Afognak Island Elk Hunt Harvest Goals Met; Season To Close Early

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

A Portion of Registration Elk Hunt RE755 Will Close Early

(Kodiak) – Elk hunters on Afognak Island have had good success and reached established harvest objectives in much of the RE755 registration permit hunt area. Consequently, elk hunting by registration permit RE755 in a portion of the Unit 8 Remainder hunt area will close by emergency order on October 29, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. The closed portion of the hunt area includes that portion of the Unit 8 Remainder hunt area on Afognak Island north and east of a line from the head of Back Bay (58° 05.3’ N. lat.,152° 45.7’ W. long.) to Hatchery Peak (58° 07.2’ N. lat., 152° 47.5’ W. long.) to the head of Malina Bay (58° 09.3’ N. lat., 152° 51.0’ W. long.) and west of the main north-south logging road (1100 Road) from Danger Bay logging camp (58° 08.2’ N, 152° 32.9’W) north to its terminus at Discoverer Bay (58° 19.6’ N, 152° 21.8’ W).

Afognak Island elk are managed using established harvest guidelines for individual herds and a 10 percent harvest objective for the overall elk population. A harvest objective of 44 elk was established for the closed portion of the hunt area in this announcement and as of October 27, the combined harvest of elk from drawing and registration permit hunts administered in the area was 51 elk. Harvest has exceeded the harvest objective, and no further harvest is warranted. This closure is necessary to prevent further harvest beyond established harvest objectives, which may impede herd productivity and growth.

This closure is in addition to areas previously not opened for the registration permit hunt this year due to good hunter success during the earlier drawing and registration permit seasons. These portions of the RE755 permit hunt area will remain closed; Southwest Afognak, that portion of Afognak Island and adjacent islands south and west of a line from the head of Back Bay (58° 05.3’ N. lat.,152° 45.7’ W. long.) to Hatchery Peak (58° 07.2’ N. lat., 152° 47.5’ W. long.) to the head of Malina Bay (58° 09.3’ N. lat., 152° 51.0’ W. long.), and Eastern Afognak, that portion of Afognak Island east of the main north-south logging road (1100 Road) from Danger Bay logging camp (58° 08.2’ N. lat., 152° 32.9’ W. long.) north to its terminus at Discoverer Bay (58° 19.6’ N. lat., 152° 21.8’ W. long.).

Registration hunts for elk of either sex in the remaining portions of the RE755 hunt area including Kodiak, Ban and Shuyak Islands remain open. Elk hunting on Raspberry Island is restricted to hunters with drawing and registration permits for the hunt area (DE702, DE704, DE706 and RE706) and remain unaffected by this emergency order closure. Permits for RE755 are available in person at Kodiak, Anchorage, Palmer, Soldotna, Fairbanks, and Homer Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) offices. Detailed maps are available at the ADF&G office in Kodiak.