Yukon hunters and anglers will need to purchase a new license (or licenses) if they haven’t already, as hunting and fishing licenses for the 2023-24 season expired on March 31. The 2024-25 fishing and hunting season began on April 1.
Hunters will need to obtain their new licenses quickly if they plan to apply for the permit hunt authorization or special guide licence lotteries.
The permit hunt authorization lottery opens for applications on April 18. The draw grants winners the right to hunt moose, caribou, sheep, goat, deer or elk in some regions of the territory.
The lottery for the special guide license opened on April 1. Winners of that draw will be able to guide a Canadian resident to hunt for certain big game species in the territory.
According to the Yukon government’s website, these draws are done by the Yukon Bureau of Statistics and utilize a “weighted, computerized lottery system that randomly selects applicants.”
With the new hunting season underway, the Yukon government is alerting hunters that the Kluane First Nation has cancelled the auction of the Kluane Wildlife Sanctuary sheep permit again for the 2024-25 season. The First Nation also cancelled the permit lottery last hunting season due to conservation concerns.
A government press release states that “in the spirit of wildlife co-management, the Department of Environment will not be issuing the 2024–25 lottery for this permit as in 2023–24.”
Additionally, anglers should be aware that nine additional lakes now require the use of barbless hooks. These lakes are Fish Lake, Fox Lake, Kusawa Lake, Lake Laberge, Little Salmon Lake, Louise Lake, Mayo Lake, Nares Lake and Pine Lake.
Previously, barbless hooks were recommended for the abovementioned waterbodies. As of April 1, however, the use of barbless hooks is now mandatory and enforceable at the nine lakes.
“The board supports the implementation of mandatory barbless hooks on these nine Yukon lakes. This regulation change promotes sustainable, low-impact angling practices on some of the territory’s most accessible bodies of water,” Michelle Dawson-Beattie, chair of the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, said in a press release.
Also, of note to wildlife harvesters and campers this season, from April 2, vendors selling licenses and permits can utilize the new electronic vendor licensing system. This system will ensure that camping permits, fishing licenses and hunting seals can be uploaded to a purchaser’s Environment e-services account and kept up-to-date online.
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com