 15 will close by Emergency Order on Thursday, June 27 at 11:59 PM for both residents and non-residents, and will remain closed for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year.

Brown bear hunting on the Kenai Peninsula is managed under a registration permit with a maximum of 50–60 total human-caused brown bear mortalities per calendar year, of which 8–12 may be adult females on a consecutive 3-year average including the current calendar year. This management strategy is consistent with the Board of Game recommendations (2015-211) adopted on March 18, 2015. During the 2022, 2023, and 2024 calendar years, there were 56, 46, and 50 reported total human-caused mortalities of brown bears of which 15, 10, and 10 were identified as adult females. The 3-year average for the 2024 calendar year is currently 11.7 adult female brown bears.

“We monitor this hunt and the harvest very closely, and hunters have been very successful. Hunters selecting to harvest male bears rather than female bears has allowed the season to remain open as long as it has. Closing the season at this point may allow additional reproductive aged female bears to remain in the population for future years,” said Regional Supervisor Cynthia Wardlow. “Providing hunting opportunities and managing a sustainable brown bear population are both important on the Kenai Peninsula.”

Registration permits for RB300 are issued by regulatory year, with planned season dates of August 10 through June 30 of the following year. These emergency orders close the brown bear season for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year and will expire on December 31, 2024, reopening the season on January 1, 2025. Hunters with current RB300 permits should submit their reports within 10 days of the close of the season.