BLM opens Fortymile caribou federal subsistence winter hunt on Oct. 27

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Bureau of Land Management Eastern Interior Field Office will open the Fortymile caribou federal subsistence winter hunt on federal public lands in Units 20E, 25C and a portion of 20F on Oct. 27, 2025.  

The caribou hunt is limited to federally qualified rural residents hunting on federal public lands only, including federal public lands accessible from the Steese and Taylor highways. The hunt opens at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 27, 2025, with a harvest limit of one bull caribou, including harvests from other caribou hunts in Alaska since July 1, 2025. The hunt closes at 11:59 p.m. Mar. 31, 2026, unless otherwise modified during the season, such as by emergency special action to prevent overharvest. 

The BLM made the decision to authorize the Fortymile hunt under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, after consultation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Chair of the Eastern Interior Subsistence Regional Advisory Council. Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) provides an opportunity for federally qualified subsistence users to meet the needs of living in rural Alaska. 

Hunters participating in the federal hunt must obtain a RC867 joint State/federal registration permit issued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hunters should review the RC867 permit conditions. The harvest limit of one caribou applies to the entire regulatory year and is not additive to other federal or state hunts. If a qualified subsistence user has not yet harvested any caribou in the fall or winter season federal or state hunts, one caribou can be harvested. If a qualified subsistence user has harvested at least one caribou in the fall or winter season federal or state hunts, any additional caribou cannot be harvested in the winter season. 

The State of Alaska also is accepting applications for the AC999 hunt through Oct. 31. When the State portion of RC867 or AC999 is open, permitted hunters may hunt on federal and non-federal land. To qualify for the RC867 caribou hunt under federal subsistence regulations, you must have lived in Alaska for the previous 12 months and must have your primary, permanent place of residence in one of the following rural communities or game management units: 

• For hunting in Units 20E and 25C—residents of Units 20D, 20E, 20F, 25, 12 (north of Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve), Eureka, Livengood, Manley and Minto   

• For hunting in Unit 20F east of the Dalton Highway and south of the Yukon River—residents of Units 20F, 25D, and Manley   

For more information on seasons, harvest limits, methods, and customary and traditional use determinations for the subsistence taking of wildlife, please reference the 2024-2026 Federal Subsistence Management Regulations for the Harvest of Wildlife on Federal Public Lands in Alaska. 

Winter motor vehicle limitations will be enforced when snowpack reaches 6 inches or after Nov. 9, 2025. Eastern Interior Field Office travel management plans can be found at Alaska Travel and Transportation. Maps to aid in locating federal public lands open to the federal subsistence hunt near the Elliott, Steese and Taylor highways are available and are included in the “Federal Subsistence Hunting Map Series” in BLM Alaska’s georeferenced PDF map collection. For maps with information about BLM recreation sites and motor vehicle access, see the “Digital Public Information Map Series.” 

Information and updates on the RC867 caribou hunt are available on the Fortymile Hotline at (907) 267-2310. For additional information about the subsistence hunt during the lapse in appropriations, please contact the BLM Eastern Interior Field Office at (907) 482-0509 or [email protected]. Once normal operations resume, maps and other information regarding the hunt can be found at the BLM Fairbanks Public Room or by calling (907) 474-2200.