As of Wednesday, 23 moose had been harvested during the Unit 1D moose hunt and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Carl Koch said Wednesday he has no plans to close the hunt early.

The hunt typically closes Oct. 7.

“It seems very likely it’s going to the end because it’s already Wednesday, unless I have some bizarre thing happen today,” he said.

The last three moose were turned into Fish and Game on Sunday, Oct. 2. Eleven moose in the spike fork category have been successfully hunted so far this year, an indication of good recruitment in the population, Koch said. It’s the most spike fork moose that had been hunted since 2013.

“We assume that the antler strategy protects a portion of the yearlings that won’t get shot,” Koch said.