The Southeast Alaska Board of Game met in Wrangell in late January, where members considered 74 proposals over four days, most affecting the Southeast region from Ketchikan to Skagway.
The board took two different but related approaches to proposals involving rare or limited wildlife populations, approving a narrowly tailored change for mountain lions, while rejecting an expansion of elk hunting on Zarembo Island.
Regarding the rare cougar sightings in Southeast Alaska, the Wrangell Fish and Game Advisory Committee introduced Proposal Eight, which would open a regulated hunting season for mountain lions.
Since 1989, Southeast Alaska has had five documented mountain lion observations — four of them in Game Management Unit Three, which includes Wrangell and Petersburg. There have also been unconfirmed cougar track sightings, most originating from the Wrangell area. Trail cameras have not captured any lions, indicating probably a small population. Researchers believe the animals likely dispersed from mainland British Columbia, and all confirmed sightings have been male.
After extensive deliberation and several amendments, the board unanimously approved a limited harvest of male mountain lions, with strict requirements that evidence of sex remain naturally attached. The board also acknowledged that trapping methods cannot distinguish sex. That means the Department of Fish and Game would not hold trappers liable if they caught a female. Board members did not place a cap on trapped mountain lions.
Board members emphasized that the decision is intended to collect biological data and not to establish a managed cougar population.
Several members described the move as “uncharted territory,” citing the species’ rarity and the lack of population data in Southeast Alaska.
Division of Wildlife Conservation Director Ryan Scott urged caution.
“We’re in the infancy of this,” he said. “You’re basically making history.”
The hunting season will run from August 1 through June 15, with a bag limit of one animal. Trapping seasons in Units One, Three, Four, and Five will run from November 15 through March 31 — mirroring wolf trapping seasons — with no bag limit.
In contrast, the board voted down Proposal 57, which would have expanded elk hunting on Zarembo Island.
The Wrangell Advisory Committee proposed the change, citing concerns that the elk population may be encroaching on deer habitat.
The proposal called for an unlimited antler-restricted hunt on Zarembo Island, allowing the harvest of one bull elk with at least three points on one side. The proposed season would run from the first Saturday in November through the third Sunday of the month.
Biologists noted that most bulls one-and-a-half years and older already meet that antler requirement, meaning the restriction would provide little protection to the herd.
Currently, the hunt allows for two bull permits for the fall 2026 season.
Elk hunting on Zarembo Island was closed in 2005 after the population declined to unsustainable levels. The area remained closed for 18 years before reopening in 2024 with just one permit issued.
Biologists warned the herd may number as few as 50 animals and that expanding harvest could raise serious sustainability concerns.
Board Chair Jake Fletcher echoed those concerns.
“The hunting structure proposed would likely not be sustainable, leading to a conservation concern,” he said.
Taken together, the votes reflect a cautious approach by the Board of Game, showing a willingness to proceed carefully where information can be gained, while avoiding added pressure on small or vulnerable wildlife populations.
