Closure of all non-resident caribou hunting in Alaska- Better Read This!

stuckey_t

FNG
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
21
Thought this information should be in the general forum so more hunters are aware of what is going on up north. If you have ever wanted to hunt up in Alaska or want to go back your "rights" are under attack. There is a Federal Subsistence Board that apparently can ramrod laws past the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and take away our non resident hunting priviledges. This board has already taken away caribou hunting in the upper northwest of Alaska for nonresidents on federal lands. They are trying to do the same RIGHT NOW for nonresident caribou hunters along the north slope of the Brook's Range and along the "haul road". If they can do this with caribou they can do this with any game species up there. This is a fight we cannot afford to lose! Please look this over and get involved someway somehow.

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/cari...-alaska-federal-public-lands-wsa-16-01-a.html
 

KJH

WKR
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May 10, 2016
Messages
547
This is a serious tragedy. Specifically, limiting the opportunities of all Americans to fully utilize our federal lands natural resources for any lawful purpose. Denying the use of a federal resource and discriminating against someone based solely on their zip code and ethnicity is ultimately the progressive situation at hand. I am further concerned that local politics, party pandering, and polarizing political correctness are being used as a method to sidestep biological science to manage federal land and the wildlife populations the land supports.

Larry Bartlett is working very hard on this issue on behalf of BHA. His efforts are truly amazing, but it's going to take much more than just BHA to get this addressed. I think resident AK hunters stand to lose the most in the long run, but the attack on federal lands by a special interest group hurts us all.

It’s already happened last summer in GMU23 and the precedence was set. The Federal Subsistence Board is a special interest group working against all lawful users. The FSB is connected and has momentum. Think of it as a pure discrimination based on you race and zip code. You will not be able to use these federal lands for hunting, even though the State of Alaska doesn't support this federal overreach.

The Federal Subsistence Board requests all Federal public lands in the area be closed to hunting by non-Federally qualified users (i.e. all non-native and non-local users). This follows a 2016 request by the same proponent to eliminate caribou hunting for non-Federally qualified users, which was granted. These requests have set a dubious precedence and are a minority based culturally motivated effort to eliminate hunting opportunities for the non-native or non-local population. Decisions to eliminate hunting in GMU 23 for non-locals have not been based on the biological sciences used for governing game management. Now its the same story in a different area.

To date the movement has been a power grab that usurps the authority of the State of Alaska to manage wildlife based on biological sciences. This precedence hurts all law abiding Americans by pandering to the few and penalizing the majority. In our politically correct society, no one within the Federal government’s hierarchy of bureaucracy is willing or able to oppose the request for fear of violating an affirmative action type of culture.

The special agenda is not wildlife population management, instead it is to have reparations made to “Federally Qualified Users” for centuries old actions that affected a traditional way of life. The requesters actions demonstrate that they wish to eliminate all non-local hunting. Their interests are now elevated above all others. This discriminates against people based on their zip code and ethnic status.
 
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Daniel_M

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Jan 17, 2013
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Wasilla, Alaska
This isn't just a NR issue, its a res issue as well. The same folks that are gunning for non-res closures also want a subsistence only take. ALL non-locals.
 

KJH

WKR
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May 10, 2016
Messages
547
This isn't just a NR issue, its a res issue as well. The same folks that are gunning for non-res closures also want a subsistence only take. ALL non-locals.

Agreed. Residents stand lose the most.
 
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stuckey_t

FNG
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
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This isn't just a NR issue, its a res issue as well. The same folks that are gunning for non-res closures also want a subsistence only take. ALL non-locals.

How this could gain enough traction to have a chance of passing in Alaska baffles me. A lot of people move up there just for the consideration to hunt animals like caribou as a resident. I sure hope/wish every hunter in the state is going to show up at these public meetings and flame the hell out of this federal subsistence group. This is the same type of legal garbage that took wolf management out of game and fish departments in the lower 48. Banded together as a group we have a chance to fight this. Hopefully proper legal action torches this bill.
 

Daniel_M

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Wasilla, Alaska
How this could gain enough traction to have a chance of passing in Alaska baffles me. A lot of people move up there just for the consideration to hunt animals like caribou as a resident. I sure hope/wish every hunter in the state is going to show up at these public meetings and flame the hell out of this federal subsistence group. This is the same type of legal garbage that took wolf management out of game and fish departments in the lower 48. Banded together as a group we have a chance to fight this. Hopefully proper legal action torches this bill.

Money to litigate and push the agenda. Plain and simple. Don't think for a second the native corporations pushing this is short on cash, we're talking multi-million dollar stakeholder enterprises.


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Joined
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Colorado
I just don't understand how they can justify immediate changes not based on a herd health emergency. Why wouldn't they put this off for a year or two or three? I understand subsistence, and appreciate conservation, but this is asinine.

I hope that the State of Alaska fights this tooth and nail.
 

Mike7

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Feb 28, 2012
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Northern Idaho
E-mailed the board and so far just have gotten the canned response that "The Office of Subsistence Management is in receipt of your comments".

It would seem quite unfair, that all Alaskan residents can come down here and purchase a non-resident tag for any species, and hunt any state or federal land here without a guide, but that we lower 48'ers would not be able to do the same on our federal lands up there, even if Alaskan Wildlife Biologists feel like the heards are healthy enough for non-resident hunting.
 

gbflyer

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Feb 20, 2017
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I don't think you'll find a big percentage of residents in favor of it either.

I must say though, in the spirit of sour grapes, a state such as Colorado hasn't made it too easy on nonresident hunters either with their draconian preference point system. 19 points to hunt in my old backyard now for nonresident. Hopefully they enact policy to leave points to your heirs because I will probably never see that day. Can I go to another area over the counter? Sure. And that will be the pushback in Alaska for 'bou as well.

Again, it's not right. I hope the federal subsistence board grows a set and stands up to this.
 

ben h

Lil-Rokslider
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Jun 17, 2012
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275
Location
SLC, UT
Other than contacting the board, is there anything that we in the Lower 48 can do to help out?

Absolutely, your representatives write their federal checks. I also think this would adversely affect Alaska's PILT payments. PILT payments are compensation states receive for federal land within their borders that they can't tax so the fed's pay them (which is exactly like a tax except they named it differently). In reality the east and west coast pay for the bulk of the federal lands in the US. Hit them hard right in the pocket book.
 
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stuckey_t

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May 6, 2015
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bumping this so everyone is aware that the north slope teleconference is tomorrow for this. hopefully we can get a bunch of hunters on this call to give this group hell
 
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