Big Game Hunting Season Begins
Season Opens Saturday on
Moose/ Caribou and Mountain Goat
A partial exodus of the Valley's
male population and some of the
female population also is expect
ed to get under way next week
as the season opens on moose,
caribou, and mountain goats.
A few persons will leave Satur
day, September 1, on the first day
of the season, but the 11th annual
Matanuska Valley Fair will keep
most Valley people occupied un
til after Labor Day.
Birds and Game Fishes in Alaska
contains many other regulations
regarding the killing of game, in
eluding the description of several
areas continuosly closed to the
taking of moose, caribou or
mountain goats. These regulations
change from year to year in line
with changes in animal popula
tion noted by the Fish and Wild
life Service. The hunter who fails
to familiarize himself with the
Moose
'-±3
The moose season extends from
September 1 to 20.An amendment
will soon cancel the December
1—10 season. From December
ber 11 to 23 in the Palmer area
west of Knik Arm and the Mata
nuska River, not more than 75
bull moose may be taken by per
mit only. Applications for these
special permits must be made in
writing to the Alaska Game Com
mission, Anchorage, Alaska, prior
to November 1, and the lucky
hunters will be determined at a
public drawing November 15.
However, the limit on moose re
mains at one male per year. Suc
cessful moose hunters during the
two general open seasons will not
be eligibile to participate in the
special permit hunt. Employees of
the Alaska Game Commission and
FWS aren’t eligible for this hunt
either.
Caribou
South of the line formed by the
Alaska Range and the Ahklun
Mountains, the open season on
caribou extends from September
1 to 30 only with a limit of one
animal per year. North of this
line, the initial season extends to
October 15, and the season is open
again from Dec. 1 to 20. Here
again the limit is one caribou per
year.
Mounlain Goat
In the area west of longitude
148 degrees W., the limit on
mountain goats is also one a
season. Open season on mountain
goats last from September 1 to
October 31 in the area west of
longitude 138 degrees W.
Horns of mountain goats taken
must be retained for identity un
til the meat has been cut and
placed in storage at the locality
where it is to be consumed. It is
also unlawful to remove all evi
dences of sex from the carcass of
a moose before it is placed in
similar storage.
The 1951-52 Regulations Relat
ing to Game and Fur Animals,
current regulations runs the risk
of violating them at the cost of
heavy fines and penalties.
Musk-Ox and Reindeer
Herds Increasing On
Nunivak Island
The musk-ox herd on Nunivak
Island appears to be on the in
crease according to a recent count
made by the Fish and Wildlife
Service. This year 76 of the pre
historic beasts were counted, as
compared with last year’s total
of 59.
The musk-ox herd on Nunivak
is the only one in the Territory,
and the island is a wild game re
fuge. The animals—or their de
cendents - were transplanted
from Greenland in 1931. An
attempt was made to domesticate
the animals in 1935, but it failed.
Slightly smaller than the do
mesticated ox, the musk-ox is
covered with long, shaggy hair,
which is supposed to make the
best wool in the world - soft and
naturally sanfordized.
The domestication scheme was
planned to offer additional sub
sistence for the'Native popula
tion, both in meat and wool.
5,000 Reindeer
Also counted on Nunivak Is
land were 5,000 reindeer, repre
senting a 1,000 increase over last
year’s count. Slaughtering of the
reindeer is done on the island
under the auspices of the Alaska
Native Service. A regular slaugh
ter house and cold storage plant
are maintained on the island for
the purpose, and meat is distri
buted to ANS hospitals and
schools throughout the year.
CAB DIRECTOR
FOR ALASKA RESIGNS
The Alaska director for the
Civil Aeronautics Board, Robert
O. Kinsey, has resigned his posi
tion as of September 1 to join an
Anchorage organization.
Five Buffalo Girls
Get Hunting Permits
Names of five and possibly si>
Alaskan women were among the
lucky 25 drawn at Fairbanks las1
Saturday for the special buffalo
hunting permits.
Eleven of the 25 were from the
Anchorage area, but no one from
Palmer or the Matanuska Valley
apparently were among those
chosen. Twelve alternates were
also selected in the drawing Sat
urday in case any of the 25 eligi
ble hunters failed to get their per
mits. The Matanuska Valley was
not represented on this list either
The Fish and Wildlife Service
had reecived 170 applications for
bison hunt permits by August 9,
the day before the deadline for
receiving them.
The animals are to be taken in
the Big Delta area including the
Hayes-Blair Lakes closed area.
The eligible hunters must pay
a $25 fee to get their licenses for
the special buffalo season October
1 to 15.
MILITARY GAME WARDENS
ASSISTING FWS DURING
BIG GAME HUNTING SEASON
Two full time military game
wardens (U. S. Army) have been
assisted during the sheep season
by six army men who received
temporary appointments as mili
tary game warden deputies.
Three men were stationed in the
Knik river area, with the other
three located near Chickaloon.
Their duties consisted of checking
hunters for sheep permits and
measuring length of horn curl
on game taken out.
Following the close of sheep
season, the deputies from Knik
river area will move into the
Wasilla-Willow area during
moose season, September 1-20.
Going from Chickaloon up to Eu
reka, the others will work the
Sheep Hunt Violations
Stem from Not Knowing
Curre.it Game Laws
Fish and Wild Life agent, Hol
ger Larson has been a busy man
the past ten days, attempting a
many-mile patrol in the sheep
hunting areas.
Several rams were reported
killed in the Talkeetna and Chu
giak range. Some with the re
quired three quarter curl, a few
with full curl and one with full
curl and a half. The latter was
taken by Bob Burkholder and
isn’t too far from record, with a
41 inch length and 12% inch
base.
Many hunters are still out along
Hick’s Creek and the Matanuska
river, Larson said and more com
plete reports are expected at the
close of the season, August 31.
All those who had permits are
supposed to make a report by
September 10.
A few technical violations were
reported by Larson. Penalties for
this type violation are determined
by the circumstances, he explain
ed. One such occasion involves a
man long familiar with game
laws who shot a goat. No one was
more surprised than he when a
cold storage plant refused to
handle the meat because it was
out of season.
Previous to the past two years,
goat season was open August 20.
Not familiar with the current
Fish and Wildlife game law book
was given as the cause of the vi
olation. Larson pointed out that
every person who hunts or in
tends to hunt in Alaska should
first familiarize himself with ex
! isting law's, not relying on past
years. Law's and rules are made
and governed each year by exist
ing conditions and may vary from
year to year and from district to
district.
caribou country as well as moose
areas, during the open season. |
Duck Season Opens at Noon Sept. 7
The 1952 migratory game bird
season begins Friday, September
7 at noon in the bulk of the Third
District, including the Anchor
age- Matanuska Valley area. The
season ends October 31.
Shooting hours for ducks,
geese, and brandt will be the
same as last year, from an hour
before sunrise to an hour before
sunset.
Good news for hunters is the
increase of two birds in posses
sion limits for both ducks and
geese this year. The Alaska
daily bag limits for ducks now
stands at four; the possession
limit is eight.
There is also a daily limit in Al
aska of not more than (A) two
Canadian geese or subspecies, or
(B) two whitefronted geese, or (C
two brandt, or (D) one each of
any two of these three kind. The
possession limit on the above is
not more than two each of any
two of these species.
Daily bag limits on snow or
emperor geese, singly or in the
aggregate of both kinds is four
this year, with a possession limit
of not more than eight singly or
in the aggregate.
Bearing Trophies,
The Hunters Return
With o?ily one day left in the
: 1951 open season on mountain
i sheep, many trophies have beenjt
j returned to the Valley as spoils
' of the hunt.
First to return with their sheep
; were John Wood, Veteran's on
I the-farm instructor, and R. E.
Smith of the Co-Op creamery.
Other lucky hunters included
j Earl Brown, Emil Ganschow,
Bob Burkholder, Leonard Kyger.
Jake Jacobson, Roy Brock, Clav
j ton Esslinger Harold Stephan
Rex Kibbe, and Ted Knutsen.
Dunked in the River
One sheep was lost in the Mat
anuska River by the Tost-Kyger
Jacobson party. They had a fine
trip and each man brought a
j sheep down to the water’s edge
j ;n the first lap of the return jour
ney. Only two could cross in the
I rubber boat with the three sheep.
Jacobson was left behind on the
first trip.
The boat never made a second
trip because not far from the east
bank, it capsized in the fast, swol
len river. Tost and Kyger wen
dunked in the drink. Two of the
| sheep were recovered, but the
j party lost one sheep, one pack,
, and a pair of oars. The boat was
! found later, further down the
Matanuska river. Kyger and Tost
returned to town and sent the
10th air rescue back for Jacobson,
marooned on the far side of the
river.
No Host Dinner
A_4-1_
i iiiutuv-i o i i V— v~ i ciui u^u
with his kill too late, though not
with too little. Elmer Rasmuson.
president of Anchorage’s National
Bank of Alaska invited Governor
Dewey to his house for a moun
tain sheep dinner, Friday, Aug
ust 24. On Sunday, August 19
he left Anchorage to get h
sheep. Dewey came to dinne
found no host—and worst
sheep.
When Dewey remarked
this was his first experience in
attending a dinner where the host
didn’t appear, Gov. Ernest Gruen
ing remarked with pride, “It’s an
experience distinctly Alaskan."
Mr. Rassmuson was weathered
in on Friday, and according to re
port, he didn’t have his sheep
either. He was weathered in onT
Saturday and again on Sunday.
Shortly before 5 p. m. Monday
afternoon, Gov. Dewey was fin
ishing a sandwich and chocolate
milk shake at the Palmer Foun
tain. Governor Gruening sud
denly brought before the New
York governor a pale man who
appeared to have had a shave, if
not a haircut.
“Governor Dewey”, he said,
“your host, Elmer Rasmuson. He
finally made it!” He brought
home a sheep, too.
RETURNS TO PALMER
F. A. Blom returned to Palmer
last week following a six w>eek
trip Outside. While in Portland,
Oregon he visited with his bro
ther and sister and the Paul Bu
shongs, former Palmer teachers.
He reported his highway return
trip as very good but very dusty.