Lake George mountain goat hunt closes early Tuesday after hunters reach harvest limit

Mountain goat hunters in the Lake George area of Unit 14C have until 11:59 pm Tuesday to finish. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing registration hunt RG869 more than two weeks early because hunters have already reached the harvest limit set for this season.

The department manages the Lake George goat harvest with a point system. A billy counts as one point and a nanny as two. The area's limit is 21 points, and 14 of those are set aside for the two registration hunts, RG869 and the bow-only RG879. As of Monday, hunters had taken three nannies and eight billies, exactly 14 points. The department said more hunters are still in the field.

RG869 was scheduled to run through Oct. 15. An August survey counted at least 430 goats in the Lake George hunt area, according to the department's emergency order.

The closure doesn't affect other goat hunts in Unit 14. The bow-only RG879 hunt already closed as scheduled Aug. 31, and the nonresident drawing hunt, DG889, stays open.

This year's closure comes earlier than last year's. In 2025, the department closed RG869 on Oct. 9, after the harvest reached 15 points under a higher 23-point limit. It also closed the hunt early in 2022, on Oct. 6.

Hunters with questions can contact Anchorage area wildlife biologist Cory Stantorf at 907-267-2811 or [email protected].