The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced an emergency permit hunt for Alaska residents to harvest muskoxen stranded on an island near the Nunivak Island coast. The hunt opens on July 22 and closes on Dec. 1.
The tiny island, known locally as Paamiut Island, is located less than half a mile from Nunivak Island’s southern coast and roughly 40 miles from the Kuskokwim Delta mainland.
According to the state’s emergency order, at least five muskoxen are stranded on the island. There is no source of fresh water on the island, forage is limited, and the survival of the muskoxen is unlikely.
One muskox may be harvested per person. Resident locking-tag fees are waived for the hunt.
Hunters can apply for a permit beginning at 9 a.m. on July 22 by visiting hunt.alaska.gov.
The state has provided a handful of opportunities in recent years to harvest muskoxen stranded on islands or ice floes. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened hunts on islands off the Nunivak coast in 2017 and 2020. In 2021, residents had the opportunity to harvest muskoxen stranded on late spring ice floes.
