Alaska: Heli hunting on Brownbears

[Foxi]

It's hard to believe, but in Alaska the F+G Department shot 170 brown bears from a helicopter to bring about a spray reduction.
Happened in the last 18 months in Unit 17 (northwest of the Peninsula).
For some time now, 2 brownies per year have even been permitted there.
These hunts should then become cheaper, shouldn't they (note for the good guys: not from a helicopter, of course)?
Biologists estimate that 30 moose/calves are killed each year.
Nobody knows why they are not hunted more intensively.
It reads like a Munchausen story.
No information in the hunting magazines and no howls from the NGOs.
But it seems to be true ;go to the relevant Alaska hunting forums.
An April fools joke in wintertime?
I still don't believe it, maybe an AH member from Alaska can contribute?
Foxi

 

[WAB]

The government has no ability to make the hunt cheaper. This is driven by the outfitters. This is true wilderness and operating costs are very high.

As to the truth about helicopter gunning, I don’t know but must confess that I am skeptical.

 

[Mekaniks]

WAB is correct. The cost of the hunt is driven by the outfitters and remote Alaska is an expensive place to do business no matter how you cut it.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

It's hard to believe, but in Alaska the F+G Department shot 170 brown bears from a helicopter to bring about a spray reduction.
Happened in the last 18 months in Unit 17 (northwest of the Peninsula).
For some time now, 2 brownies per year have even been permitted there.
These hunts should then become cheaper, shouldn't they (note for the good guys: not from a helicopter, of course)?
Biologists estimate that 30 moose/calves are killed each year.
Nobody knows why they are not hunted more intensively.
It reads like a Munchausen story.
No information in the hunting magazines and no howls from the NGOs.
But it seems to be true ;go to the relevant Alaska hunting forums.
An April fools joke in wintertime?
I still don't believe it, maybe an AH member from Alaska can contribute?
Foxi

I live smack-dab in the middle of GMU 17. I don't recall the exact number - it was conducted by the state, not my agency. That number sounds a bit high. But yeah, truth.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Don't shoot the messenger @Foxi...

 

[Foxi]

Thank you Tundra Tiger
Dont kill the messenger (Sophokles)

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I guess I'm in luck: my uniform is brown, not blue.

 

[CBH Australia]

Understandably the outfitter sets the price but if there are only 2 tags issued and an unconfirmed number culled could the tag price be lowered and would the outfitters be able to be a little less picky on size and location to reduce the hunt cost.

 

[375Fox]

Understandably the outfitter sets the price but if there are only 2 tags issued and an unconfirmed number culled could the tag price be lowered and would the outfitters be able to be a little less picky on size and location to reduce the hunt cost.

The tag price is $25 for a resident and $1000 for a non-resident. It’s not a significant part of the hunt cost.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

The tag price is $25 for a resident and $1000 for a non-resident. It’s not a significant part of the hunt cost.

Or used to be: for those of us in Unit 17, we don't need tags. Our hunting license allows us to hunt hares and ptarmigan and... bears. 2 per year. No tag required. That went away several years ago.

But your point is valid.