Mountain goat hunt south of Port Valdez closes Thursday night after hitting harvest limit

Mountain goat hunters in registration hunt RG245, south of Port Valdez, have until 11:59 pm Thursday, Oct. 1, to finish. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says the reported harvest already equals the hunt's entire allowance. The closure applies to both residents and nonresidents.

The department manages the hunt with a point system: a billy counts as one point, a nanny as two and an unrecovered goat as 1.5. After the most recent aerial survey counted at least 88 goats, the department capped the harvest at 6 points. Hunters have reported two billies and two nannies, which adds up to 6. The department said more hunters are still in the field and that some goats may already be down but not yet reported. It warned that going over the limit "could lead to reduced future hunting opportunity."

The hunt could otherwise have run through Jan. 31. It also closed early in 2024, on Oct. 8, when the survey counted at least 176 goats and the cap was 8 points. Two nearby hunts closed early this season: RG249, north of Valdez Arm, on Sept. 22 at 5 of 7 points, and RG252, east of Unakwik Inlet, on Sept. 20 at 7 of 11.

The closure covers only the part of Unit 6D west of Browns Creek, south of the Lowe River and Port Valdez, and north of Jack Bay and the main channel of the Jack River. Goat hunts elsewhere in Unit 6 are unchanged.

Hunters with questions can call Area Wildlife Biologist Charlotte Westing in Cordova at 907-424-3215.