Moose hunting is set to change in three management areas in the Yukon this spring.
The government announced Feb. 10 that starting on April 1 permit hunt authorizations (PHAs) will be required for the Sifton-Miners Range and the South Canol moose management units.
There will be 12 permits available for the Sifton-Miners Moose Management Unit, north of Whitehorse, and 10 permits for the South Canol area along the Canol Road south of Ross River.
The 22 new permits will be available through a permit hunt authorization lottery. Hunters can enter the lottery from April 21 to May 19.
Mayo will also be moving to a threshold hunt for moose, meaning the area will be closed to hunting after a specific number of animals are harvested during the season. The Mayo threshold hunt will open Sept. 1 and be limited to 11 moose.
In their release, the government noted that hunting levels of combined licensed and subsistence harvest of moose is taking a toll on the population, “particularly in areas that are easy to access.”
Indigenous subsistence hunters will not need permits to hunt moose within their own territories.
“While maintaining licensed harvest opportunities and respecting First Nation Final Agreements, it is important that we protect the incredible diversity of wildlife species in the territory, including moose,” said Minister of Environment Nils Clarke in the release.
“As the most-harvested big-game species in the territory, we are taking steps to keep a healthy moose population in the Yukon and these changes will help ensure that these majestic animals will thrive in our territory for generations to come,” he said.
Limits for the two moose management areas were originally proposed during the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board’s Wildlife Act regulation public review process in 2019.
A meeting held that year on Dec. 11 drew a large crowd and the board received 550 submissions during its online survey period on a suite of 14 new proposals, including the moose area changes.
Faro is already under a threshold for moose. All three areas changing this year are designated “areas vulnerable to over-hunting” for moose, along with the Tatchun area and Kluane River-Duke River area.
In the previous year, the department spent around $700,000 on moose survey work in the Lower Stewart, White Gold, Sifton-Miners Range, Fish Lake, Wheaton River, Mount Lorne and Teslin River Moose Management Units.
There are an estimated 70,000 moose in the Yukon, according to the government.
– With files from Jackie Hong
Contact Haley Ritchie at haley.ritchie@yukon-news.com