BLM announces fall Fortymile Caribou Federal Subsistence Hunt

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern Interior Field Office will open the Fortymile caribou federal subsistence hunt in Units 20E, 25C and a portion of 20F in early August through the end of September.   

The federal subsistence caribou hunt is limited to federally qualified rural residents hunting on federal public lands only, including federal public lands accessible from the Steese and Taylor highways. The federal subsistence hunt opens at 12:01 a.m. August 5, 2025, with a harvest limit of two bull caribou. The hunt closes at 11:59 p.m. September 30, 2025.  

BLM made the decision to authorize the Fortymile Hunt under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, after consultation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Eastern Interior Subsistence Regional Advisory Council. Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) provides a priority for federally qualified subsistence users to meet the needs of living in rural Alaska where there are limited alternatives to replace food supplies. Even with the two-bull limit, the federal subsistence harvest is expected to be a very small proportion of the annual harvest from the Fortymile herd. 

Hunters participating in the hunt must obtain a RC860 joint State/federal registration permit issued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. When the State of Alaska portion of RC860 is open, all registered hunters may hunt on federal and non-federal land. State of Alaska regulations limit the caribou harvest to one bull in all caribou hunt zones. Under federal subsistence regulations, federally qualified rural residents may harvest a second bull on federal public lands. Evidence of sex must remain attached. 

For more information on seasons, harvest limits, methods, and customary and traditional use determinations for the subsistence taking of wildlife, please reference the 2024-2026 Federal Subsistence Management Regulations for the Harvest of Wildlife on Federal Public Lands in Alaska. 

Please note that federal subsistence hunting is not allowed on lands selected by Alaska Native Corporations, Native allottees, or the State of Alaska. Maps showing federal public lands open to the hunt near the Steese and Taylor highways are available from a BLM Alaska Public Room and in the “Federal Subsistence Hunting Map Series” in the BLM Alaska’s georeferenced PDF map collection. This collection also includes the “Digital Public Information Map Series” for maps with information about BLM recreation sites and motor vehicle access; however, these maps include general land status and do not indicate closures due to land selections.      

Information and updates on the RC860 caribou hunt are available on the Fortymile Hotline at (907) 267-2310. For additional information about the subsistence hunt, contact the BLM Eastern Interior Field Office at (907) 474-2200 or EasternInterior@blm.gov.