Registration To Close On Friday For South Road System Mountain Goat Hunt

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

Mountain Goat Registration Hunt RG478 Will Close Early

(Kodiak) – The bow and arrow-only registration mountain goat hunt RG478 (South Road System) for Alaska residents will close at 11:59pm Friday December 6th, 2024. The hunt opened on November 1, 2024 following the conclusion of drawing permit hunt DG478 in order to allow certified archery hunters the opportunity to continue hunting in the area until the harvest objective was met. As of December 4, 2024 the total reported harvest from the South Road System hunt area was 41 goats and no further harvest is warranted at this time.

Following the completion of minimum count abundance surveys in the South Road System hunt area a harvest objective of 41 goats was established for the fall 2024 hunting season. This harvest objective was intended to provide hunting opportunities in the area while also maintaining the population at current levels. Following the conclusion of the DG478 permit hunt the total reported harvest of goats from the South Road System hunt area was 38 goats. Registration permit hunt RG478 opened November 1, 2024 in order to provide certified archery hunters the opportunity to take additional animals from the hunt area in order to meet the harvest objective. An additional 3 goats were harvested during the archery-only hunt bringing the total number of goats harvested to 41, meeting the harvest objective for this hunt area.

As a result of this emergency order closure the registration mountain goat hunt for certified Alaska Resident hunters hunting with bow and arrow, muzzleloader, or crossbow, RG488 will not open.

This emergency order closure does not affect the 5 remaining registration goat hunts that opened on November 1, 2024; RG471 (Wild Creek – Center Mountain), RG473 (Hidden Basin), RG474 (Uganik River), RG476 (Kiliuda Bay), and bow and arrow-only hunt RG479 (North Road System). To participate in RG471, RG473, or RG474, hunters must first pick up a permit at the tribal offices in the Village of Port Lions. To participate in RG476, hunters must first pick up a permit at the tribal offices in the Village of Old Harbor. Permits for registration hunt RG479 (North Road System; bow and arrow-only) are available at the Kodiak Fish and Game office or online at http://hunt.alaska.gov. Only certified bow and arrow hunters may obtain a permit for RG479. Registration hunts RG471-RG479 are open to Alaska residents only. Registration hunt RG472 (Crown Mountain) remains closed.

In the southwestern part of Kodiak Island (RG480) where goat populations are expanding, liberal hunting regulations allow up to a seven-month registration hunt with a two-goat bag limit for resident and nonresident hunters. Registration hunt RG480 (Southwest Kodiak) opened August 20 and will remain open until March 31, unless closed by emergency order. Permits for RG480 are available online at http://hunt.alaska.gov or in person in Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Palmer, and Soldotna, with a two-goat bag limit, only one of which may be a billy. Hunters intending to harvest two goats must obtain two permits and must report on both permits individually.

Registration mountain goat hunts are controlled by harvest quota and hunters are encouraged to contact the Kodiak office at 907-486-1880 prior to hunting to check individual hunt status.