This year’s Permit Hunt Authorization lottery is complete, the Yukon government said Tuesday, two days before the hunting season opened.

Eight rounds of the returns and reissuance process were completed and all permits have now been issued.

The government received 4,742 applications for 223 permits covering six species. A list of permit recipients is now available online.

New this year, data on the 2019 lottery are available so hunters can see the distribution of permits by weighting, as well as the number of applications for each hunt zone.

“This will help hunters better understand their chances for success in future lotteries,” the government said in a statment.

“Each hunting season is unique, and management of wildlife and harvest in Yukon is adaptive to the changes we are seeing in the environment. This is done collaboratively with stakeholders and management partners.”

Certain regulation changes are important for hunters to note in the upcoming season, the government cautioned.

Regulation changes for 2019-20:

• Deer: hunters must deliver the whole hide and the whole head, with antlers attached, to a conservation officer or wildlife technician no later than 15 days after the end of the month that a deer is harvested.

• Sheep closure: the government has ordered an emergency closure that prohibits the hunting of all sheep in Game Management Subzone 5-21 between the Slims River and Congdon Creek. The closure is in effect from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31.

Sheep from Kluane National Park are crossing the Alaska Highway into previously unprotected areas and are becoming vulnerable to hunting.

• Game Management Zone boundaries: the boundaries of Game Management Zones 5, 6 and 7 have changed to follow the centre lines of the Alaska Highway and the Haines Highway.

• Harvest reports: online harvest reporting is not available this year. Hunters can report a harvest in person at an Environment Yuko office or call it in.

Hunters can find more information on these changes, as well as everything else they need to know before hunting, in the Yukon hunting regulations summary booklet or at any Environment Yukon office.

The Ross River Dena Council has indicated that, like last year, it plans to require hunters to obtain permits to hunt on its traditional lands. The Yukon government does not officially recognize that requirement.

“We remind all hunters that conservation and co-operation should be a priority when out on the land,” the government said.

“No matter where hunters are in Yukon, they are on a First Nation’s or Inuvialuit traditional territory.

“Hunters are asked to please respect the land, other hunters and the wildlife that is harvested. Take only what is needed and use all that is taken.

“Keep a clean camp, pack out what is brought into the backcountry, stay on established trails and don’t use cabins without permission.”

“I hope all hunters have a safe and successful hunt and that they enjoy their time on the land,” said Environment Minister Pauline Frost.

“The Department of Environment has been working diligently over the past year to ensure that hunters are well-informed and supported in the upcoming season.”

“We are thankful for the Department of Environment’s hard work to address the issues we experienced with the permit hunt lottery last year,” said Gord Zealand, the president of the Yukon Fish and Game Association.

“We appreciated getting the process off the ground earlier in the year and other improvements that were implemented.”

Following the July 2018 redraw of the 2018-19 permit hunt lottery, additional data errors were discovered.

The errors were the result of duplicate client application histories that were not properly cross-referenced prior to the draw, the government said at the time. About 300 people were affected by the errors.

Given the proximity to the 2018-19 hunting season, a further redraw did not take place.