41.0°

ANCHORAGE - The Alaska Board of Game has decided incomes won't be considered in determining who gets a subsistence permit for hunting Nelchina moose and caribou - this year anyway.

One change that will apply this year is that hunters who win permits in Game Management Unit 13, which includes the popular Nelchina basin, won't be able to hunt for moose and caribou anywhere else in the state. The change is based on a recent court ruling.

Last year, the Game Board sought to factor income in the permitting process.

But Ahtna Inc., the regional Alaska Native corporation for eight villages in the area, sued, saying the rules were unfair.

Last month, a Superior Court judge ruled that the board could use hunters' income in deciding who gets permits, but must also factor in cost-of-living differences between towns.

With the hunting seasons just weeks away, the board decided Wednesday that it didn't have enough time and information to do that for this year's hunt.