Hunter in Alaska

A regulation requiring hunters on US Army lands to possess hunter education certification will go into effect in Alaska on January 1, 2000. US Army Alaska Natural Resources Chief Bill Gossweiler says the regulation has been on the books for two years, but Alaska implementation has been delayed because of the impact on hunters.
Gossweiler said Army commanders have been concerned that many Alaskans who use Army lands for hunting do not currently have the required certification and cannot obtain it in a short time. In other parts of the United States, most hunters do have the certification because every other state has some form of mandatory hunter education. The regulation was scheduled for implementation here on January 1, 1999, but delayed because of this concern.
The new regulation will affect hunters on Fort Richardson in the Anchorage bowl, Fort Wainwright in the Fairbanks area, and Fort Greely in the Delta Junction area. In addition to the bases themselves, Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely each manage large areas of nearby military lands south of Fairbanks and west of Delta. Civilian and military hunters extensively use these military reservations. A long-standing military regulation requires all hunters to obtain permits before using military lands in Alaska. This allows military personnel to direct hunters away from areas containing unexploded ordinance or active live-fire training exercises.
The new regulation does not affect Air Force lands.
Meanwhile, Alaska volunteer hunter education instructors are gearing up to provide necessary training in the areas affected by the regulation. Fairbanks ADF&G regional hunter education coordinator Bob Hunter says instructors in Fairbanks and Delta Junction are developing classes this summer and fall to meet the anticipated demand. Class schedule information
can be obtained from hunter information and
training program staff in Fairbanks (Bob Hunter – 907/459-7211) and Anchorage (Rod Perry – 907/267-2373). Alaska hunter education certification is accepted in other states and provinces that have these requirements.
Hunter education requirements are widening in Alaska. Beyond the military requirement, some younger Southcentral Alaska hunters will need to be certified next summer. Beginning August 1, 2000, hunters born after January 1, 1984 must have completed a hunter education course to hunt in Game Management Units 7, 14 and 15 (the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage area and the Mat/Su area east of the Susitna River).