Registration permit hunts RG249 and RG231 for mountain goats in Game Management Units 6D and 6C closed by emergency order at midnight on Oct. 6 in order to keep within the harvest number goal, Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials said.
Permit hunting area RG249 includes areas east of Columbia Glacier, north of Valdez Arm and 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, with an allowable harvest of 12 goat points. As of Oct. 6, the reported harvest was 10 billies and two nannies.
The hunt area for RG231 permits lies east of Scott Glacier and the main channel of Scott River, north of the Copper River Highway, and west of Sheridan Glacier and the main channel of Glacier River.
The last aerial survey found a minimum count of 143 goats within permit area RG231. The maximum allowable harvest is seven goat points. The reported harvest as of Oct. 5 was three billies, one nanny, and one unrecoverable goat for a total 6.5 goat points.
Each billy counts as one goat point, a nanny for two goat points, and an unrecoverable goat for 1.5 goat points. With hunters remaining in the field and the likelihood of additional goats having been taken and not yet reported, there was concern that the hunt needed to close to avoid exceeding harvest objectives.
The closures effect only registration permit hunt RG249 in Unit 6D and RG231 in Unit 6C. All other mountain goat hunting regulations in the remainder of Unit 6 are not affected by this emergency order.
