09/15/2026
LOCKED OUT OF YOUR MOOSE HUNT? KNOW WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S AUTHORITY ENDS.
Alaska hunters are once again being forced to navigate a maze of federal rules that can determine who gets to hunt, where they get to hunt, and when they get to hunt. Federal actions are affecting moose hunts in Units 11, 13 and 25D. In some places, non-federally qualified hunters can be shut out of federal public lands while federally qualified hunters continue to have opportunity. Raise your hand if you’re confused. 🙋♂️
Here’s the deal: One invisible line is all that separates CLOSED from OPEN. Know your rights on the water:
🫎 UNIT 25D
The Federal Subsistence Board’s emergency closure (WSA26-09) applies to certain federal public uplands in Unit 25D. It does NOT close navigable waters. 🛶
That means submerged lands between the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) on BLM-determined navigable rivers remain open to state-managed hunting during the Unit 25D season, Sept. 10–20.
Read that again: Federal upland on one side of the line may be closed to you. The navigable water below it may still be open.
The OHWM is generally the natural line along a riverbank showing where water regularly reaches during ordinary years. It can often be identified by changes in vegetation, erosion, shelving, or a clearly defined streambank.
✅ BLM-determined navigable waters in the area include:
- Yukon River
- Ikheenjik River (Upper Mouth Birch Creek), navigable upstream to the South Fork Ikheenjik River
- J’ildootinjik River (Lower Mouth Birch Creek), navigable upstream to the bifurcation with Ikheenjik River
- Sheenjek River, navigable to Thluichohnjik Creek
- Porcupine River
- Black River
- Little Black River, navigable within ANCSA-conveyed lands
- Sucker River, navigable upstream through T. 19 N., R. 14 E., FM
- Preacher Creek, navigable through Native allotments to within Sec. 28, T. 14 N., R. 14 E., FM
🫎 UNIT 13
Certain federal public lands in Unit 13 are closed to moose hunting by non-federally qualified hunters. At the same time, under WSA26-10, the Federal Subsistence Board just extended the federal subsistence moose season through Sept. 30.
🫎 UNIT 11
Under that same emergency action, the Board established a may-be-announced federal subsistence moose season between Sept. 21–30 in Unit 11, with authority delegated to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve superintendent to decide when that season opens and closes.
And once again, the Federal Subsistence Board approved WSA26-10 by email.
This is what Alaska’s dual management system looks like on the ground: different hunters. Different rules. Different seasons. Sometimes separated by nothing more than a jurisdictional boundary you can’t even see but must adhere to.
BEFORE YOU GO:
⚠️ A valid harvest ticket or applicable permit is required. All applicable state hunting laws and limits still apply.
⚠️ ANCSA-conveyed lands and other private property may be present along these waterways. You must get explicit permission from the landowner before setting foot on private land.
⚠️ Know the OHWM. Alaska DNR defines the Ordinary High Water Mark as the mark along a bank or shore created by the common and usual presence of water over ordinary years. It can often be identified by erosion, shelving, changes in vegetation, or other distinctive physical characteristics. Find more information on the Alaska Department of Natural Resources website here https://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/paad/nav/policy/
⚠️ Regulations, closures, and land status can change. Always check with ADF&G and the appropriate land manager for the most current information before you hunt.
You shouldn't need a law degree and a land-status map to figure out where you can hunt moose in Alaska, but here we are. Know the line. Know your rights. Know before you go. 🫎
