Registration permit hunt RG204 for mountain goats in Unit 6A was closed on Oct. 25 by emergency order of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in order to prevent an unsustainable harvest.
The hunt area includes that portion of Unit 6A west of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park boundary, south and east of the main channel of the Duktoth River, north and west of the east bank of the White River, and north of White River Glacier.
The last serial surveys for goats in this registration permit area found 239 goats.
ADF&G set the maximum allowable harvest at 9 goat units. Additional take beyond the harvest objective could harm the long term stability of the mountain goat population, said wildlife biologist Charlotte Westing, who is stationed in Cordova.
As of Oct. 24, the reported harvest was 8 billies and 1 unrecoverable goat. With hunters still in the field, it was likely that additional goats were taken and not yet reported, Westing said.
The closure affects only registration permit hunt RG204 in Unit 6A.
