Federal Subsistence Board approves changes to subsistence hunting and trapping regulations

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) met April 21-24, 2026, to consider proposed changes to Federal subsistence hunting and trapping regulations. On April 20, 2026, the Board also conducted Tribal and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation consultations on wildlife regulatory proposals and closures. 

For each proposal, the Board considered analyses presented by Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) staff, as well as comments from members of the public, Regional Advisory Councils, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), Tribes and ANCSA Corporations, and the Interagency Staff Committee. The Board adopted 52 of 78 proposals, deferred 5, approved the withdrawal of 3 (WP26-27 and WP26-41/42), rejected 12, and took no action on 11. The Board acted on 17 wildlife closures, voting to retain status quo on 12 of them.

Some of the more significant decisions, which will be implemented in the 2026–2028 regulatory years (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028), include:

• Closing sheep hunting to all users on Federal public lands within Yukon-Charley National Preserve and Glacier Mountain Controlled Use Areas Units in 20E and 25C (WP26-76)
• Establishing a brown bear hunt in Unit 6 (WP26-13b/14b)
• Establishing a may-be-announced antlerless moose hunt (September 1– October 15) and extending the closing date of the winter moose hunt to March 31 in Zone 2 of the Kuskokwim hunt area in Unit 18 (WP26-43/44)
• Closing moose hunting to non-federally qualified users (NFQUs) from September 10–20 along river corridors in Unit 25D remainder (WP26-75)
• Extending the wolf hunting season to open August 1 and increasing the harvest limit to 20 on all Federal public lands in Unit 23 (WP26-66)
• Extending mink/weasel season in Unit 23 to close April 15 (WP-69)
• Rescinding all closures to moose hunting by NFQUs on Federal public lands in Unit 22A (WP26-54)
• Establishing a muskoxen hunt in Unit 22A (1 bull, August 1–March 15) (WP26-62b)
• Recognizing the customary and traditional uses of brown bear in Unit 8 for all residents of the Kodiak Island road system, east of the line from Crag Point south to the westernmost point of Saltery Cove, including Anton Larsen Bay, excluding residents of Kodiak Station Census Designated Place (WP26-32); Up to four brown bear permits are allocated for this hunt (WP26-33)
• Rejecting the proposed closure of Hawkins and Hinchinbrook islands in Unit 6D to deer hunting by NFQUs (WP26-15)
• Establishing a late fall season for moose in Unit 7 (October 20–November 10) (WP26-17)
• Establishing 50-yard setbacks for trapping around Quartz Creek, Crescent Creek, and Russian River campgrounds in Unit 7 (WP26-19)
• Extending the moose season in Unit 13 to close September 30 (WP26-28b) and closing the BLM-managed lands in Unit 13 to moose hunting by NFQUs (WP26-31)
• Closing deer hunting to NFQUs in all of Unit 2 from July 24–August 15 and reducing the harvest limit for NFQUs to one buck (WP26-03)
• Closing deer hunting in Unit 2 to federally qualified subsistence users (FQSUs) from Units 1C, 1, 4, 5, and Ketchikan from July 24–July 31 and from January 1–31, and reducing their harvest limit to two bucks. Closing deer hunting in Unit 2 to FQSUs from Units 3, 1B, and the remainder of Unit 1A (including Metlakatla and Saxman) from January 1–31, and reducing their harvest limited to four bucks (WP26-04)
• Modifying the closure of moose hunting by NFQUs in Unit 5A by retaining status quo for Unit 5A west and rescinding the closure in Unit 5A east (WCR26-02)
• Rejecting a proposed 47-day guaranteed wolf trapping season in Unit 2 (November 15– December 31) (WP26-10)
• Rejecting a closure of black bear hunting in Unit 6D (WP26-11)

The Board will consider the following deferred wildlife proposals at their fisheries regulatory meeting, February 1–5, 2027:

• WP26-01 (proposal to move authority delegated in letters to unit specific regulations)
• WP26-77 (proposal to recognize customary and traditional use of wood bison in Units 12, 20, and 25 by residents of these units)
• WP26-22 (proposal to require 100-yard setbacks for trapping along Quartz Creek Road, Old Sterling Hwy, and Sterling Hwy pullouts in Unit 7)

The Board will consider the following deferred proposals at their next wildlife regulatory meeting in 2028:

• WP26-63 (proposal to combine hunt areas and Federal permits for Unit 22D muskoxen)
• WP26-51 (proposal to establish muskoxen hunts in Units 21D, 24D)

The Board held an executive session Thursday evening, April 23, attended by the Board, select OSM personnel, the Alaska Region DOI Solicitor, and members of the Interagency Staff Committees. The Board was briefed on RFR25-01/02, Requests for Reconsideration of Nonrural Determination Proposal NDP25-01 and the legal framework for reviewing RFRs. During the public portion of the meeting on April 24, the Board rejected RFR25-01/02, determining the requests did not meet the threshold for a full analysis to take place.

The Board adopted Fisheries Proposal FP25-02 as modified by the Southeast Alaska Subsistence Regional Advisory Council, closing the Federal public waters throughout District 1 to the harvest of Eulachon except by FQSUs in the Unuk River. 

A full list of all the Board’s actions on non-consensus agenda items at this meeting is posted at: https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fsb_materials2_April2026. Actions on consensus agenda items are posted at: https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fsb_materials1_April2026.

Office of Subsistence Management staff gave an update on Regional Advisory Council correspondence. Additionally, the Board decided to defer discussion of the ADF&G Lower Tanana Wood Bison Management Plan to the Board’s summer work session.

The Board confirmed their upcoming meeting dates as follows: June 3, 2026: Board Meeting on WSA26-01/02/03 (via Microsoft Teams); August 4–5, 2026: Board Summer Work Session (Anchorage); and February 1–5, 2027: Board Fish and Shellfish Regulatory Meeting.

Transcripts from the April 2026 meeting will be posted at www.doi.gov/subsistence/library/transcripts/federal-subsistence-board when available.

Information about the Federal Subsistence Management Program may be found on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.