8/30/19 11:20 am Ted Spraker on Hunting CLosures

With hunting seasons already open and more opening soon on the Kenai Peninsula, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game is encouraging hunters to be aware of fire conditions in the Swan Lake fire area (Unit 15A) and the Caribou Lake fire area (Unit 15C). 

ADF&G has not issued any emergency orders closing hunting opportunities on the Kenai Peninsula; however, hunters in Unit 15A should be aware of emergency area land closure orders from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service for portions of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Chugach National Forest- Seward Ranger District, along with potential highway closures or long delays which may impact travel to other areas of the Kenai Peninsula. There are no land closures in Unit 15C associated with the Caribou Lake fire, but hunters should give fire crews plenty of space.

• Hunter may face:
• Road closures due to fire activity
• Poor visibility or air quality from smoke
• Downed trees
• Getting caught in the paths of rapidly moving fires
• Ash pits can form and stay hot under the surface where trees have burned
• Trucks and trailers left near fire perimeters could impede firefighting activity or even become vulnerable to fire.

When in camp, hunters should be aware that burn bans are also in effect across the Kenai Peninsula borough because of the wildfire danger and active fires in the area. All burning, including campfires and the use of charcoal grills, is currently prohibited, including campfires in established fire pits or rings in designated campgrounds.