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Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document
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Title:
Past and current big game and furbearer harvest analysis : 2012 technical
memorandum
SuWa 46
Author(s) – Personal:
Prepared by Alexander K. Prichard, Nathan A. Schwab, and Brian E. Lawhead
Author(s) – Corporate:
ABR, Inc. - Environmental Research & Services
AEA-identified category, if specified:
2012 Environmental Studies
AEA-identified series, if specified:
Series (ARLIS-assigned report number):
Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project document number 46
Existing numbers on document:
Published by:
[Anchorage, Alaska : Alaska Energy Authority, 2013]
Date published:
February 2013
Published for:
Prepared for Alaska Energy Authority
Date or date range of report:
Volume and/or Part numbers:
Final or Draft status, as indicated:
Document type:
Technical memorandum
Pagination:
viii, 51 p.
Related work(s):
Pages added/changed by ARLIS:
Notes:
All reports in the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Document series include an ARLIS-
produced cover page and an ARLIS-assigned number for uniformity and citability. All reports
are posted online at http://www.arlis.org/resources/susitna-watana/
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project
(FERC No. 14241)
Past and Current Big Game and Furbearer
Harvest Analysis
2012 Technical Memorandum
Prepared for
Alaska Energy Authority
Prepared by
Alexander K. Prichard, Nathan A. Schwab, and Brian E. Lawhead
ABR, Inc.—Environmental Research & Services
February 2013
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page iii February 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary ...................................................................................................................................... vii
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................1
2. Study Objectives.................................................................................................................1
3. Study Area ..........................................................................................................................2
4. Methods ...............................................................................................................................2
5. Results .................................................................................................................................4
5.1. Hunting Regulations in GMU 13 .............................................................................4
5.1.1. Moose ...................................................................................................... 5
5.1.2. Caribou .................................................................................................... 5
5.1.3. Black Bear ............................................................................................... 6
5.1.4. Brown Bear ............................................................................................. 6
5.1.5. Dall’s Sheep ............................................................................................ 6
5.1.6. Wolf ......................................................................................................... 7
5.1.7. Wolverine ................................................................................................ 7
5.1.8. Beaver ...................................................................................................... 7
5.1.9. Lynx ........................................................................................................ 8
5.1.10. Marten ..................................................................................................... 8
5.1.11. River Otter ............................................................................................... 8
5.2. Harvest Analyses .....................................................................................................8
5.2.1. Game Management Unit 13E .................................................................. 9
5.2.2. Aggregated Major Units ........................................................................ 10
5.2.3. Aggregated Uniform Coding Units ....................................................... 12
5.2.4. Comparison Among Zones .................................................................... 13
5.3. Species Abundance ................................................................................................14
5.3.1. Moose .................................................................................................... 14
5.3.2. Caribou .................................................................................................. 14
5.3.3. Brown Bear ........................................................................................... 15
5.3.4. Black Bear ............................................................................................. 15
5.3.5. Dall’s Sheep .......................................................................................... 15
5.3.6. Furbearers .............................................................................................. 16
6. Discussion..........................................................................................................................16
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page iv February 2013
7. References .........................................................................................................................17
8. Tables ................................................................................................................................20
9. Figures ...............................................................................................................................49
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Total number of harvest records (including unsuccessful hunts) by species, GMU,
and data source. ..................................................................................................................... 21
Table 2. Total harvests of caribou, moose, black bear, and brown bear in GMU 13E. ............... 22
Table 3. Total harvests of beaver, lynx, river otter, Dall’s sheep, wolf, and wolverine in
GMU 13E, 2003–2011. ......................................................................................................... 22
Table 4. Percentage of total harvests in GMU 13E with known date, by species and month,
2003–2011. ............................................................................................................................ 23
Table 5. Moose hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in GMU
13E, 2003–2011. ................................................................................................................... 24
Table 6. Caribou hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in GMU
13E, 2003–2011. ................................................................................................................... 26
Table 7. Total brown bear harvest by transportation type and year in GMU 13E, 2003–2010. .. 27
Table 8. Dall’s sheep hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
GMU 13E, 2003–2011. ......................................................................................................... 28
Table 9. Total reported harvests in GMU 13E by species, and reported harvests and
percentages within aggregated major units and UCUs, 2003–2011. .................................... 30
Table 10. Total reported harvest by species in aggregated major units, 2003–2011. .................. 31
Table 11. Percentage of total harvests in aggregated major units with known date, by month
and species, 2003–2011. ....................................................................................................... 32
Table 12. Moose hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
aggregated major units, 2003–2011. ..................................................................................... 33
Table 13. Caribou hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
aggregated major units, 2003–2011. ..................................................................................... 35
Table 14. Total brown bear harvest by transportation type and year in aggregated major
units, 2003–2010. .................................................................................................................. 36
Table 15. Dall’s sheep hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
aggregated major units, 2003–2011. ..................................................................................... 37
Table 16. Total harvest by species in aggregated UCUs, 2003–2011. ........................................ 39
Table 17. Percentage of total harvests in aggregated UCUs with known date, by month and
species, 2003–2011. .............................................................................................................. 40
Table 18. Moose hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
aggregated UCUs, 2003–2011. ............................................................................................. 41
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page v February 2013
Table 19. Caribou hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
aggregated UCUs, 2003–2011. ............................................................................................. 43
Table 20. Total brown bear harvest by transportation type and year in aggregated UCUs,
2003–2010. ............................................................................................................................ 45
Table 21. Dall’s sheep hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in
aggregated UCUs, 2003–2011. ............................................................................................ 46
Table 22. Mean annual harvest rate per 1,000 km² for each species in three analytical zones
(GMU 13E, aggregated major units, aggregated UCUs). ..................................................... 47
Table 23. Relative abundance and population trends of furbearers and their prey, based on
trapper questionnaires for GMUs 11 and 13. ........................................................................ 48
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Game Management Units and subunits in and near the Susitna River basin. .............. 50
Figure 2. Analytical zones used for wildlife harvest analysis in 2012. ....................................... 51
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page vi February 2013
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SCIENTIFIC LABELS
Abbreviation Definition
ADF&G Alaska Department of Fish and Game
AEA Alaska Energy Authority
APA Alaska Power Authority
BOG Board of Game
DCH Delta Caribou Herd
FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
GMU Game Management Unit
ILP Integrated Licensing Process
km kilometer
NCH Nelchina Caribou Herd
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
ORV off-road vehicle
Project Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project
RM river mile
RSP Revised Study Plan
UCU Uniform Coding Unit
USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page vii February 2013
SUMMARY
The objective of this study was to acquire and analyze big game and furbearer harvest and
population data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) to characterize past and current trends in hunting and harvest
locations, and hunter access modes. Data from harvest reports were compiled and reviewed for
their adequacy to address Project-specific changes in human access, total harvest, and harvest
locations; identify remaining data gaps; and inform development of 2013–2014 study plans.
The study area includes state Game Management Unit (GMU) Subunit 13E and parts of 13A,
13B, 14B, 16A, and 20A (Figure 1), including the Project area that may be influenced either
directly or indirectly by construction and operations, including the dam and associated facilities,
reservoir inundation zone, and access and transmission corridors. Virtually the entire Project area
is located in GMU 13E.
The proposed Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project (Project) may alter use of the area by
subsistence and sport hunters and trappers and change the spatial and temporal characteristics of
harvests due to potential changes in game numbers and distribution and hunter access. Big game
and furbearer harvest data were examined to explore patterns of hunter effort, harvest levels, and
transportation mode in the Project area prior to development. These analyses will provide insight
into possible impacts of the Project on post-construction use of the area by hunters and identify
potential Project-induced changes that could alter hunter access or harvest patterns.
Harvest data were acquired from ADF&G and subsistence harvest data on federal lands were
obtained from USFWS to examine patterns of hunting effort and harvest in the Project area and
adjacent areas. ADF&G combined data from its harvest database, furbearer sealing database, and
bear sealing database into one file for the years 2003–2011. The federal subsistence data
included data from 1994–2011 for caribou and moose in all of GMU 13. To analyze harvest
statistics, three analytical scales were identified that were consistent with the spatial precision of
the harvest databases, starting with the broadest scale (GMU 13E), then focusing at an
intermediate scale (aggregated major units), and then the most precise harvest location
(aggregated Uniform Coding Units, or UCUs). Although ADF&G was very helpful in providing
the available harvest data, the spatial resolution of the data and its sensitive nature created some
unanticipated analytical constraints. In addition, high-quality harvest data were available only for
2003–2011 and the completeness and accuracy of the data varied among species.
At the broadest scale of analysis (GMU 13E; Figure 2), annual harvests averaged 146 moose,
392 caribou, 88 Dall’s sheep, 58 brown bears, 60 black bears, 37 wolves, 40 beavers, 10
wolverines, and 9 lynx. Most (90%) of the moose harvest occurred in September, with the
majority of harvest (57%) by hunters using off-road vehicles (ORVs), who also had the highest
success rate (31%) among access modes. The overall success rate for moose hunters was 20%.
Most caribou harvest (81%) occurred in August–September, with the majority of harvest (57%)
by hunters using ORVs. The overall success rate for caribou hunters was 73%, with the highest
success rate (90%) for hunters using horses or dog teams. Most brown bear harvest occurred in
August–September, with the most harvests by hunters using ORVs (27%) or airplanes (26%).
Most (78%) of the sheep harvest occurred in August, with the majority of harvests (55%) by
hunters using airplanes, who also had the highest success rate (31%). The overall success rate for
sheep hunters was 14%.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page viii February 2013
The second level of spatial precision was an aggregation of 4 of ADF&G’s “major units” (Figure
2). Some data from GMU 13E could not be used at this scale because harvest locations were not
reported specifically enough, and the analysis did not include federal subsistence data, which is
recorded at the GMU level only. During 2003–2011, harvests in these major units totaled 898
moose, 1,670 caribou, 344 brown bears, 447 black bears, and 135 Dall’s sheep. Most moose
harvest (94%) occurred in September, with most of the harvest (48%) being taken by hunters
using ORVs, who had a success rate of 36%. The overall success rate for moose hunters in the
major unit area was 24%. Most caribou harvest (97%) occurred in August and September, most
of which (57%) was by hunters using ORVs. The overall success rate for caribou hunters in the
major unit area was 73%. Most brown bear harvest occurred in August and September, with the
greatest proportion (40%) by hunters using airplanes. Most sheep harvest (78%) occurred in
August, again with the majority of harvests (89%) by hunters using airplanes, who also had the
highest success rate (37%). The overall success rate for sheep hunters was 21%.
The third and most precise level of spatial analysis was an aggregation of 13 adjacent UCUs
(Figure 2), which again resulted in additional loss of data due to imprecise reporting of harvest
locations and which did not include federal subsistence data. During 2003–2011, 277 moose, 398
caribou, 55 brown bears, 37 black bears, and 13 Dall’s sheep were harvested in these UCUs.
Most moose harvest (97%) occurred in September, with the majority of harvests (65%) from
hunters using ORVs. The overall success rate for moose hunters in the UCU area was 30%, with
the highest success rate for hunters using ORVs (81%). Most caribou harvest (99.5%) occurred
in August and September, with most harvests (45%) by hunters using ORVs. The overall success
rate for caribou hunters was 75% with the highest success rate for hunters using ORVs (79%).
Most brown bear harvest occurred during April–May and August–September, with most harvests
(37%) by hunters using ORVs. Most sheep harvest (62%) occurred in August, with the majority
of harvests by hunters using airplanes (77%), who also had the highest success rate (28%). The
overall success rate for sheep hunters was 9%.
To facilitate comparisons among these differently sized zones (GMU 13E, aggregated major
units, and aggregated UCUs) and levels of spatial precision, the annual averages were divided by
area to calculate an average annual harvest rate per 1,000 square kilometers (km²), which
allowed general comparisons of harvest rates among zones. The UCU zone reflected harvests
nearest to the reservoir zone, whereas the other two zones provided a broader regional
perspective. The harvest rate for all species except wolves was lower in the UCU zone than in
GMU 13E. Much of the lower harvest rates in the UCU zone was likely due to difficult access.
Improved access after Project construction is likely to result in a major change in harvest effort
and success. Big-game hunters use a variety of transportation methods to access the area
including ORVs, boats, airplanes, and highway vehicles, but ORVs are the predominant
transportation method currently used in the area. Changes in access can be managed by
developing regulations regarding public access to Project roads, transmission corridors, and the
reservoir. An increase in boat traffic in the region also is likely as hunters access the reservoir
either along the proposed road corridors or on the Susitna River from the Denali Highway or
Lake Louise area. ORV trails are likely to change in the area if new access sites become
available along the access road. Additional changes in harvest may result if wildlife distribution
changes as a result of direct and indirect habitat loss and disturbance from the Project.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 1 February 2013
1. INTRODUCTION
The Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) is preparing a License Application that will be submitted to
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric
Project (Project) using the Integrated Licensing Process (ILP). The Project is located on the
Susitna River, an approximately 300-mile-long river in Southcentral Alaska. The Project’s dam
site would be located at river mile (RM) 184.
The Susitna River basin (Figure 1) is an important region for subsistence and sport hunting and
trapping because much of it is easily accessible by road from Anchorage and Fairbanks and has
sizable game populations. The proposed Project has the potential to alter use of the Project area
and adjacent areas by subsistence and sport hunters and trappers by affecting the spatial and
temporal characteristics of harvest due to potential changes in wildlife populations and
distribution and in human access. Access to the Project area would be altered through
construction of an access road, power transmission corridors, and a reservoir that could improve
boat and floatplane access.
This technical memorandum presents the 2012 results of the study titled W- S2: Past and
Current Big Game and Furbearer Harvest Study. This is a multi-year study initiated in 2012
that will continue in 2013-2014, as is described in Section 10.20 (Wildlife Harvest Analysis) of
the Revised Study Plan for the Project filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on
December 14, 2012. If sufficient data become available from the recently initiated monitoring of
small game harvests by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), the 2013–2014
study will also include analysis of grouse, ptarmigan, and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus)
(see Section 10.20.1 in AEA 2012b), but no data on those species were available for the 2012
study.
This study provided data to inform the 2013–2014 licensing study program, Exhibit E of the
License Application, and FERC’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis for the
Project license.
2. STUDY OBJECTIVES
The principal objective of this study was to identify, acquire, and analyze big game and furbearer
harvest and population data available from state and federal agencies to examine hunter access
modes, hunting locations, and harvest locations prior to Project development. These analyses
were intended to provide insights into potential impacts of the Project on post-construction use of
the area by hunters and trappers. Other objectives were to assess whether watershed tributary-
scale data are adequate for detecting and predicting potential Project-related changes in total
harvest and harvest locations; assess the need to collect additional data on hunter access or
harvest; identify potential Project-induced changes that might alter hunter access or harvest
patterns; identify any remaining data gaps; and inform development of the 2013–2014 study plan
(see Revised Study Plan [RSP] Section 10.20 [AEA 2012b]).
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 2 February 2013
3. STUDY AREA
ADF&G has divided the state into 26 Game Management Units (GMUs) and subunits for use in
managing wildlife populations, hunting, and trapping, including recording of harvest
information. The area for which harvest data were obtained for this study comprised GMUs 13,
14, and 16, to ensure inclusion of all areas that may be influenced directly or indirectly by
Project construction and operations, including the dam and associated facilities, three potential
access road and power transmission corridors, and the reservoir inundation zone (which are
indicated as the Project area in Figures 1 and 2). Nearly all of the Project area lies within GMU
13E; therefore, this analysis focused on that subunit, although additional data were included for
some adjacent harvest reporting areas. The area of analysis may expand in 2013–2014 to
accommodate the needs of other investigations, such as the subsistence and recreation studies
described in the Revised Study Plan (AEA 2012b). As is described in the Methods section
below, analyses were conducted at different spatial scales in three overlapping zones (Figure 2).
4. METHODS
Harvest data were obtained from ADF&G and subsistence harvest data on federal lands were
obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to examine patterns of hunting effort
and harvest in the Project area. ADF&G combined data from its harvest database, furbearer
sealing database, and bear sealing database into one file for the years 2003–2011. Harvest data
are reported on the basis of the regulatory year, which extends from July 1 through June 30 of
the following calendar year, and harvest data are summarized by the calendar year in which the
regulatory year ends. The ADF&G database included data on effort (days hunted), whether or
not an animal was harvested, the sex of harvested animals, date of harvest, approximate location
of harvest, commercial services used, and transportation method. The transportation method was
the primary means used for access to the hunting area, as reported by the hunter. Some hunters
may have used more than one transportation method. Ten different categories were reported:
airplane; horse/dog team; boat; 3- or 4-wheeler; other off-road vehicles; snowmachines (an
Alaska term for snowmobiles); highway vehicles; foot; airboat; and other or unknown. The
completeness of the data varied widely among years and species.
Harvest data are based on returns of harvest tickets. ADF&G endeavors to obtain a high rate of
return of harvest tickets by linking that reporting to subsequent eligibility to hunt. Hunters on the
failure-to-report list are ineligible to receive drawing, registration, or subsistence hunt (Tier I or
Tier II) permits in the following year. Despite this fact, some harvest tickets are not returned and
some of those that are returned do not contain complete information.
Subsistence harvest data for hunts on federal lands that require federal permits are collected by
the USFWS. The federal subsistence data available for this study included harvest records for the
period 1994–2011 for caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and moose (Alces americanus) in GMU 13.
Records from subsistence harvests on federal lands that do not require specific federal permits
are collected under the state system that ADF&G uses to compile its harvest database. Such data
include federal subsistence harvests of bears and wolves (Canis lupus) in GMU 13. For GMUs
14 and 16A, there were either no open federal seasons or all federal harvest that occurred was
reported in the ADF&G system. The available data included the number of people hunting,
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 3 February 2013
whether or not they were successful, the number of days hunted, and the sex of harvested
animals.
In some areas of the state, harvested animals of certain species—Dall’s sheep, Ovis dalli; black
bear, Ursus americanus; brown bear, Ursus arctos; lynx, Lynx canadensis; wolf,; wolverine,
Gulo gulo; beaver, Castor canadensis; marten, Martes americana; and river otter, Lontra
canadensis—are required to be sealed (certified and tagged by ADF&G) after harvest. Most of
these species are included in the furbearer database, but Dall’s sheep are included in the harvest
database. Both species of bears may be included in both the harvest and sealing databases,
however, so in some years and GMUs there is potential overlap and duplication, with the same
bear occurring twice in the datasets (M. Burch, ADF&G, personal communication). Because the
information needed to remove duplicates was not available for this analysis, all bear data were
left in the dataset, but bear harvests were reported separately for each database, when possible.
In harvest-ticket responses or during the sealing process, ADF&G asks hunters to report the
locations where they hunted, but the precision of the reported locations varies widely. ADF&G
assigns hunting and harvest locations as specifically as possible. The most precise locations are
those assigned to a specific Uniform Coding Unit (UCU), corresponding to individual, small
tributary drainage basins. Groups of nearby UCUs are lumped into major units, the second most
precise location identifier. If harvest location cannot be assigned to a single UCU or major unit,
then it is simply assigned to the correct GMU subunit or overall GMU. To protect confidential
hunter information, the locations and harvest records for specific UCUs are not publicly
available. Hence, our analysis was confined to the larger reporting units or aggregations of
UCUs.
To analyze harvest statistics, analytical zones were defined that were consistent with the spatial
precision allowed by the harvest database and ADF&G policies, resulting in three levels of
spatial resolution. First, harvest data reported from GMU 13E are examined for the entire subunit
(18,695 square kilometers). Although most of the Project area is in GMU 13E (Figure 1), that
subunit includes areas north of the Denali Highway and west of the Parks Highway that may not
experience direct effects from the Project. Some areas adjacent to the reservoir that may be
affected by the Project are not included in GMU 13E. Nevertheless, analyzing data for the entire
subunit uses the greatest amount of harvest data, because both the state and federal data are
summarized at that level of precision.
To examine a finer scale of resolution, data were analyzed at a second level of spatial precision,
the major unit. Major units in the northern Susitna River basin, located mainly south of the
Denali Highway and east of the Parks Highway and encompassing the Project area, were
aggregated for analysis. This zone comprised 14,643 square kilometers and included a small area
north of the Denali Highway (because it was a portion of a major unit closer to the Project area)
and another small area outside of the Susitna River basin (Figure 2). It did not include the
northernmost portion of the Denali access corridor but included some parts of adjacent Subunits
14B and 13A in the Talkeetna Mountains south of Subunit 13E. This zone did not include any
major roads but contained the Alaska Railroad between Talkeetna and Chulitna. Federal
subsistence data were excluded from this analysis because the analytical zone was smaller than
the minimum reporting area (GMU subunit) for those data.
To obtain the finest scale of resolution, the third analytical zone was an aggregation of 13 UCUs
encompassing most of the Project area, with an area of 4,477 square kilometers (Figure 2). This
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 4 February 2013
zone did not include the Alaska Railroad or any major roads and excluded the ends of the
alternative access road and transmission corridors, a small portion of the eastern end of the
reservoir inundation zone, and some areas adjacent to the reservoir zone. Although this third
zone was examined to obtain fine-scale results, some additional harvest data had to be excluded
because they were not recorded at a sufficiently detailed level of spatial precision. Again, federal
subsistence harvest data could not be used at this analytical scale because those data were
summarized only by GMU subunit.
Deviations from Study Plan
The original intent of this study was to examine data from the past several decades, but ADF&G
considered only harvest data reported for the 2003–2011 regulatory years to be of suitable
quality for analysis. In addition, the completeness and accuracy of the data varied by species.
ADF&G provided the harvest data promptly and was very helpful in answering questions, but
the sensitive nature of the data and restrictions on the level of spatial detail that could be reported
placed some constraints on the spatial resolution of the analyses. Concern about the spatial
accuracy of harvest locations constrained the analyses that could be conducted. ADF&G’s
objective is to assign hunting effort and harvest locations to specific UCUs but the location
information provided by hunters is often insufficient to identify the correct UCU. In addition, to
safeguard confidential hunting information provided by hunters, ADF&G does not allow these
UCU-level data to be distributed publicly. Hence, to achieve appropriate levels of spatial
precision while satisfying ADF&G’s requirement for confidentiality, data from smaller units was
combined into the three analytical zones described above, which were approved by ADF&G, and
were not analyzed at finer spatial scales.
No data from GMU Subunit 20A were analyzed for this report. Those data were not included in
the data acquired from ADF&G and that area is unlikely to provide useful information for
determining harvest changes due to the Project. Although some animals from the Delta Caribou
Herd (DCH; which calves in Subunit 20A) occur in GMU Subunit 13E and occasionally move
south of the Denali Highway, changes in harvest in Subunit 20A due to the Project are
considered unlikely and would be difficult to quantify if they did occur; therefore, no data from
Subunit 20A were included in this analysis.
5. RESULTS
5.1. Hunting Regulations in GMU 13
State game regulations vary among GMUs and subunits and additional restrictions may apply to
special areas within subunits. A new set of regulations is printed for each regulatory year (July
1–June 30) and regulations change over time. The hunting regulations for GMU 13 are
summarized below, with particular attention to Subunit 13E. This summary focuses on current
regulations and major changes but does not attempt to identify all regulatory changes that may
have occurred during the period of harvest data collection for each species.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 5 February 2013
5.1.1. Moose
Because of its proximity to major human population centers, GMU 13 has provided an important
area for moose hunting in Alaska for decades. Large annual harvests (1,200 bulls; 200 cows) in
the region in the late 1960s and early 1970s have been attributed to liberal hunting regulations
(Tobey and Schwanke 2010). Seasons were long (both fall and winter) and both sexes could be
harvested. As the regional moose population decreased, however, stricter regulations were
implemented. By 1972, cow moose could no longer be harvested and the hunting season was
restricted to fall only. In 1980, antler restrictions for a legal bull moose were instituted, requiring
an antler spread of 36 inches or three brow tines on at least one antler. Current moose hunting
regulations allow both residents and nonresidents to harvest one bull with spike-fork antlers or a
minimum antler spread of 50 inches, or antlers with four or more brow tines on at least one side,
during September 1–20.
In addition to the general season harvest, subsistence hunts and antlerless moose hunts in GMU
13 are available by permit. Since 1990, residents of GMUs 12, 13, and 20 have been eligible for
a federal subsistence registration hunt (August 1–September 20), with a bag limit of one bull of
any size, on federal lands. Beginning in 1995, 150 Tier II subsistence permits were issued per
year until 2009, when that hunt was cancelled. Only one permit per household was issued for
each hunting season (August 15–31). In 2009, drawing hunts were available for residents to
harvest any bull and for nonresidents to take one bull with a 50-inch spread or four brow tines on
at least one side. The Ahtna community harvest hunt (August 10–September 20) also began in
2009, for 100 bulls with no antler restrictions. Other important changes in the regulations
occurred in 2007, when the Board of Game (BOG) required meat on all quarters and ribs to
remain intact until processing for consumption. That salvage requirement also included the heart
and liver for Tier II moose harvests. The BOG prohibited the use of aircraft or off-road vehicles
weighing over 1,500 pounds for Tier II hunts between 2007 and 2008.
5.1.2. Caribou
Similar to moose hunting, GMU 13 has also been an important area for caribou hunting due to its
proximity to Anchorage and Fairbanks. The population of the Nelchina Caribou Herd (NCH) has
fluctuated dramatically, from lows in the 1940s (5,000–10,000 caribou) to peak levels in the
mid-1960s (approximately 70,000 caribou), so changing the bag limit has been a successful
management tool to maintain consistent population and harvest levels (Tobey and Schwanke
2009a). In 1972, bag limits were reduced from three to a single caribou and the winter hunting
season eliminated (Fall and Simeone 2010).The recent expansion of the DCH range into the
northern portion of GMU 13E has complicated the assignment of harvested animal to a particular
herd, posing a management challenge for ADF&G.
Since 1977, hunting of the NCH has been available only by permit, with frequent changes in
regulations being shaped by the outcomes of court cases. The Tier II subsistence permit hunt,
first established in 1985, was the means by which nearly all NCH animals harvested during
1991–2008 and in 2010 were taken (Fall and Simeone 2010). In 2009, the BOG adopted a
community subsistence hunt and also created a Tier I lottery to allocate a hunting opportunity
every 4 years, as opposed to every year. Both of those hunts reflected a more traditional
definition of subsistence use than did the Tier II system. The BOG eliminated Tier II hunts in
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2009, only to adopt emergency regulations in the following year (2010) that included only Tier I
and Tier II hunts. Other important changes in the regulations occurred in 2007, when the BOG
required that the meat on all quarters and ribs remain intact until processing for consumption.
This salvage requirement also included the head, hide, kidneys, liver, and heart for Tier II
caribou harvests. The BOG also initiated a ban prohibiting the use of aircraft or off-road vehicles
over 1,500 pounds for Tier II hunts between 2007 and 2008. The current 2012–2013 state
regulations for GMU 13 allow residents to harvest one caribou by either registration hunt or
community subsistence permit, or one bull by drawing permit. The hunting seasons for all state
permits are August 10–September 20 and October 21–March 31.
Federal subsistence permit hunts for the NCH were first established in 1990 and are managed
through the Bureau of Land Management. These hunts are onl y available to residents of Units
12, 13, and 20. The bag limit for the federal hunt is two caribou, with hunting season dates
matching the state season (August 10–September 30 and October 21–March 31).
5.1.3. Black Bear
Black bear harvests have been recorded since 1973, when black bear sealing became mandatory
(Tobey 2005). In 1997, the BOG required meat to be salvaged from black bears harvested
between January 1 and May 31 (Tobey 2002). The current (2012) black bear harvest regulations
in GMU 13 allow resident and nonresident hunters with a harvest ticket to harvest three black
bears. There is no closed season for black bears in GMU 13.
5.1.4. Brown Bear
Brown bear harvest in GMU 13 has increased substantially since the 1960s, largely due to
liberalization of hunting regulations that began in 1980, when a spring season was introduced.
Bag limits were also increased during 1983–1988 and again since 1995 to allow each hunter to
harvest one bear every regulatory year. Since 2002, brown bear harvest has been allowed at any
time of year in nearly all areas of GMU 13, with no closed season. The only exception occurs in
Denali State Park (in GMU 13E), where a single bear may be harvested every regulatory year
during August 10–June 15. Previous regulations in Denali State Park allowed one bear every
four regulatory years during the open season. The greatest numbers of brown bears have been
harvested when bag limits were one bear per regulatory year and the resident hunting tag fee was
waived, conditions that have been in effect annually since 1995 (Tobey and Kelleyhouse 2007).
The current (2012) brown bear harvest regulations allow each resident and nonresident hunter in
GMU 13 to harvest one brown bear every regulatory year.
5.1.5. Dall’s Sheep
Sheep harvest records for the Talkeetna Mountains and the Chulitna–Watana Hills (including the
Project area) have been maintained since 1967 (Peltier 2011). Only adult rams are harvested.
Initial regulations for legal rams required 3/4-curl horns or greater between 1967 and 1978. The
legal ram requirement was increased to 7/8-curl horn or greater between 1979 and 1988, and was
increased again in 1989 to full-curl horns or greater. The hunting season in Subunits 13A and
13E during 2007–2009 was August 10–September 20. Current regulations (2012) allow resident
and nonresident hunters to harvest one ram with full-curl horns or larger by harvest ticket in
GMU 13 during August 10–September 20.
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5.1.6. Wolf
Predator control efforts and liberal harvest regulations (no closed season, no bag limit) instituted
by the federal Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (now the USFWS) between 1948 and 1953
decimated the wolf population in GMU 13. After the wolf season was closed in 1959, wolf
population numbers increased dramatically (Schwanke 2009). In 1971, a mandatory sealing
requirement for wolf pelts and a ban on aerial shooting without a permit were instituted (Harbo
and Dean 1983). Increased wolf hunting pressure in the mid-1970s resulted in stable wolf
numbers and also allowed ungulate populations to increase slowly (Schwanke 2009). Land-and-
shoot hunting was a common and legal method for taking wolves under general trapping
regulations, until it was prohibited in 1988. The wolf population subsequently increased to
record high numbers in 1999 and 2000 (Schwanke 2009). The implementation of a wolf control
plan in 2000 (Subunits 13A, 13B, and 13E) and reinstitution of land-and-shoot hunting in 2004
effectively reduced the wolf population and maintained it at the state’s management objective
level since 2006 (Schwanke 2009). In 2005, Subunit 13C was added to the wolf control plan and
in 2006 aerial shooting became legal for same-day-airborne permittees under the land-and-shoot
provision. Current hunting regulations allow resident and nonresident hunters to harvest 10
wolves per day in GMU 13 during August 10–April 30.
Wolves are also harvested under trapping regulations, which also were liberalized to increase
harvest. Before 1994, the trapping season lasted for 141 days (November 10–March 31). The
trapping season length was increased to 171 days between 1994 and 1998. Since 1998, trapping
regulations have allowed for unlimited harvest of wolves during October 15–April 30 (197 days).
5.1.7. Wolverine
Before the advent of mandatory pelt sealing in 1971, records of wolverine harvest were restricted
to bounty records and marginal fur buyer reports (Schwanke 2010). Since that time, hunting and
trapping regulations for wolverine have changed little. The trapping season in GMU 13 between
1985 and 1991 was November 10–February 28, but in 1992 the season was shortened by a month
(November 10–January 31) and has remained the same since then. A bag limit of two wolverines
per season was in place between 1992 and 1996, but was deemed unnecessary by the BOG and
was eliminated. There is currently no bag limit during the trapping season for wolverines, but
only one wolverine may be harvested by each resident or nonresident hunter during the open
hunting season of September 1–January 31 (Schwanke 2010).
5.1.8. Beaver
Before the advent of mandatory pelt sealing in 1971, records of beaver harvest were restricted to
marginal fur buyer reports (Schwanke 2010). Beaver trapping between 1995 and 2000 had no
bag limits, but the trapping season was slightly shorter (October 10–May 15) than is currently
allowed (September 25–May 31). Unlimited bag limits have been in place since 2007. Beaver
cannot be harvested with a state hunting license, but can be harvested under federal subsistence
hunting regulations on federal lands during June 15–September 10. In 2007, for example, 12% of
the beavers harvested in GMU 13 were taken under federal subsistence regulations (Schwanke
2010).
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5.1.9. Lynx
Lynx harvest records officially began in 1977, when the sealing of pelts of this species became
mandatory. The state developed a lynx harvest-tracking strategy, which adjusts trapping season
duration to compensate for variations in the lynx population cycle, to avoid overharvest of lynx
when the population is in cyclic decline. During the recent population low between 2002 and
2004, for example, the season was shortened to December 1–January 15. The lynx trapping
season was lengthened slowly with the cyclic increase in lynx numbers to the current season of
November 10–February 28, where it has remained since 2007. In response to trapper input,
ADF&G intends to keep the same opening date (November 10) regardless of population levels,
but will shorten the season with an earlier end date, when needed. There are no bag limits for
trapper harvests. Lynx also can be harvested under hunting regulations. The current hunting
season (November 10–February 28) and bag limit (two lynx) have been in effect since 2005.
5.1.10. Marten
Until recently, marten harvests in Subunit 13E were managed differentl y than in the remainder of
GMU 13. Between 1997 and 2002, marten had to be sealed and the trapping season ran from
November 10–December 31 in Subunit 13E, whereas the remainder of GMU 13 had a longer
season (November 10–February 28) and no sealing requirement. In 2003, the sealing requirement
was waived in Subunit 13E, so all marten in GMU 13 now are managed under the same
regulations using the same season (November 10–February 28) and bag limit (none).
5.1.11. River Otter
Official records of river otter harvest began in 1977, when sealing of pelts became mandatory.
The current trapping season is November 10–March 31, with no bag limit. No hunting season
exists for this species.
5.2. Harvest Analyses
A total of 152,128 records of hunting and harvest data for 13 species of mammals were received
from ADF&G for 2003–2010 or 2011 in GMUs 13, 14, and 16 (Table 1). Two species—bison,
Bison bison and mountain goat, Oreamnos americanus—do not occur consistently in or near the
Project area and no harvests of those species were recorded in adjacent GMU subunits, so they
were dropped from the analysis.
USFWS provided a data file summarizing moose and caribou harvest effort and success in GMU
13 by subunit for the years 1994–2011, totaling 6,480 caribou harvest records and 898 moose
harvest records from hunts on federal lands (Table 1). Because of the pattern of land ownership
in GMU 13, however, most of the federal subsistence harvests reported for that unit were taken
in Subunit 13B, east of the Project area (T. Evans, USFWS, personal communication).
Many of the caribou, lynx, wolf, and wolverine harvests reported for GMUs 13, 14, and 16 came
from GMU 13, but that unit has a low reported marten harvest (Table 1) because marten are no
longer required to be sealed in GMU 13E. Hence, because the reported harvest of marten was a
very low proportion of the actual harvest, marten were not analyzed further.
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5.2.1. Game Management Unit 13E
Between 2003 and 2011, harvests of 3,528 caribou and 1,314 moose were reported from GMU
13E. Between 2003 and 2010, harvests of 540 black bears and 461 brown bears were reported
from GMU 13E (Table 2). The mean annual harvests over those time periods were 392 caribou,
146 moose, 60 black bears, and 58 brown bears. No linear trend in caribou harvest was detected
among years (linear regression; P = 0.916), but moose harvest increased significantly with year
(linear regression; P = 0.001), by a mean of 8.5 moose/year (95% C.I. = 4.5 to 12.4 moose/year).
Because of changes in reporting requirements for bears, changes in harvest among years were
not analyzed.
Reported harvests totaled 319 beavers, 74 lynx, 56 river otters, 110 Dall’s sheep, 296 wolves,
and 80 wolverines in GMU 13E during 2003–2010 (2003–2011 for sheep), resulting in mean
annual harvests of 39.9 beaver, 9.3 lynx, 7.0 river otters, 22.0 sheep, 37.0 wolves, and 10.0
wolverines (Table 3). Lynx showed the greatest proportional annual fluctuation in annual
reported harvest, ranging from zero in 2005 to 20 in 2009. Annual variability in lynx harvest is
likely due to a combination of different levels of trapping and hunter effort in different years and
fluctuations in animal densities. Lynx, in particular, display large natural population fluctuations
over periods of years, which should be reflected in reported harvest (Mowat et al. 1999),
provided that trapping effort remains generally similar among years.
Strong patterns were found in the percentage of reported harvest by month (Table 4; excluding
federal subsistence harvest, which did not differentiate by month), as would be expected from the
timing of open seasons. A total of 81% of caribou harvest occurred in August–September and
90% of moose harvest occurred in September. Most sheep harvest (78%) occurred in August and
the remaining 22% occurred in September. The highest black bear harvests occurred during
May–June and August–September. Most brown bear harvest occurred during August–
September, with a lower percentage occurring in spring. Most furbearers were harvested during
the winter trapping season.
Eight different types of transportation used for moose hunting in GMU 13E were identified in
the ADF&G harvest database, plus an additional other or unknown category. The majority of
hunters (63.4%) used 3- or 4-wheelers or other off-road vehicles (Table 5) to access hunting
areas. A total of 21.1% used highway vehicles or traveled by foot. Airplanes were used by 7.1%
of hunters and boats or airboats were used by 8.6% of hunters. These patterns were largely
consistent over the time period for which data were available, but most of the increase in harvest
was taken by hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers (Table 5).
Over all years, the majority of moose harvest (72.5%) was also reported by hunters using 3- or 4-
wheelers or other off-road vehicles (Table 5). Highway vehicles were used for 10.9% of moose
harvest and airplanes were used for 7.2%. A total of 8.2% of the moose harvest was taken using
a boat or an airboat (Table 5).
The overall hunter success rate for moose hunters in GMU 13E was 20.4% (Table 5). The
highest success rate was for hunters using off-road vehicles (30.7%) followed by horse or dog
teams (28.0%) and airboats (27.5%). The lowest success rates were for hunters on foot (11.8%)
or using highway vehicles (11.2%). The success rate for hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers was
slightly higher (22.0%) than the overall mean.
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Nine different types of transportation used for caribou hunting in GMU 13E were identified in
the ADF&G harvest database, plus an additional other or unknown category. The majority of
caribou hunters used 3- or 4-wheelers (53.1%) or off-road vehicles (11.3%; Table 6) to access
hunting areas. A total of 21.3% used highway vehicles or traveled by foot. Airplanes were used
by 4.9% of hunters, boats or airboats were used by 2.4% of hunters, and snowmachines were
used by 6.3% of caribou hunters.
Over all years, the majority of caribou harvest (67.9%) was taken by hunters using 3- or 4-
wheelers (56.7%) or other off-road vehicles (Table 6). Access by highway vehicles or foot
accounted for 17.1% of caribou harvest and airplanes were used for 4.7%. A total of 2.3% of
caribou harvest was taken using a boat or airboat and snowmachine access was used for 7.2% of
the harvest (Table 6).
The overall mean hunter success rate for caribou hunters in GMU 13E was 72.5% (Table 6). The
highest success rate was for caribou hunters using a horse or dog team (89.5%), snowmachines
(83.2%), and airboats (82.9%). Success rates were lower for access by highway vehicles
(58.3%), foot (61.3%), boat (62.2%), and other/unknown (47.1%). The mean success rate for
caribou hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers was slightly higher (77.5%) than the overall mean and the
mean success rate for airplane hunters was slightly lower (69.2%) than the overall mean.
The largest proportions of the brown bear harvest in GMU 13E were taken by hunters using 3- or
4-wheelers (27.4%) or airplanes (26.0%) (Table 7). Substantial proportions of the harvest also
were taken using boat or airboat (18.2%), highway vehicles (10.1%), or snowmachines (9.6%)
for access. The methods of transportation used to harvest brown bears in GMU 13E changed
little during 2003–2010 (Table 7).
The majority of Dall’s sheep hunters used 3- or 4-wheelers (53.4%) or off-road vehicles (7.6%)
for access to hunting areas (Table 8). Other important modes of access were airplanes (20.8%) or
highway vehicles (15.1%). The majority of the sheep harvest, however, was taken by hunters
using airplanes (55.1%), whereas hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers harvested only 32.7% of sheep.
Overall, the success rate for sheep hunters was only 13.8%, with hunters using airplanes having a
higher success rate (36.6%) and hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers a lower success rate (8.5%)
(Table 8).
5.2.2. Aggregated Major Units
The second level of analysis was the aggregation of ADF&G major units, which resulted in some
loss of data when moving from GMU subunits to major units. For GMU 13E, 96.1% of overall
harvest was attributed to a major unit (Table 9). There were large differences in the percentage of
harvest data attributed to a major unit by species. All river otters and wolves were assigned to a
major unit, but only 93.7% of beavers, 94.8% of black bear, 95.4% of caribou, and 95.5% of
Dall’s sheep could be assigned to a major unit (Table 9).
Between 2003 and 2011, a total of 1,670 caribou, 898 moose, 447 black bears, 344 brown bears,
and 135 Dall’s sheep were harvested from the four ADF&G major units (or portions of major
units; Figure 2) according to the ADF&G data (Table 10). Additional harvest may have occurred
that was not identified to major unit, however (Table 9).
Again, strong patterns were evident in the reported harvest by month (Table 11), corresponding
largely with seasonal harvest restrictions. The highest black bear harvests occurred in May–June
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and August–September. Most brown bear harvest occurred during August–September, with a
lower percentage occurring in spring and summer. A total of 96.9% of caribou harvest occurred
in August–September and 94.2% of moose harvest occurred in September. Most sheep harvest
(77.8%) occurred in August and the remaining 22.2% occurred in September. Most furbearers
were harvested during winter (Table 11). These temporal patterns were very similar to those
found for the GMU 13E area (Table 4).
Nine different types of transportation used for moose hunting in the aggregated major units were
identified in the ADF&G harvest database, plus an additional other or unknown category. The
majority of hunters (68.5%) used 3- or 4-wheelers or other off-road vehicles (Table 12) for
access to hunting areas. Airplanes were used by 15.2% of hunters and boats or airboats were
used by 7.9% of hunters. A total of 7.1% used highway vehicles or traveled by foot. These
patterns were largely consistent over the time period for which data are available, but most of the
increase in moose harvest over time was a result of increasing harvest by hunters with 3- and 4-
wheelers and other off-road vehicles (Table 12).
Over all years, the majority of moose harvest (76%) was also taken by hunters with 3- or 4-
wheelers or other off-road vehicles (Table 12). Highway vehicles were used for 4.6% of the
moose harvest and airplanes were used for 13.0%. A total of 4.9% of moose harvest occurred
using a boat or an airboat (Table 12).
The overall hunter success rate for moose hunters in the aggregated major units was 23.6%
(Table 12). The highest success rate was for hunters using off-road vehicles (35.8%) followed by
horse or dog teams (25.0%), 3- or 4-wheelers (22.6%), and airboats (22.2%). The lowest success
rate was for highway vehicles (15.8%), boat (14.4%), and foot (0%; Table 12).
Nine different types of transportation used for caribou hunting in the aggregated major units
were identified in the ADF&G harvest database, plus an additional other or unknown category.
The majority of caribou hunters used 3- or 4-wheelers (54.2%) or other off-road vehicles (14.9%;
Table 13) to access hunting areas. A total of 6.1% used highway vehicles or traveled by foot.
Airplanes were used by 20.5% of hunters, boats or airboats were used by 2.6% of hunters, and
snowmachines were used by 0.8% of caribou hunters.
Over all years, the majority of caribou harvest also occurred by hunters with 3- or 4-wheelers
(57.3%) and an additional 14.3% occurred with off-road vehicles (Table 13). Highway vehicles
or foot were used for 4.6% of caribou harvest and airplanes were used for 19.8%. A total of 2.2%
of caribou harvest occurred using a boat or an airboat and 0.8% occurred using snowmachines
(Table 13). The overall mean hunter success rate for caribou hunters in the aggregated major
units was 72.5% (Table 13). The highest success rate was for caribou hunters using
other/unknown types (81.3%), 3- or 4-wheelers (76.7%) and snowmachines (72.2%), and
airplanes (70.0%). The lowest success rate was for airboats (44.4%), highway vehicles (54.9%),
and boats (64.0%). The mean success rate for caribou hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers was slightly
higher (76.7%) than the overall mean and the mean success rate for airplane hunters was slightly
lower than the overall mean (70.0%; Table 13).
Most brown bears harvested in the aggregated major units were taken by hunters using airplanes
(40.2%), but 21.6% used boats, 17.5% used 3- or 4-wheelers, and 8.5% used snowmachines
(Table 14). Nearly all sheep hunters used airplanes (50.6%) or 3- or 4-wheelers or other off-road
vehicles (44.4%) (Table 15). The transportation used by successful sheep hunters was much
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different than the effort, however, in that 88.7% of the total harvest was taken by hunters using
airplanes. This pattern was reflected in the success rates: the overall success rate was 20.8%, but
airplane hunters had a 36.4% success rate, hunters using horse/dog teams had a 30.0% success
rate, and hunters using all other transportation types had success rates under 10% (Table 15).
Some of the large discrepancy in success rates may have resulted from airplane hunters
specifically targeting sheep, whereas other hunters may have been targeting other species but
decided to get a sheep harvest ticket.
5.2.3. Aggregated Uniform Coding Units
The third level of analysis was the aggregation of 13 adjacent UCUs (Figure 2), which again
resulted in some loss of data from those analyzed for the aggregated major units. For GMU 13E,
96.1% of the overall harvest was attributed to a major unit, whereas 90.0% was attributed to
specific UCUs (Table 9). In some cases, harvest was not attributed to a single UCU but was
attributed only to one of several different UCUs. Where all of those UCUs were located within
the analytical zone, then that harvest was included in the dataset for the UCU zone.
Between 2003 and 2011, 398 caribou, 277 moose, 37 black bears, 55 brown bears, and 13 Dall’s
sheep were harvested from the aggregated UCU zone (Table 16), although some additional
harvest occurred that could not be attributed correctly to specific UCUs (Table 9). Large
differences among species were noted in the percentage of harvest data attributed to a UCU.
Over 90% of the harvests of brown bear, caribou, lynx, moose, and wolf were assigned to a
specific UCU, in contrast to only 56.1% of those of beavers, 69.6% of river otters, and 80.4% of
black bears (Table 9).
Strong patterns were evident in the proportions of reported harvest among months (Table 17).
The highest proportion of black bear harvest occurred during August–September (86.4%) and an
additional 13.5% occurred during May–June. Most brown bear harvest was taken during April–
May and August–September, with some additional harvest in June and October. A total of 99.5%
of caribou harvest occurred in August–September and 96.7% of moose harvest occurred in
September. Most sheep harvest (61.5%) occurred in August and the remaining 38.5% occurred in
September. Most furbearers were harvested during winter (Table 17). These temporal patterns
were very similar to those found for GMU 13E (Table 4) and the aggregated major units (Table
11).
Seven different types of transportation used for moose hunting in the UCU zone were identified
in the ADF&G harvest database, plus an additional category for other or unknown. The majority
of hunters (72.5%) used 3- or 4-wheelers or other off-road vehicles for primary access to hunting
areas (Table 18). Airplanes were used by 19.2% of hunters, boats or airboats were used by 6.0%,
and highway vehicles were used by 1.9%. These patterns were largely consistent over the time
period for which data are available, although the total numbers fluctuated substantially among
years (Table 18).
Over all years, the bulk of the moose harvest (85.8%) was taken by hunters using 3- or 4-
wheelers or other off-road vehicles (Table 18). Other proportions included 10.2% by hunters
using airplanes, 2.2% by hunters using boats or airboats, and 1.5% by hunters using highway
vehicles (Table 18).
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The overall success rate for moose hunters in the UCU zone was 29.5% (Table 18). Airboats and
horse/dog team each were used by a single hunter, both of whom harvested a moose. Of the
remaining categories, the highest success rates were for hunters using off-road vehicles (37.9%),
3- or 4-wheelers (34.0%), and highway vehicles (22.2%). The lowest success rates were for
hunters using airplanes (15.6%) or boats (9.1%) (Table 18).
Seven different types of transportation used for caribou hunting in the UCU zone were identified
in the ADF&G harvest database, plus an additional other or unknown category. The largest
proportion of caribou hunters (57.4%) used 3- or 4-wheelers or other off-road vehicles for access
to hunting areas (Table 19). Airplanes were used by 33.7% of hunters, boats or airboats were
used by 6.5% of hunters, highway vehicles by 1.7% of hunters, and snowmachines were used by
0.2% (Table 19).
Over all years, the largest proportion of caribou harvest occurred by hunters with 3- or 4-
wheelers (44.5%) and an additional 13.7% occurred with off-road vehicles (Table 19). Airplanes
were used for an additional 33.8% of harvested caribou. Just 6.4% of caribou harvest occurred
with boats or airboats, 1.0% occurred with highway vehicles, and 0.3% with snowmachines. The
overall average hunter success rate for caribou hunters in the UCU zone was 75.1% (Table 19).
The highest success rate was for snowmachines and airboats, but these transportation methods
only had a single hunter using each type. Caribou hunters using off-road vehicles (79.4%),
airplanes (75.6%), or 3- or 4-wheelers (75.4%) had success rates slightly higher than the overall
average and hunters using boats (72.7%) and highway vehicles (44.4%) had lower success rates
than the overall average (Table 19).
Most of the brown bear harvest in the UCU zone was taken by hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers
(37.0%) or airplanes (29.6%), with lesser proportions being taken by hunters using
snowmachines (16.7%), boats or airboats (13.0%), or other off-road vehicles (1.9%) (Table 20).
Almost all Dall’s sheep hunters used 3- or 4-wheelers or other off-road vehicles (72.2%) or
airplanes (25.0%) (Table 21). The transportation modes used for successful harvest of Dall’s
sheep were much different than the effort; 76.9% of the harvest was taken by hunters using
airplanes for access and the other 23.1% was taken by hunters using 3- or 4-wheelers. This
pattern was reflected in success rates also; although the overall success rate was just 9.0%,
hunters using airplanes had a 27.8% success rate, those using 3- or 4- wheelers had a success rate
of 3.5%, and no sheep were harvested by hunters using other forms of transportation (Table 21).
Some of the large discrepancies in success rates may have been the result of hunters using
airplanes to target sheep, whereas other hunters may have been targeting other species while still
carrying a sheep harvest ticket.
5.2.4. Comparison Among Zones
The mean annual reported harvest of each species was calculated for each of the three analytical
zones: GMU 13E, aggregated major units, and aggregated UCUs. To facilitate comparisons
among these differently sized zones, the mean harvests were divided by the area of the zones to
calculate a mean annual harvest rate per 1,000 square kilometers. Because not all of the harvests
could be assigned to a specific major unit or UCU, we adjusted the harvest rates by dividing
them by the species-specific proportion of the GMU 13E harvest that was assigned to major units
or UCUs (Table 9). These adjusted harvest rates allow general comparisons of harvest rates to be
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made among the three analytical zones (Table 22). The aggregated UCUs zone reflects harvests
nearest to the dam, associated infrastructure, and reservoir inundation zone, whereas the other
two areas provide a larger, regional perspective.
The mean annual harvest rate for all species except wolves was lower in the UCU zone than in
GMU 13E (Table 22). The harvest rate for wolves was 2.96 wolves/1,000 square kilometers in
the UCU zone and just under 2 wolves/1,000 square kilometers in the two larger zones. The
harvest rate of caribou was 20.78 caribou/1,000 square kilometers in GMU 13E, 13.28
caribou/1,000 square kilometers in the major unit zone, and 10.51 caribou/1,000 square
kilometers in the UCU zone. The harvest rate for moose was more uniform among areas,
however, averaging 7.62 moose/1,000 square kilometers in GMU 13E, 7.01 moose/1,000 square
kilometers in the major units zone, and 7.53 moose/1,000 square kilometers in the UCU zone.
The harvest of Dall’s sheep was 0.65 sheep/1,000 square kilometers in GMU 13E, 1.07
sheep/1,000 square kilometers in the major units zone, and 0.37 sheep/1,000 square kilometers in
the UCU zone (Table 22). The lower harvest rates in the UCU zone are most likely due to the
fact that access into the Project area currently is relatively difficult.
5.3. Species Abundance
Species abundance is an important factor affecting hunting effort and harvest levels for each
targeted species. Unfortunately, adequate data on species abundance are often lacking at the
spatial and temporal resolution necessary to identify density and trends in the Project area. Some
general patterns have been identified based on the available population data, however.
5.3.1. Moose
Moose densities in GMU 13 were low in the early 1900s, increased in the 1940s, and peaked in
the mid-1960s (Tobey and Schwanke 2010). Numbers then declined over the next 10 years,
reaching a low in 1975 due to severe winters, increased predation, and large human harvests of
both bulls and cows. The population increased during 1978–1987, then declined 47% in the early
1990s and reached a low in 2001. After wolf control resumed in GMU 13 in 2003, moose
numbers started to rebound (Tobey and Schwanke 2010). Observed density in moose trend-count
areas in GMU 13 increased steadily from 0.39 moose/square kilometers in 2001 to 0.66
moose/square kilometers in 2009. GMU 13E had intermediate densities relative to the other four
GMU subunits in GMU 13 (Tobey and Schwanke 2010).
5.3.2. Caribou
The NCH was estimated at 18,713 in 1980 (Pitcher 1982) and 27,528 by 1985 (Pitcher 1987). It
grew steadily to approximately 50,000 animals by 1995, then declined and remained fairly stable
in the range of 30,000–35,000 caribou from the mid-1990s to 2007, when the population was
estimated at 33,744 (Tobey and Schwanke 2009a). In June 2012, the herd size was estimated at
approximately 46,500 animals (ADF&G press release, 31 July 2012), which resulted in ADF&G
issuing an additional 2,425 drawing permits for the herd that year.
The DCH traditionally ranged north of the Alaska Range in GMU 20A. In recent years animals
from that herd have been found in the Cantwell area, along the western portion of the Denali
Highway, and in the upper Susitna River basin (Seaton 2009). The DCH was estimated at 1,500–
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2,500 caribou in 1975, but subsequently grew to nearly 11,000 by 1989. Herd size dropped again
to about 3,000 animals by the late 1990s, however, and has remained low. The most recent herd
estimate was approximately 3,000 animals in 2007 (Seaton 2009).
5.3.3. Brown Bear
Estimates of brown bear density in various parts of GMU 13 since 1979 have ranged from 16 to
41 bears/1,000 km² (386 mi²) (Tobey and Kelleyhouse 2007). Comparisons among years are
complicated by the fact, however, that different survey methods were used at various times.
Subunits 13A and 13E appear to have some of the highest brown bear densities in interior and
northern Alaska (Tobey and Kelleyhouse 2007). Density was estimated in 1985 (27.1
bears/1,000 km²) and 1995 (40.8 bears/1,000 km²), suggesting that the population was increasing
during that period (Tobey and Schwanke 2009b). In 2000, 2001, and 2003, line-transect surveys
were completed in portions of Subunit 13E, producing a density estimate of 32.2 bears/1,000 km²
(Tobey and Schwanke 2009b).
GMU 13 has been designated by ADF&G for intensive management, so reducing the bear
population is a management priority to boost survival rates of moose and caribou for human
consumption. Population reduction was sought mainly through liberalized bear hunting
regulations, involving longer seasons and higher bag limits (one bear per hunter per year instead
of one bear every four years previously). Preliminary results of a recent population estimate
conducted in western Subunit 13A suggest that the brown bear population in that area is similar
to the level observed in 1998 (Tobey and Schwanke 2009b).
5.3.4. Black Bear
Very few data exist regarding black bear abundance in GMU 13 and trends in black bear
abundance have not been documented (Robbins 2011). The only density estimate available (89.7
bears/1,000 km²) came from the bear study conducted for the original Alaska Power Authority
(APA) Project in 1985 (Miller 1987). That density estimate should be interpreted cautiously,
however, due to the difficulty of observing black bears in the dense vegetation they favor. Miller
(1987) considered the black bear habitat in his study area to be marginal and not representative
of more forested, higher quality habitats in other areas of GMU 13. Based on field observations
and harvest data, Robbins (2011) concluded that black bears were more abundant in large
portions of Subunits 13D and 13E than in Subunit 13C.
5.3.5. Dall’s Sheep
ADF&G conducts periodic aerial surveys for Dall’s sheep in Subunits 13A, 13E, 14A, and 14B
(Talkeetna Mountains and Chulitna–Watana Hills). The first large-scale survey of sheep in the
area was conducted in 1974 and produced an estimate of 2,500 to 3,000 individuals, assuming
that 80% of the population was counted (Peltier 2011). More recent surveys in the Watana Hills,
conducted in 1999 and 2003, provided counts of 97 sheep (18% lambs) and 50 sheep (14%
lambs), respectively (Peltier 2008). The total sheep counts across the entire reporting area have
varied somewhat through time: approximately 2,500 in the late 1980s, 2,000–2,500 in 1994, and
2,500–3,000 in 1999. Those years of fairly stable counts were followed by a severe winter
(1999–2000) and the sheep population declined to approximately 1,750 animals (Peltier 2008).
Subsequent surveys conducted between 2000 and 2003 suggested the population was beginning
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FERC Project No. 14241 Page 16 February 2013
to recover, but the most recent estimate indicated that the population size remains low
(approximately 1,500 individuals; Peltier 2011).
5.3.6. Furbearers
Beavers are considered to be relatively abundant in GMU 13, judging from incidental
observations of beaver lodges and caches (Schwanke 2010). Lynx numbers peaked in 2000 and
were low in 2002–2003 but rose substantially in subsequent years (Schwanke 2010). Wolverines
were thought to be scarce in GMUs 13 and 11 from 1996 to 2003, but the density is now thought
to be increasing in those units, at least at moderate and high elevations (Schwanke 2010). Marten
numbers in GMUs 13 and 11 are thought to have increased in the 1980s and 1990s, peaking in
about 1998, and to have been variable since then. Marten tracks were common during 2006–
2007 (Schwanke 2010).
ADF&G also conducts surveys of trappers across Alaska by circulating questionnaires. Each
trapper is asked to rank the abundance of different furbearers and prey species in their individual
trapping area and to assess trends in abundance. For the years 2003–2009, these assessments
were summarized for all of GMUs 13 and 11 combined (Peltier 2005; Blejwas 2006, 2007, 2010;
Schumacher 2010a, 2010b) (Table 23). The results indicate trappers’ impressions of the relative
abundance of most furbearers and their major prey species over a broad geographic area. The
trapper questionnaires indicate that, in most years, most species were considered to be common
or abundant (Table 23). Snowshoe hares were thought to be common during 2003–2006 and
abundant after that. That pattern was reflected in the abundance of lynx, which were scarce from
2003 to 2005 and became common after that. This impression is consistent with the increased
lynx harvest in GMU 13E from 2007 to 2009 (Table 3). In general, lynx harvest is relatively low
in GMU 13E and is mainly limited to the eastern portion of the subunit where suitable habitat is
more easily accessible (Schwanke 2010). River otters were considered to be common during
2003–2007 and generally scarce after that. Wolves were common during 2003–2007, abundant
in 2007–2008, but then became scarcer in 2008–2009. Beavers were common in all years except
2007–2008, when they were considered abundant. Marten were considered to be common in all
years (Table 23).
6. DISCUSSION
The region encompassing the Project area is important for sport and subsistence hunting and
trapping, but much of the Project area itself is currently remote, with difficult access. The
greatest use for hunting occurs in August and September, with most trapping occurring in the
winter months. The mean annual harvests for all of GMU 13E since 2003 were 392 caribou, 146
moose , 68 black bears, 58 brown bears, and 22 Dall’s sheep, with lesser numbers of beaver,
lynx, river otter, wolf, and wolverine being taken. Within the smaller zone of aggregated UCUs
that was analyzed for this study, harvests generally were much lower than in the larger regional
areas. The annual harvests in the UCU zone since 2003 averaged just 44 caribou, 31 moose, 7
brown bears, 5 black bears, and 13 wolves, with only occasional harvest of beaver, lynx, river
otter, wolverine, and Dall’s sheep (Table 16). After adjusting for differences among the
analytical areas and reporting rates, however, the mean harvest rates of moose were quite similar
among the UCU zone, the major units zone, and GMU 13E (Table 22). The lower harvests of
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most species in the UCU zone reflect the difficulty of access into that area away from major
roads.
Big game hunters currently use a variety of transportation methods for access, including 3- or 4-
wheelers, other off-road vehicles, boats, airboats, airplanes, and highway vehicles, but 3- or 4-
wheelers and other off-road vehicles were the predominant transportation method used in the
zones analyzed. Despite the large size and navigability of the upper Susitna River and other
rivers nearby, few hunters currently use boats in the area, presumably due to the fact that travel
downstream from the upper river is restricted by Vee Canyon and Devils Canyon.
Given the relative remoteness of most of the Project area and the currently low harvest rates for
most species, increased access due to Project construction is likely to result in substantial
changes in hunting effort and harvest. Such changes will depend on the nature of regulations and
policies regarding public access to the proposed new roads, reservoir, and transmission corridors.
Hunting regulations may need to be reviewed by ADF&G and adapted to accommodate
increased access and harvest. Boat traffic may increase due to hunters accessing the reservoir
from the proposed access road or along the Susitna River from the Denali Highway or via the
interconnected lake system from Lake Louise through Susitna and Tyone lakes. New road access
is likely to lead to the development of additional 4-wheeler trails. New access by 4-wheelers,
other off-road vehicles, and boats may render some destinations, which currently are accessible
only by aircraft, less desirable to some hunters.
Additional changes in harvest may result from changes in wildlife distribution as a result of
direct or indirect effects of the Project on habitats or from disturbance associated with the
Project. Such changes and any associated effects on hunting or trapping are difficult to predict
with the information currently available, but the wildlife studies being initiated for the Project in
the 2013–2014 study plans are intended to provide more background information to help assess
such changes.
7. REFERENCES
AEA (Alaska Energy Authority).2012a.2012 Study Plan, W- S2: Past and Current Big Game
and Furbearer Harvest Study.
AEA. 2012b. Wildlife Harvest Analysis. Revised Study Plan: Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric
Project FERC Project No. 14241, Section 10.20. December 2012. Prepared for the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the Alaska Energy Authority, Anchorage,
Alaska. http://www.susitna-watanahydro.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/06-RSP-
Dec2012_6of8-Sec-10.14-10.20-Wildlife2ndPart-v2.pdf.
Blejwas, K. 2006. Trapper questionnaire. Statewide annual report, 1 July 2004–30 June 2005.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
Blejwas, K. 2007. Trapper questionnaire. Statewide annual report, 1 July 2005–30 June 2006.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
Blejwas, K. 2010. Trapper questionnaire. Statewide annual report, 1 July 2006–30 June 2007.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
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FERC Project No. 14241 Page 18 February 2013
Fall, J. A. and W. E. Simeone. 2010. Overview of Nelchina caribou herd regulation and harvest
history. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence, Special
Publication No. BOG 2010-05, Anchorage.
Harbo, S. J., Jr., and F. C. Dean. 1983. Historical and current perspectives on wolf management
in Alaska. Pages 52–64 in L.N. Carbyn, editor. Wolves in Canada and Alaska: their
status, biology, and management. Proceedings of the Wolf Symposium, Edmonton,
Alberta. Canadian Wildlife Service Report. Series 45.
Miller, S. D. 1987. Susitna Hydroelectric Project final report, big game studies: Vol. VI—Black
bear and brown bear. Report by Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, for
Alaska Power Authority, Anchorage. 276 pp. [APA Document No. 3497]
Mowat, G., K. G. Poole and M. O'Donoghue. 1999. Ecology of lynx in northern Canada and
Alaska. Pages 265–306 Chapter 9 in L. F. Ruggiero, K. B. Aubry, S. W. Buskirk, G. M.
Koehler, C. J. Krebs, K. S. McKelvey, and J. R. Squires, editors. Ecology and
conservation of lynx in the United States. University Press of Colorado and the USDA
Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Peltier, T. 2005. Trapper questionnaire. Statewide annual report, 1 July 2003–30 June 2004.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
Peltier, T.C. 2008. Units 13A, 13E, 14A (north) and 14B Dall sheep management report. Pages
90–97 in P. Harper, editor. Dall sheep management report of survey-inventory activities,
1 July 2004–30 June 2007. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 6.0. Juneau,
Alaska.
Peltier, T. C. 2011. Units 13A, 13E, 14A (North) and 14B Dall sheep management report. Pages
72–79 in P. Harper, editor. Dall sheep management report of survey-inventory activities,
1 July 2007–30 June 2010. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 6.0. Juneau,
Alaska.
Pitcher, K. W. 1982. Susitna Hydroelectric Project, Phase I final report, big game studies, Vol.
IV—Caribou. Report by Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, for Alaska
Power Authority, Anchorage. 101 pp.
Pitcher, K. W. 1987. Susitna Hydroelectric Project, final report, big game studies, Vol. IV—
Caribou. Report by Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, for Alaska Power
Authority, Anchorage. 59 pp.
Robbins, F.W. 2011. Unit 13 black bear management report. Pages 167–173 in P. Harper, editor.
Black bear management report of survey and inventory activities 1 July 2007–30 June
2010. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 17.0. Juneau, Alaska.
Schumacher, T. 2010a. Trapper questionnaire. Statewide annual report, 1 July 2007–30 June
2008. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
Schumacher, T. 2010b. Trapper questionnaire. Statewide annual report, 1 July 2008–30 June
2009. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
Schwanke, R. A. 2009. Unit 13 wolf management report. Pages 93–103 in P. Harper, editor.
Wolf management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July 2005–30 June 2008.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 14.0. Juneau, Alaska.
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Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 19 February 2013
Schwanke, R. A. 2010. Units 11 and 13 furbearer management report. Pages 130–154 in P.
Harper, editor. Furbearer management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July
2006–30 June 2009. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 7.0. Juneau, Alaska.
Seaton, C. T. 2009. Unit 20A caribou management report. Pages 122–135 in P. Harper, editor.
Caribou management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July 2006 –30 June
2008. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau.
Tobey, B. 2002. Unit 13 black bear management report. Pages 172–179 in C. Healy, editor.
Black bear management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July 1998–30 June
2001. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 17.0. Juneau, Alaska.
Tobey, R. W. 2005. Unit 13 black bear management report. Pages 175–182 in C. Brown, editor.
Black bear management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July 2001–30 June
2004. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 17.0. Juneau, Alaska.
Tobey, R. W., and R. A. Kelleyhouse. 2007. Unit 13 brown bear. Pages 143–154 in P. Harper,
editor. Brown bear management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July 2004–30
June 2006. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Juneau, Alaska.
Tobey, R., and R. Schwanke. 2009a. Units 13 and 14B caribou management report. Pages 83–98
in P. Harper, editor. Caribou management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July
2006–30 June 2008. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau.
Tobey, R., and R. Schwanke. 2009b. Unit 13 brown bear management report. Pages 147–158 in
P. Harper, editor. Brown bear management report of survey and inventory activities, 1
July 2006–30 June 2008. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau, Alaska.
Tobey, R. W. and R. A. Schwanke. 2010. Unit 13 moose management report. Pages 150–164 in
P. Harper, editor. Moose management report of survey and inventory activities, 1 July
2007–30 June 2009. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Project 1.0. Juneau, Alaska.
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8. TABLES
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
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Table 1. Total number of harvest records (including unsuccessful hunts) by species, GMU, and data source.
Game Management Unit
Source Species 13 14 16 Total
ADF&G1 Beaver 1,609 1,240 1,715 4,564
Bison 8 0 0 8
Black Bear 1,456 1,732 3,453 6,641
Brown Bear 1,115 218 964 2,297
Caribou 12,692 175 44 12,911
Lynx 4,815 54 19 4,888
Marten 130 1,753 7,062 8,945
Moose 6,099 6,922 2,774 15,795
Mountain Goat 76 324 0 400
River Otter 309 238 331 878
Dall’s Sheep 784 715 66 1,565
Wolf 1,070 159 406 1,635
Wolverine 343 90 273 706
USFWS2 Caribou 6,480 – – 6,480
Moose 898 – – 898
Notes:
1 ADF&G harvest database, 2003–2011.
2 USFWS Office of Subsistence Management, 1994–2011.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
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Table 2. Total harvests of caribou, moose, black bear, and brown bear in GMU 13E.
Caribou and moose records are from 2003–2011 and black bear and brown bear records are from 2003–2010; some overlap may
occur for 2009–2010 between the harvest database and the bear sealing database.
Caribou Moose Black Bear Brown Bear
Regulatory
Year
ADF&G
Harvest1 USFWS2
ADF&G
Harvest1 USFWS2
ADF&G
Harvest1
ADF&G
Sealing3
ADF&G
Harvest1
ADF&G
Sealing3
2003 256 5 110 6 – 43 – 51
2004 294 5 115 3 – 48 – 65
2005 644 2 105 4 – 53 – 54
2006 664 4 152 5 – 46 – 50
2007 350 4 134 3 – 58 – 68
2008 269 4 166 3 – 67 – 66
2009 119 4 161 4 47 59 – 51
2010 397 2 169 2 49 70 – 56
2011 504 1 170 2 – – – –
Total 3,497 31 1,282 32 96 444 – 461
Mean 388.6 3.4 142.4 3.6 48 55.5 57.6
Notes:
1 Alaska Department of Fish & Game harvest database.
2 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Subsistence Management.
3 Alaska Department of Fish & Game bear sealing records.
Table 3. Total harvests of beaver, lynx, river otter, Dall’s sheep, wolf, and wolverine in GMU 13E, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G furbearer database and, for sheep, from harvest database)
Regulatory Year Beaver Lynx River Otter Dall’s Sheep Wolf Wolverine
2003 27 6 19 15 70 11
2004 45 3 12 8 49 8
2005 27 0 7 12 22 10
2006 35 8 5 13 18 9
2007 41 15 1 9 20 9
2008 27 15 7 10 48 10
2009 38 20 1 16 24 11
2010 79 7 4 12 45 12
2011 – – – 15 – -–
Total 319 74 56 110 296 80
Mean 39.9 9.3 7.0 22.0 37.0 10.0
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Table 4. Percentage of total harvests in GMU 13E with known date, by species and month, 2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G)
Species n Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Beaver1 319 3.4 8 6.3 7.2 5 0 0 0 7.5 39 12.2 11.6
Black Bear1 536 0 0 0 0.6 26.3 29.7 2.4 17 21.5 2.6 0 0
Brown Bear1 461 0 0 0 8.7 13 8.7 10.4 23 32 4.1 0 0
Caribou 3,460 2.1 1 1.9 0 0 0 0.1 27 54 7.2 4.7 1.9
Lynx1 74 31 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14.9 39.2
Moose 1,271 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0.1 8.9 90 0.4 0.2 0
River Otter1 56 16 27 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 21.4
Dall’s Sheep 109 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 78 22 0 0 0
Wolf1 296 21 35 17 6.8 0 0 0 0.3 6.8 3 2.7 8.8
Wolverine1 80 53 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.5 0 7.5 32.5
Notes:
1 Data from 2003–2010.
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Table 5. Moose hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in GMU 13E, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Airboat Total
Effort 2003 31 4 47 244 48 133 0 1 4 512
2004 47 5 43 296 70 114 0 0 2 577
2005 46 4 43 330 68 131 0 0 12 634
2006 57 2 48 391 82 139 1 6 14 740
2007 45 2 55 405 59 139 1 1 14 721
2008 55 5 64 396 69 154 1 2 10 756
2009 56 3 45 386 70 130 3 6 10 709
2010 56 0 49 459 90 154 6 9 14 837
2011 47 0 46 393 69 137 5 3 11 711
Total 440 25 440 3,300 625 1,231 17 28 91 6,197
Harvest 2003 8 2 7 53 21 15 0 0 1 107
2004 7 2 5 64 21 13 0 0 1 113
2005 6 0 7 57 22 10 0 0 2 104
2006 11 0 10 77 29 17 0 3 3 150
2007 6 1 14 80 14 14 0 0 4 133
2008 10 1 9 97 18 24 0 0 4 163
2009 15 1 11 96 13 19 1 0 5 161
2010 12 0 7 103 26 12 0 2 4 166
2011 16 0 9 99 28 14 1 1 1 169
Total 91 7 79 726 192 138 2 6 25 1,266
Success 2003 25.8 50.0 14.9 21.7 43.8 11.3 – 0 25.0 20.9
2004 14.9 40.0 11.6 21.6 30.0 11.4 – – 50.0 19.6
2005 13.0 0 16.3 17.3 32.4 7.6 – – 16.7 16.4
2006 19.3 0 20.8 19.7 35.4 12.2 0 50.0 21.4 20.3
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Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Airboat Total
2007 13.3 50.0 25.5 19.8 23.7 10.1 0 0 28.6 18.4
2008 18.2 20.0 14.1 24.5 26.1 15.6 0 0 40.0 21.6
2009 26.8 33.3 24.4 24.9 18.6 14.6 33.3 0 50.0 22.7
2010 21.4 – 14.3 22.4 28.9 7.8 0 22.2 28.6 19.8
2011 34.0 – 19.6 25.2 40.6 10.2 20.0 33.3 9.1 23.8
Total 20.7 28.0 18.0 22.0 30.7 11.2 11.8 21.4 27.5 20.4
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Table 6. Caribou hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in GMU 13E, 2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Airboat Total
Effort 2003 28 2 5 194 1 50 79 0 1 4 364
2004 25 3 3 201 30 54 55 0 1 1 373
2005 51 4 19 385 120 99 118 10 0 5 811
2006 59 3 14 456 94 110 184 8 1 9 938
2007 0 1 7 351 1 49 104 2 3 9 527
2008 22 4 6 245 0 58 62 0 2 4 403
2009 7 1 3 79 18 18 35 3 0 2 166
2010 14 1 9 249 29 44 180 5 1 4 536
2011 28 0 8 389 10 62 173 3 8 3 684
Total 234 19 74 2,549 303 544 990 31 17 41 4,802
Harvest 2003 16 2 1 158 0 31 45 0 0 3 256
2004 19 3 3 166 27 42 33 0 1 0 294
2005 39 3 13 320 101 77 74 8 0 5 640
2006 35 3 7 327 80 77 116 4 0 8 657
2007 0 1 3 258 0 33 45 1 0 8 349
2008 16 4 2 179 0 36 28 0 1 2 268
2009 7 0 3 61 12 11 23 1 0 1 119
2010 10 1 8 204 25 38 104 2 0 4 396
2011 20 6 302 7 46 109 3 6 3 502
Total 162 17 46 1,975 252 391 577 19 8 34 3,481
Success 2003 57.1 100.0 20.0 81.4 0 62.0 57.0 – 0 75.0 70.3
2004 76.0 100.0 100.0 82.6 90.0 77.8 60.0 – 100.0 0 78.8
2005 76.5 75.0 68.4 83.1 84.2 77.8 62.7 80.0 – 100.0 78.9
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FERC Project No. 14241 Page 27 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Airboat Total
2006 59.3 100.0 50.0 71.7 85.1 70.0 63.0 50.0 0 88.9 70.0
2007 – 100.0 42.9 73.5 0 67.3 43.3 50.0 0 88.9 66.2
2008 72.7 100.0 33.3 73.1 – 62.1 45.2 – 50.0 50.0 66.5
2009 100.0 0 100.0 77.2 66.7 61.1 65.7 33.3 – 50.0 71.7
2010 71.4 100.0 88.9 81.9 86.2 86.4 57.8 40.0 0 100.0 73.9
2011 71.4 – 75.0 77.6 70.0 74.2 63.0 100.0 75.0 100.0 73.4
Total 69.2 89.5 62.2 77.5 83.2 71.9 58.3 61.3 47.1 82.9 72.5
Table 7. Total brown bear harvest by transportation type and year in GMU 13E, 2003 –2010.
(Data from ADF&G sealing records)
Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow-
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Airboat Total
2003 12 0 10 14 5 3 6 1 0 0 51
2004 17 1 10 18 9 1 5 3 1 0 65
2005 16 1 2 18 7 0 7 2 1 0 54
2006 12 0 13 11 3 0 6 4 1 0 50
2007 11 0 15 18 7 1 11 5 0 0 68
2008 21 0 13 17 0 0 5 4 1 0 65
2009 15 0 6 13 4 0 4 5 2 1 50
2010 15 0 13 16 5 1 2 2 0 0 54
Total 119 2 82 125 44 6 46 26 6 1 457
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 28 February 2013
Table 8. Dall’s sheep hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in GMU 13E, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Total
Effort 2003 13 4 2 38 4 17 0 0 78
2004 11 4 0 35 4 6 0 0 60
2005 19 0 1 36 8 8 0 0 72
2006 12 1 0 41 10 14 1 1 80
2007 13 1 0 58 10 16 1 0 99
2008 22 2 0 46 2 15 1 1 89
2009 30 1 0 49 6 12 0 0 98
2010 21 0 0 58 10 16 0 1 106
2011 20 0 1 52 5 13 0 0 91
Total 161 13 4 413 59 117 3 3 773
Harvest 2003 8 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 15
2004 3 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 7
2005 7 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 11
2006 4 0 0 5 1 3 0 0 13
2007 4 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 9
2008 5 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 9
2009 14 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 16
2010 9 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 12
2011 5 0 0 9 0 1 0 0 15
Total 59 4 0 35 2 7 0 0 107
Success 2003 61.5 75.0 0 10.5 0 0 – – 19.2
2004 27.3 0 – 11.4 0 0 – – 11.7
2005 36.8 – 0 5.6 12.5 12.5 – – 15.3
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 29 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Total
2006 33.3 0 – 12.2 10.0 21.4 0 0 16.3
2007 30.8 100.0 – 6.9 0 0 0 – 9.1
2008 22.7 0 – 6.5 0 6.7 0 0 10.1
2009 46.7 0 – 4.1 0 0 – – 16.3
2010 42.9 – – 3.4 0 6.3 – 0 11.3
2011 25.0 – 0 17.3 0 7.7 – – 16.5
Total 36.6 30.8 0 8.5 3.4 6.0 0 0 13.8
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 30 February 2013
Table 9. Total reported harvests in GMU 13E by species, and reported harvests and percentages within aggregated
major units and UCUs, 2003–2011.
GMU 13E
Aggregated Major Units
Aggregated UCUs
Species n
n %
n %
Beaver1 319
299 93.7
179 56.1
Black Bear1 540
512 94.8
434 80.4
Brown Bear1 461
452 98.0
425 92.2
Caribou 3,497
3,337 95.4
3,279 93.8
Lynx1 74
73 98.6
70 94.6
Moose 1,282
1,247 97.3
1,171 91.3
River Otter1 56
56 100.0
39 69.6
Dall’s Sheep 110
105 95.5
96 87.3
Wolf1 296
296 100.0
282 95.3
Wolverine1 80
79 98.8
67 83.8
Total 6,715 6,456 96.1 6,042 90.0
Notes:
1 Data from 2003–2010.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 31 February 2013
Table 10. Total reported harvest by species in aggregated major units, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Species
Year Beaver
Black
Bear
Brown
Bear Caribou Lynx Moose
River
Otter
Dall’s
Sheep Wolf Wolverine
2003 15 34 36 141 3 61 9 15 64 9
2004 23 47 40 130 0 89 7 17 43 4
2005 13 41 31 333 0 79 2 21 14 8
2006 11 41 47 301 1 108 6 8 14 10
2007 21 43 57 190 1 86 1 18 7 9
2008 15 55 51 158 2 106 4 13 48 11
2009 32 76 37 70 5 114 0 20 13 11
2010 55 110 45 131 9 129 5 9 25 3
2011 – – – 216 – 126 – 14 – –
Total 185 447 344 1,670 21 898 34 135 228 65
Mean 23.1 55.9 43.0 185.6 2.6 99.8 4.3 15.0 28.5 8.1
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 32 February 2013
Table 11. Percentage of total harvests in aggregated major units with known date, by month and species, 2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G)
Species n Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Beaver1 185 7 14.1 11.9 9.2 5.4 0 0 0 8.1 18.9 9.7 15.7
Black Bear1 446 0 0 0 0.2 28.9 30.9 2.5 15 21.3 1.1 0 0
Brown Bear1 344 0 0.3 0 9 7.8 9.6 13.1 19.8 36.9 3.5 0 0
Caribou 1,655 0.1 0.1 0.4 0 0 0 0.1 26.2 70.7 1.1 1.1 0.2
Lynx1 21 47.6 38.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14.3
Moose 893 0 0 0 0.1 0 0 0.1 4.5 94.2 0.4 0.2 0.4
River Otter1 34 17.6 26.5 20.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14.7 20.6
Dall’s Sheep 135 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77.8 22.2 0 0 0
Wolf1 228 20.2 41.2 16.7 5.3 0 0 0 0.4 4.4 1.3 0.4 10.1
Wolverine1 65 60 1.5 3.1 0 0 0 0 0 10.8 0 3.1 21.5
Notes:
1 Data from 2003–2010.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 33 February 2013
Table 12. Moose hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in aggregated major units, 2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
Effort 2003 45 5 31 146 0 46 31 0 0 0 304
2004 62 4 28 189 0 61 27 0 1 0 372
2005 57 0 39 195 0 63 40 0 0 2 396
2006 70 0 31 221 0 96 21 0 2 5 446
2007 56 2 24 207 0 65 25 0 1 6 386
2008 64 1 46 215 0 77 18 0 1 8 430
2009 63 0 35 227 0 94 29 1 6 3 458
2010 80 0 21 251 0 95 44 3 6 6 506
2011 70 0 22 212 1 101 24 3 1 7 441
Total 567 12 277 1,863 1 698 259 7 18 37 3,739
Harvest 2003 7 1 3 29 0 15 5 0 0 0 60
2004 9 1 1 49 0 22 4 0 0 0 86
2005 8 0 5 35 0 22 6 0 0 0 76
2006 13 0 3 41 0 40 4 0 1 4 106
2007 11 0 4 45 0 23 2 0 0 0 85
2008 12 1 7 49 0 31 2 0 0 3 105
2009 17 0 7 58 0 21 9 0 1 1 114
2010 22 0 4 59 0 35 5 0 2 0 127
2011 16 0 6 56 0 41 4 0 0 1 124
Total 115 3 40 421 0 250 41 0 4 9 883
Success 2003 15.6 20.0 9.7 19.9 – 32.6 16.1 – – – 19.7
2004 14.5 25.0 3.6 25.9 – 36.1 14.8 – 0 – 23.1
2005 14.0 – 12.8 17.9 – 34.9 15.0 – – 0 19.2
2006 18.6 – 9.7 18.6 – 41.7 19.0 – 50.0 80.0 23.8
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 34 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
2007 19.6 0 16.7 21.7 – 35.4 8.0 – 0 0 22.0
2008 18.8 100.0 15.2 22.8 – 40.3 11.1 – 0 37.5 24.4
2009 27.0 – 20.0 25.6 – 22.3 31.0 0 16.7 33.3 24.9
2010 27.5 – 19.0 23.5 – 36.8 11.4 0 33.3 0 25.1
2011 22.9 – 27.3 26.4 0 40.6 16.7 0 0 14.3 28.1
Total 20.3 25.0 14.4 22.6 0 35.8 15.8 0 22.2 24.3 23.6
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 35 February 2013
Table 13. Caribou hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in aggregated major units, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
Effort 2003 43 1 4 111 0 21 11 0 0 0 191
2004 40 1 4 87 3 23 9 0 0 0 167
2005 85 1 13 213 5 69 23 3 0 1 413
2006 100 2 8 235 5 66 17 0 1 3 437
2007 24 0 5 187 0 35 18 0 1 4 274
2008 55 1 3 137 0 39 14 0 2 3 254
2009 42 0 3 28 2 9 10 1 0 2 97
2010 39 0 5 69 1 21 24 0 1 2 162
2011 42 0 5 173 2 58 7 2 4 1 294
Total 470 6 50 1,240 18 341 133 6 9 16 2,289
Harvest 2003 24 1 1 90 0 15 9 0 0 0 140
2004 30 0 2 72 2 17 7 0 0 0 130
2005 59 0 10 182 5 58 15 2 0 1 332
2006 69 2 3 162 4 42 11 0 0 3 296
2007 16 0 2 138 0 24 5 0 0 4 189
2008 34 1 2 96 0 16 7 0 1 1 158
2009 33 0 2 20 0 8 6 0 0 1 70
2010 32 0 5 60 1 18 12 0 0 2 130
2011 32 0 5 131 1 39 1 2 3 1 215
Total 329 4 32 951 13 237 73 4 4 13 1,660
Success 2003 55.8 100.0 25.0 81.1 – 71.4 81.8 – – – 73.3
2004 75.0 0 50.0 82.8 66.7 73.9 77.8 – – – 77.8
2005 69.4 0 76.9 85.4 100.0 84.1 65.2 66.7 – 100.0 80.4
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 36 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
2006 69.0 100.0 37.5 68.9 80.0 63.6 64.7 – 0 100.0 67.7
2007 66.7 – 40.0 73.8 – 68.6 27.8 – 0 100.0 69.0
2008 61.8 100.0 66.7 70.1 – 41.0 50.0 – 50.0 33.3 62.2
2009 78.6 – 66.7 71.4 0 88.9 60.0 0 – 50.0 72.2
2010 82.1 – 100.0 87.0 100.0 85.7 50.0 – 0 100.0 80.2
2011 76.2 – 100.0 75.7 50.0 67.2 14.3 100.0 75.0 100.0 73.1
Total 70.0 66.7 64.0 76.7 72.2 69.5 54.9 66.7 44.4 81.3 72.5
Table 14. Total brown bear harvest by transportation type and year in aggregated major units, 2003–2010.
(Data from ADF&G bear sealing records)
Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
2003 13 0 11 6 2 2 1 1 0 0 36
2004 17 1 9 2 8 1 1 1 0 0 40
2005 18 0 3 5 3 0 0 1 1 0 31
2006 16 0 10 6 7 1 2 2 3 0 47
2007 18 0 13 17 3 2 2 2 0 0 57
2008 23 0 12 9 2 2 0 3 0 0 51
2009 15 0 4 7 1 0 0 7 2 1 37
2010 18 0 12 8 3 2 0 1 0 0 44
Total 138 1 74 60 29 10 6 18 6 1 343
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 37 February 2013
Table 15. Dall’s sheep hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in aggregated major units, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/Dog
Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Total
Effort 2003 28 6 2 24 5 1 0 0 66
2004 31 3 0 29 7 1 0 0 71
2005 43 0 0 24 7 4 0 0 78
2006 32 0 0 14 4 1 1 1 53
2007 30 0 0 44 8 3 0 0 85
2008 47 0 1 24 2 1 1 2 78
2009 47 0 0 21 5 0 0 0 73
2010 33 1 1 32 5 1 0 0 73
2011 33 0 0 24 5 1 0 0 63
Total 324 10 4 236 48 13 2 3 640
Harvest 2003 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
2004 13 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 16
2005 19 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 21
2006 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8
2007 14 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 18
2008 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
2009 18 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 19
2010 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
2011 11 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 14
Total 118 3 0 10 1 1 0 0 133
Success 2003 50.0 16.7 0 0 0 0 – – 22.7
2004 41.9 66.7 – 3.4 0 0 – – 22.5
2005 44.2 – – 4.2 0 25.0 – – 26.9
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 38 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/Dog
Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot
Other/
Unknown Total
2006 21.9 – – 7.1 0 0 0 0 15.1
2007 46.7 – – 6.8 12.5 0 – – 21.2
2008 27.7 – 0 0 0 0 0 0 16.7
2009 38.3 – – 4.8 0 – – – 26.0
2010 27.3 0 0 0 0 0 – – 12.3
2011 33.3 – – 12.5 0 0 – – 22.2
Total 36.4 30.0 0 4.2 2.1 7.7 0 0 20.8
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 39 February 2013
Table 16. Total harvest by species in aggregated UCUs, 2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Year
Beaver Black Bear
Brown
Bear Caribou Lynx Moose River Otter
Dall’s
Sheep Wolf Wolverine
2003 8 4 6 36 2 17 1 2 32 3
2004 0 3 4 44 0 28 0 1 24 0
2005 0 1 6 98 0 29 0 0 4 1
2006 0 1 7 78 0 37 0 1 8 1
2007 0 2 10 30 1 25 0 0 2 1
2008 0 4 6 35 0 38 0 1 20 3
2009 0 6 7 10 0 33 0 3 7 0
2010 0 16 9 22 0 33 0 2 8 0
2011 – – – 45 – 37 – 3 – –
Total 8 37 55 398 3 277 1 13 105 9
Average 1.0 4.6 6.9 44.2 0.4 30.8 0.1 1.4 13.1 1.1
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 40 February 2013
Table 17. Percentage of total harvests in aggregated UCUs with known date, by month and species, 2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G)
Species n Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Beaver1 8 0 0 0 0 12.5 0 0 0 25 62.5 0 0
Black Bear1 37 0 0 0 0 2.7 10.8 0 40.5 45.9 0 0 0
Brown Bear1 55 0 0 0 12.7 10.9 3.6 0 21.8 49.1 1.8 0 0
Caribou 394 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20.1 79.4 0.3 0.3 0
Lynx1 3 33.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 66.7
Moose 275 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.3 96.7 0 0 0
River Otter1 1 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dall’s Sheep 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61.5 38.5 0 0 0
Wolf1 105 17.1 43.8 13.3 5.7 0 0 0 0 5.7 1.0 0 13.3
Wolverine1 9 66.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22.2 0 0 11.1
Notes:
1 Data from 2003–2010.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 41 February 2013
Table 18. Moose hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in aggregated UCUs, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
Effort 2003 14 0 8 45 8 4 0 0 79
2004 23 1 3 60 21 2 0 0 110
2005 22 0 8 48 17 3 0 0 98
2006 26 0 6 59 28 3 0 0 122
2007 17 0 3 60 11 2 0 2 95
2008 21 0 15 64 23 0 0 0 123
2009 19 0 4 63 13 2 0 1 102
2010 25 0 2 68 16 1 1 0 113
2011 12 0 6 56 16 1 0 0 91
Total 179 1 55 523 153 18 1 3 933
Harvest 2003 2 0 1 10 4 0 0 0 17
2004 3 1 0 17 6 0 0 0 27
2005 2 0 2 16 8 1 0 0 29
2006 5 0 0 16 14 1 0 0 36
2007 1 0 0 21 3 0 0 0 25
2008 2 0 2 26 8 0 0 0 38
2009 4 0 0 26 2 1 0 0 33
2010 6 0 0 22 4 0 1 0 33
2011 3 0 0 24 9 1 0 0 37
Total 28 1 5 178 58 4 1 0 275
Success 2003 14.3 – 12.5 22.2 50.0 0 – – 21.5
2004 13.0 100.0 0 28.3 28.6 0 – – 24.5
2005 9.1 – 25.0 33.3 47.1 33.3 – – 29.6
2006 19.2 – 0 27.1 50.0 33.3 – – 29.5
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 42 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane
Horse/
Dog Team Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
2007 5.9 – 0 35.0 27.3 0 – 0 26.3
2008 9.5 – 13.3 40.6 34.8 – – – 30.9
2009 21.1 – 0 41.3 15.4 50.0 – 0 32.4
2010 24.0 – 0 32.4 25.0 0 100.0 – 29.2
2011 25.0 – 0 42.9 56.3 100.0 – – 40.7
Total 15.6 100.0 9.1 34.0 37.9 22.2 100.0 0 29.5
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 43 February 2013
Table 19. Caribou hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in aggregated UCUs, 2003 –2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
Effort 2003 20 3 24 0 0 2 0 0 49
2004 19 2 21 1 7 0 0 0 50
2005 41 11 40 0 20 2 0 0 114
2006 45 5 48 0 17 2 0 0 117
2007 0 2 40 0 6 2 0 1 51
2008 17 2 23 0 7 0 1 2 52
2009 6 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 11
2010 9 4 9 0 4 1 0 0 27
2011 19 3 24 0 6 0 0 0 52
Total 176 33 232 1 68 9 1 3 523
Harvest 2003 14 1 19 0 0 2 0 0 36
2004 15 2 20 1 6 0 0 0 44
2005 34 9 35 0 18 2 0 0 98
2006 27 2 30 0 15 0 0 0 74
2007 0 0 24 0 4 0 0 1 29
2008 14 2 16 0 2 0 1 0 35
2009 6 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 10
2010 8 4 7 0 3 0 0 0 22
2011 15 3 22 0 5 0 0 0 45
Total 133 24 175 1 54 4 1 1 393
Success 2003 70.0 33.3 79.2 – – 100.0 – – 73.5
2004 78.9 100.0 95.2 100.0 85.7 – – – 88.0
2005 82.9 81.8 87.5 – 90.0 100.0 – – 86.0
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 44 February 2013
Variable Year Airplane Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
2006 60.0 40.0 62.5 – 88.2 0 – – 63.2
2007 – 0 60.0 – 66.7 0 – 100.0 56.9
2008 82.4 100.0 69.6 – 28.6 – 100.0 0 67.3
2009 100.0 100.0 66.7 – 100.0 – – – 90.9
2010 88.9 100.0 77.8 – 75.0 0.0 – – 81.5
2011 78.9 100.0 91.7 – 83.3 – – – 86.5
Total 75.6 72.7 75.4 100.0 79.4 44.4 100.0 33.3 75.1
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 45 February 2013
Table 20. Total brown bear harvest by transportation type and year in aggregated UCUs, 2003–2010.
(Data from ADF&G sealing records)
Year Airplane Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Snow
machine
Off-road
Vehicle Airboat
Other/
Unknown Total
2003 0 1 4 1 0 0 0 6
2004 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 4
2005 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 6
2006 0 2 3 1 0 1 0 7
2007 1 2 6 0 1 0 0 10
2008 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 6
2009 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 7
2010 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 8
Total 16 6 20 9 1 1 1 54
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 46 February 2013
Table 21. Dall’s sheep hunter effort, harvest, and success by transportation type and year in aggregated UCUs,
2003–2011.
(Data from ADF&G harvest database)
Variable Year Airplane Boat
3- or
4-Wheeler
Off-road
Vehicle
Highway
Vehicle Foot Total
Effort 2003 3 1 7 1 1 0 13
2004 4 0 11 2 0 0 17
2005 6 0 8 3 0 0 17
2006 3 0 5 1 0 0 9
2007 2 0 13 4 1 0 20
2008 2 0 12 0 0 1 15
2009 8 0 8 2 0 0 18
2010 4 0 14 3 0 0 21
2011 4 0 8 2 0 0 14
Total 36 1 86 18 2 1 144
Harvest 2003 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
2004 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
2005 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
2007 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2008 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
2009 3 0 0 0 0 0 3
2010 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
2011 1 0 2 0 0 0 3
Total 10 0 3 0 0 0 13
Success 2003 66.7 0 0 0 0 – 15.4
2004 25.0 – 0 0 – – 5.9
2005 0 – 0 0 – – 0
2006 0 – 20.0 0 – – 11.1
2007 0 – 0 0 0 – 0
2008 50.0 – 0 – – 0 6.7
2009 37.5 – 0 0 – – 16.7
2010 50.0 – 0 0 – – 9.5
2011 25.0 – 25.0 0 – – 21.4
Total 27.8 0 3.5 0 0 0 9.0
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 47 February 2013
Table 22. Mean annual harvest rate per 1,000 km² for each species in three analytical zones (GMU 13E, aggregated
major units, aggregated UCUs).
To correct for under-reporting in smaller unit designations, harvest rates for the major units and UCUs were adjusted by dividing
by the proportion of the harvest in GMU 13E that was also assigned to a specific major unit or UCU for each species (see Table
9).
Species GMU 13E
Analytical Zone
Aggregated Major Units Aggregated UCUs
Unadjusted
% of
GMU 13E Adjusted Unadjusted
% of
GMU 13E Adjusted
Beaver 2.13 1.58 93.7 1.68 0.22 56.1 0.40
Black Bear 3.61 3.82 94.8 4.02 1.03 80.4 1.29
Brown bear 3.08 2.94 98.0 3.00 1.54 92.2 1.67
Caribou 20.78 12.67 95.4 13.28 9.85 93.8 10.51
Lynx 0.49 0.18 98.6 0.18 0.08 94.6 0.09
Moose 7.62 6.81 97.3 7.01 6.87 91.3 7.53
River Otter 0.37 0.29 100.0 0.29 0.03 69.6 0.04
Dall’s Sheep 0.65 1.02 95.5 1.07 0.32 87.3 0.37
Wolf 1.98 1.95 100.0 1.95 2.82 95.3 2.96
Wolverine 0.53 0.55 98.8 0.56 0.25 83.8 0.30
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 48 February 2013
Table 23. Relative abundance and population trends of furbearers and their prey, based on trapper questionnaires for GMUs 11 and 13 .
(Sources: Peltier 2005; Blejwas 2006, 2007, 2010; Schumacher 2010a, 2010b). A plus sign indicates an increasing trend and a minus sign indicates a decreasing trend.
Regulatory Year
Group Species 2003–2004 2004–2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009
Furbearers Beaver common common common common abundant common
Coyote common common common common scarce common
Ermine abundant common abundant abundant common common
Lynx scarce scarce common common (+) common common (+)
Marten common (+) common common common common common
Mink common (+) common common common common scarce
Muskrat abundant (+) common common scarce scarce common
Red Fox scarce common common common common common
Red Squirrel abundant (+) abundant abundant abundant abundant abundant
River Otter common (+) common common common scarce (–) scarce
Wolf common common common (–) common abundant scarce (–)
Wolverine scarce (+) common common common common Scarce
Prey Grouse common (+) common (+) common (+) common common (–) common
Snowshoe Hare common (+) common common abundant (+) abundant abundant (+)
Mice/Rodents common (+) common common abundant common common
Ptarmigan abundant (+) abundant abundant common common abundant
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 49 February 2013
9. FIGURES
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 50 February 2013
Figure 1. Game Management Units and subunits in and near the Susitna River basin.
2012 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WILDLIFE HARVEST ANALYSIS
Susitna–Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority
FERC Project No. 14241 Page 51 February 2013
Figure 2. Analytical zones used for wildlife harvest analysis in 2012.