newsminer.com

Hunting in Zone 4 of the Unit 20A antlerless moose hunt will close at 11:59 p.m. Friday because hunters are approaching the harvest quota for the area, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Wednesday.

The reported harvest as of Wednesday was 133 moose and the quota is 145, according to area management biologist Don Young.

Though hunters weren’t active during the recent cold snap, Young expected interest to pick up with the warming temperatures.

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls from people and with the warm weather I thought we might go over the quota if I left it open through the weekend,” Young said, explaining the closure.

Zone 4 is made up of the eastern portion of the Wood River Controlled Use Area east of Tatlanika and Sheep creeks in the central Tanana Flats.

The season was scheduled to close on Feb. 28.

The area is one of seven zones in Unit 20A that has been open to antlerless moose hunting since Aug. 25, each of which has a different harvest quota. The total harvest quota for the antlerless hunt is 600 moose.

As of Wednesday, the reported harvest for the hunt stood at 387 with zones 3, 5 and 7 still open through Feb. 28. Zones 1, 2 and 6 were closed earlier in the hunt.

For recorded hunt information call the Unit 20A antlerless moose hunting hotline at 459-7386. Hunters with questions can call 459-7206 or 459-7233 for more information.