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SPORT
FISHERIES REPORT
Sport
fishermen know that Alaska is a fishemen’s
paradise. The opportunities presented by this vast wilderness were summed
up best by Frank Dufresne, in his classic, Alaska’s
Animals and Fishes. He said:
“Alaska
is a peninsula of magnificent proportions and of breathtaking scenic beauty
situated on the northwest tip of America. Its total area is
equal to one-fifth of the rest of the United States. You gain a
better idea of its tremendous span over the earth’s surface if you picture
it as a great dipper –shaped land, the handle of which slopes southeastward
some 600 miles to form an evergreen-forested region known as southeastern
Alaska. The dipper appears to be tilted toward the west and from its lip
pours the thin, 1,200-mile –long stream of the treeless Aleutian spilling
almost to the shores of Asia.
Thus, while
Alaska’s 586,000 square miles forms an area no larger than the combined
total of ten average States, the east-west reach is equal to the distance
from Georgia to California; north-south, Montana to the Gulf of Mexico. Now
trace its rugged, deeply indented, waved washed shoreline with a special
measuring gadget. The resulting
figure is 26,000 miles! Sprinkle it with 7 million acres of lakes: add tens
of thousands of rivers’ and you begin to form an idea of the vastness of
this remarkable game fishing territory.”
That’s
big! Even with these vast game
fishing areas, the airplane and helicopter have opened up the state and
it’s waters to levels never dreamed
of by Mr. Dufresne. Those without air support
still find the Alaska road system and the Kenai Peninsula watersheds abundant with fantastic
fishing opportunities. Of course,
like all accessible areas, overuse and large crowds can dampen the
experience. Fish and game does it’s best to juggle sport, commercial and
subsistence fishermen, but managing unseen wild sea run fish is a tough job
that relies on educated guesses as much as science. Fish and game dropped
the ball last year on the Kenai, shorting commercial and sport fishermen
the last week of July and allowing a huge over escapement of sockeye that
will hurt the fishery in the future.
Sport Halibut
fishermen in Cook Inlet and Southeast Alaska
can expect limits to be cut from two fish to one during June in 2007. Southeast Alaska
fishermen may be cut to one fish all summer. Charter operators pushing for IFQ’s like the commercial guys failed in their attempt
and the whole industry can expect a hit with these cuts. Our recommendation is that the sport
fishermen buy commercial IFQs and sport fish them
for the market, similar to Hawaii.
With vast
fisheries, multiple user groups and the IPHC’s
role in Halibut, fish and game has really done a remarkable job considering
this resources diversity. For up to date info go
to www.sf.adfg.stat.us .
The late
May and early June King Salmon fishing was fair on Kenai
Peninsula waters, with cold rain making the water dirty and
keeping the bulk of the fish out to sea. Saltwater fishermen have done
better than most river fishermen. Sardines and cut herring, with bright
green skirts, are producing best. Remember that fishing is just like
hunting, you never know if you are going to have any luck. That’s why they
don’t call it catching. If you were lucky enough to be on the Kenai in July
and August in 2006 you probably called it catching. The fishing was best the last two weeks
of July for Kings and the red run was big and late, with millions of fish
get by and an over escapement far from ideal.
Alaska Hunting Report
There is a
lot of news concerning hunting in Alaska.
When Governor Murkowski opened up the predator control programs at the
start of his term, well funded groups tried and are to date, still trying
to shoot it down. The Sierra Club, AWA and DOW filed a lawsuit (Winter2006)
in State Superior Court trying to end this controversial (and very
effective) means of wildlife management. In the limited areas where wolf
control has been allowed to continue, ungulate populations have
exploded. The wolf is a killer and
it’s cute, cuddly persona is an affective disguise. If you have ever seen a
pack of fifty wolves eat 70 moose calves in a month, or watch
them wipe out a herd of Dall sheep in deep snow,
you know they are the ultimate killing machine.. They hunt virtually
unmolested through the dark and cold winters and decimate areas and move on. If left unchecked, they pose the greatest
danger to ungulate populations across Alaska.
Certainties
exist. Including bears in these predator control areas and having
subsistence seasons on bears is a mistake both biologically and
economically. Hopefully we will see an expansion on wolf control throughout
those portions of the state that warrant it, and a more common sense
approach with bears. Alaska,
with its vast Park System, will always have plenty of Bears and Wolves for
the viewing public.
As the years
go by, Alaska
and especially the road system has begun to resemble the lower forty eight.
Fortunately, it has a long way to go and the water and air (in most places)
is still pure. More locked gates, area hunting closures and increased
traffic are par for the course and 2007 will see a popular area north of Skilak lake between Sterling and Cooper Landing closed
to guns and hunting. Visit www.adfg.state.ak.us/
for ADF&G’s home page.
Non-resident
license and tag fees in large part fund ADF&G’s
many programs, with photographers and wildlife viewers benefiting
significantly. We always thought that these groups should be contribute via a license or a tax similar to Pittman
–Robertson on optics and camera’s. License and tag fees remain stable, but
increases are a distinct possibility in the near future. Go to www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us/license/ to purchase your licenses online.
The 2006
spring brown bear season has wrapped up and reports we have received are
mixed. A late spring kept many bears in the hole longer than normal. We
heard of one large boar taken on the 25 th of May
with his digestive plug still intact. The biggest bear killed this spring
that we are aware of was by the very young daughter of an Alaskan guide. We saw the bear in May at
the taxidermist and can attest to the fact that it is huge - over 11 feet
with a skull that green scored close to thirty one inches. We have heard of
guides going 100% with bears pushing 10 feet, down to a few outfitters that
got skunked. Statewide, the average brown bear killed this spring was
slightly larger than 7 feet squared, with a twenty three inch plus skull.
Of course Kodiak, the Peninsula, and other
coastal areas saw bigger bears harvested. If you have ever been on a fair
chase bear hunt, you know how tough these hunts can be. The fall bear season was excellent in
some areas until December. Late
storms hampered parts of Kodiak in November and with the Peninsula
closed this fall, the biggest bears were killed in spring and early fall
over salmon..
The fall
hunting season is pretty well wrapped and again we heard of mixed results
throughout the state. High brush on
the Alaska Peninsula made for some tough
moose hunting for quite a few. We saw more big moose then we have in years
and a high calf survival in predator control areas. One outfit we heard of
went twelve for twelve on do it yourself hunts with the smallest moose
taping sixty five inches, five at sixty nine plus and two over seventy.
The caribou
herds are still in decline on the Mulchatna and
we have heard troubling reports on the northwest Arctic Herd as well. It
looks like the state is making the same mistake it did with the Mulchatna herd. Too much pressure from a fleet of non
resident hunters, transporters and totally wide open resident seasons. Even the Northwest Territory herd in Canada
is having problems. Bull numbers are down significantly all over. Adak, once a sleeper spot
for giant caribou, is being over hunted and quality is down in almost every
aspect. That’s the problem with all
these hunting shows and writers. Half a million people read or hear about
it and before you know it your honey hole is overrun with people. That’s
why we don’t take film crews and writers out to our “honey holes”
Guide
Board, Exploration, Politics & Alaska
The internet is
such a powerful tool. Unfortunately, you can’t believe much of its content.
We have seen a lot of out right lies and distortion of the truth about
hunting from both hunters and anti hunters. That’s the problem with
anonymous postings. Check out www.npca.org/alaska/alaska-lands-act.html Talk about bending facts to meet your
agenda. This website wording leads the reader to believe that 95 % of Alaska is open for
drilling and helicopters buzz the park system without limits. Sure, parts
of Alaska
are under siege from mineral exploration. Instead of trying to lock up the
state on a whole, these individuals should focus on specifics. The Pebble
Creek Project in Bristol Bay threatens to destroy the Koktuli River and the Upper and Lower Talarik Creeks as well. These pristine waters are home
to the finest rainbow trout fisheries north of Lake Iliamna and are all part
of major salmon
drainages. If the open
pit mine becomes reality, these major spawning grounds will become polluted
and sterile. We believe in fiscally and environmentally responsible
resource development and with the deposits at Pebble so huge, the mine is fiscally
a go. Environmentally, the Peeble Project is a train wreck with hazardous cargo,
at best. Check out www.northerndynastyminerals.com for more on this project. For those of you who took our advice when
we issued a strong buy on NDM five years ago, congratulations!
We have also
noticed comments on the Alaska Outdoor Forum ( www.alaskaoutdoorsdirectory.com
) attributed to this publication that didn’t originate with us We have contacted them, and hope they correct the inaccuracies..
.
The biggest news
out of Alaska
hunting (besides the bitter cold) these days are the new rules,
regulations, and ethical standards enacted to better regulate the guide
industry. Unfortunately, few of these new standards are well thought out
and most are so loosely worded that their interpretation is unclear. To give our readers an idea of how poorly
conceived some of the new ethical standards are,
we will examine a few here.
“allow appropriate buffer areas between hunters and
camps so as to avoid disrupting hunts and hunting experiences:”
What is an appropriate buffer area; one mile, two miles
or five? If a bear can smell you from twelve miles, it would seem there
isn’t enough room for everyone. Boat
hunters will have a tough time when they pull in a bay with five camps.
Landing strips and water dictate areas hunters and pilots can access. Airplanes are the primary means of
transportation in Alaska
and that leads us to the next standard. What about camps you didn’t see.
“’avoid using an aircraft in any manner to spot big game
for the purpose of taking a specific animal”
Does this mean you have to fly with your eyes closed and
any animal you‘ve seen from the air all year long is off limits?
How about cutting tracks in the spring time snow? The
phrase “in any manner” is too all encompassing and the reality is that any
one who has access to airplanes uses them.
Every guide and transporter we know uses an airplane to scout for
their clients if they can. The boat hunters and those that can’t afford a
plane are in the minority. Most get their people to camp some way by air,
that’s Alaska.
Of course resident and non resident hunters with private planes will still
be able to use an airplane in any manner. They can also use a GPS and other
electronic devices.
“ avoid using , in any manner, a global positioning
system (GPS) or other electronic devices to assist in the taking of a big
game animal”
Compass manufacturers should be happy with this one.
Again the term “in any manner” is too broad. Are laser range finders legal?
How about illuminated scopes? Can
you use a GPS in the plane? Can you
have one in your pack while you’re stalking a moose? Hopefully the folks
who thought this stuff up will do some serious rewriting. It’s not
surprising that part time guides, the airplane poor and boat hunters are
the ones who pushed this through.
One of the pleasures of being in
the hunting and fishing business is all the types of people you get to
meet. There are certainly all types of sportsmen and women out there.
Hal Waugh summed it up best when he wrote “What Kind of Hunter are You.” He said:
“ In generalization, I think we can break down hunters into two
classifications – the “Award or Rack” hunters and the “Fun” hunters.
Roughly, each classification can again be divided into two groups. The type
“A” or “good” hunters and the type “B” or “less desirable hunters”. Award
hunters, type B, may often be completely selfish and self centered ……. Fun hunters, type B, can really make
a guide tear his hair out ……. Fun
hunter, type
A, can be a real joy to any outfitter. With reasonable preparation on the
part of the guide, this man will enjoy himself, be a welcome addition to
any camp, and go home completely revitalized and ready for the routine
work-a-day world ………. There are
many dedicated hunters whose main ambitions are to bag only top drawer
specimens. Award hunters, Type A, the real purists of the hunting world. It
is an unwritten law among this group that no animal be taken unless he is
in the highly selected few that will rank well up in the record book… Men
of this caliber deserve commendation because they contribute greatly to our
wildlife knowledge and in many instances are in a position to have a strong
voice in the politics and appropriation measures which are so vital to game
management………After many years of outfitting and guiding, I guess if I had
to make the choice…I’d put my laurels on the Fun, Type A hunter and urge
others to give more thought to enjoying the little pleasures of camp
life…….Spend some time with your camera recording daily events. Take it
easy on the old pump. You may want it for a long time to enjoy the hunting
to the fullest with little emphasis on the “book” and more on the simple
by-products in the world of outdoors.”
Hal wrote this over thirty years ago
and he is probably spinning in his grave with the way things have changed
in Alaska
and the hunting world in general. Back in the day, game records were kept
by Rowland Ward, Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young. With such high
criteria, only a select few made the book. You bought a hunt and you
hunted. .
As we head to press with our summer fishing issue, we have a variety of
issues regarding Alaska
hunting and fishing. Check out our expanded links page. Stay tuned as we
add to these links over the month of June.
There are some bright spots in Alaska hunting. Areas on a drawing
permit system, Kodiak Island, numerous private land, and parts of the Alaska peninsula are producing world class
opportunities. Hopefully with the new guide board, the hard but
necessary steps will be taken to ensure future hunting for our children.
There is no reason Alaska
can't reclaim it's spot as the number one sportsman's paradise. The
potential is there, and all it would take are these following steps.
Open up the vast game areas, with consistent extended seasons.
Statewide Exclusive Guide and Air Taxi Areas.
Exclusive Resident Only Areas
Turn the Guide Use Areas into Game Management zones( GMZ) and issue permits
accordingly.
The elimination of subsistence and Tier two permits
The consolidation of game management under one entity ( combining the
USFWS, USFS, NPS, BLM,
DNR, State of Alaska Parks,
DOL, Private landowners, etc.etc.)
All game animals on a
permit system with a fifty /fifty split on tags between residents and non-
residents. Residents can
apply for a flat $20 fee. The Non -resident application fee is $50.
going as guaranteed tags
for guided non resident hunters and 25% going to non -residents hunting
with an
air taxi. The
remaining 50% going to resident Alaskans on a drawing permit system.
Double the price of non-resident big game tags.
Make all tags transferable. They can be bought and sold. Permits are only
valid for specified GMZ..
Once residents realize they can
get more than a bunch of meat to throw out of their freezer every year,
wildlife
will have realized value.
Allow the use of helicopters for transport of hunters, meat, gear and
predator control ( just like
Canada,
New Zealand, Australia
and every other country on the globe).
The resumption of a bounty on wolves as a work program for rural residents.
The eradication of bootleg guiding.
The formation of the new guide board was the first step
towards addressing these issues. Hopefully this new board will take the
difficult steps (and have the courts back them when needed), to make these
recommendations reality. Unfortunately, the chances of most of these
recommendations happening are slim to none. We'll see.
See you at Shot and SCI.
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