Board of Game approves limited mountain lion hunt, rejects Zarembo Island elk proposal

The Southeast Alaska Board of Game met in Wrangell in late January, where members considered 74 proposals over four days, most affecting the Southeast region from Ketchikan to Skagway.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

This post describes the Alaska Board of Game’s split decisions in Wrangell: opening a tightly regulated season for the rarely observed mountain lion to gather biological information, while rejecting an expansion of Zarembo Island elk hunting due to sustainability concerns for a small herd.

The related posts highlight just how sparse and recent confirmed cougar presence has been in Southeast Alaska. The 2024 Wrangell Island kill marked the first documented Southeast sighting since 1998 and occurred when there was no legal season, with officials noting the animals are likely dispersers from British Columbia and highly elusive Mountain lion killed on island; first Southeast sighting since 1998. A subsequent case detailed charges linked to that incident, underscoring the legal gray area that the new, limited season now addresses Washington hunter charged with illegal mountain lion kill on Wrangell Island. Earlier posts from Interior and Southeast Alaska show years of unconfirmed reports and rare confirmations, with managers repeatedly seeking hard evidence in places like Delta Junction and Ketchikan as cougars remain outside Alaska’s typical range but may occasionally disperse north from British Columbia Alaska’s feline Bigfoot? Mountain lion sightings reported in Delta Junction, As reported Delta-area mountain lion sightings increase, wildlife managers search for evidence, Sightings of large cat, possibly a cougar, reported near Ketchikan, and Cougars in Alaska, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Rare observations from Interior Alaska, including Tazlina (2016) and Venetie (2008), reinforce that sightings occur but are exceptional, with Southeast adjacent to known British Columbia populations Mountain Lion (Puma concolor), Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) in Interior Alaska. Together, these posts illuminate why the board framed the new season as a data-gathering step amid scarce population information, while taking a precautionary stance on Zarembo elk where biologists warned the herd could be as small as a few dozen animals.