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2021 Alaska Nunivak Island Muskox Drawing Permit for One (1) Hunter

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2021 Alaska Nunivak Island Muskox Drawing Permit for One (1) Hunter
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This item SOLD at 2021 Feb 13 @ 20:24UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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Alaska Department of Game & Fish
Contact: Patrick Jones
PO Box 37
King Salmon, AK 99613
www.hunt.alaska.gov
patrick.jones@alaska.gov
dfg.dwc.permits@alaska.gov
(907) 246-3340
(907) 465-4148
Nunivak Island is located in the Bering Sea about 135 miles west of Bethel. This remote island is home to approximately 200 people and 500-550 muskoxen.
Muskox hunting season is divided into two time periods: a fall hunt that runs from September 1 - 30 and a winter/spring hunt which occurs Feb 1 - March 15. The fall hunt can be wet and windy and transportation is usually by boat or quad runner. The winter/spring hunt can be cold with wind and blowing snow. You should be prepared for inclement weather in either season.
The number of permits available varies from year to year based on the size of the Nunivak Island muskox population. Annually, permits are divided between a fall hunt (DX001), and winter/spring hunt (DX003). Due to the lack of predators on the island we rely on hunter harvest to maintain the population at sustainable levels for the limited habitat available. For this reason, we encourage hunters that do not plan to use their permit to contact the Bethel ADF& G office as soon as possible (call 907-543-1678 or 907-543-2839 from within Alaska or toll free at 1-855-933-2433) so their permits can be reassigned to other hunters.
Hunters lucky enough to be drawn for a permit have a nearly 100% success rate. Almost every year, however, at least one hunter comes away with bad memories instead of the hunt of a lifetime. Hunter mistakes include:
· shooting a cow instead of a bull
· follow-up shots on the wrong animal resulting in having two muskox on the ground from the same group
· shooting through one animal and hitting a second
· improper shot placement on these animals whose shaggy coat obscures their actual body contours
· failure to use all the meat (among the finest meat on this planet)
· failure to get a metal locking tag (NOT the same as a permit) before hunting
· failure to check out with a department representative
If you are an inexperienced muskox hunter, we highly recommend taking the muskox hunter orientation.
Getting there and going afield
Most access is through Mekoryuk, the only village on the island. Transportation to Mekoryuk is by regularly scheduled commercial airlines from Bethel (Hageland Aviation 907-543-3800 or Grant Aviation 907-543-2000).
Below is a list of guides and transporters who have taken hunters out in the past. Hunters are not required to use commercial services and ADF& G makes no comments concerning the quality or competency of the people on the list. It is only provided as a convenience to you to help gather information.
· Abe David 907-545-8333
· Ed Kiokun 907-827-2302
· Ishmael Smith 907-827-2082
· James Whitman 907-360-7605
Cost
If awarded a permit, plan on paying $4,000 – $10,000 for all your expenses. An approximate price breakdown is as follows:
· $3,000 - $6,000 transporter/guide fees
· $500-$3,000 metal locking tag (price varies with residency - see below)
· $100 Posable land use fee to hunt on the island
· Flights to and from Bethel
· Round trip flights from Bethel to Mekoryuk
· Excess baggage fees for transporting animal home
Requirements
You are required to have the following in your possession while hunting:
· Current hunting license
· Hunting permit
· Metal locking tag (fees based on residency)
o $500 residents
o $2,200 nonresident
o $3,000 nonresident alien
· You are required to file a hunt report (online or via US mail) - whether or not you were successful in taking an animal. If you fail to report, you will be ineligible for any drawing, Targeted, Tier II, registration (including Tier I, Nelchina caribou) permits in Alaska the following season.
Recommendations
In addition to your personal hunting equipment, you might also consider bringing the following items:
· Game bags (4-6 total)
· Waxed "fish boxes" (4-6 total) for shipping meat
· Packing tape
· A leak-proof container for shipping the hide and skull