LifeAlaska · August 6, 2026
lynx are back on the kenai
Heads up Kenai trappers: the printed regulations booklet has the lynx opener on the wrong date.
Daily Alaska staff · August 6, 2026
The state of Alaska is opening a lynx hunting and trapping season on the Kenai Peninsula, covering Game Management Units 7 and 15, from December 15 through the end of February. Trappers face no bag limit on lynx, while hunters are capped at two.
Anyone planning to hunt or trap lynx should note that the printed regulations booklet lists the season opener as January 1. That date is wrong. The actual opener is December 15, a difference of about two weeks that matters for anyone setting a line on the peninsula.
The season had stayed closed since 2020, after the Kenai lynx population bottomed out. Six years of harvest data convinced the state to reopen the season covering most of the peninsula.
Lynx populations on the Kenai run on a cycle of roughly ten years, and the same harvest data that justified reopening the season also shows the population heading back down. The state is already forecasting that it will likely have to close the season again in 2027.
In this story
Questions people ask
when does Kenai lynx hunting season open 2025
December 15, not January 1 as the printed regulations booklet incorrectly states.
how many lynx can you kill or trap Kenai
Trappers have no bag limit. Hunters are capped at two lynx.
why did Kenai lynx season stay closed so long
The population bottomed out in 2020. Six years of harvest data afterward convinced the state it was safe to reopen the season.
will Kenai lynx season stay open next year
Not certain. The state is already forecasting it will likely have to close the season again in 2027 as the population cycle declines.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- Alaska is opening a lynx hunting and trapping season on the Kenai Peninsula from December 15 through the end of February, covering Game Management Units 7 and 15. · alaskanews.com
- The printed regulations booklet incorrectly lists the season opener as January 1 instead of December 15. · alaskanews.com
- The season stayed closed until 2020 after the lynx population bottomed out, and six years of harvest data convinced the state to reopen it. · alaskanews.com
- The state is forecasting it will likely close the lynx season again in 2027 as the roughly 10-year population cycle turns down. · alaskanews.com
Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →