Goat hunt ends for RG249 North of Valdez Arm

By
The Cordova Times
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A young billy takes in the view from a high vantage point. Sexual segregation is prevalent through much of the hunting season. Groups of animals are likely to be mostly females and young whereas males are mostly alone. Photo courtesy of Milo Burcham/for The Cordova Times
A young billy takes in the view from a high vantage point. Photo courtesy of Milo Burcham for The Cordova Times

Registration permit hunt RG249 for mountain goats in Game Management Unit 6D closed by emergency order at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 29.

The hunt area included areas east of Columbia Glacier, north of Valdez Armand west of Port Valdez, Shoup Bay and Shoup Glacier.

The most recent aerial survey found a minimum count of 235 goats in registration permit area RG249.

The maximum allowable harvest is 12 goat points. The current reported harvest is four billies, two nannies and one unrecoverable goat. Each billy counts as one goat point, each nanny counts as two goat points, and each unrecoverable goat counts as one and one-half goat points. That adds up to 9.5 goat points reported.

Hunters were still in the field as of Tuesday, Sept. 28, and additional goats may have been taken and not yet reported. Harvest that exceeds objectives could lead to reduced future hunting opportunity, said Charlotte Westing, Prince William Sound Area wildlife biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

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