State Won’t Reopen Sections Of Afognak Island Elk Hunt

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

Portions of Registration Elk Hunt RE755 Will Not Open

(Kodiak) – Elk hunters on Afognak Island have taken advantage of favorable conditions this fall and reached established harvest objectives during hunting opportunities provided through a combination of drawing and registration hunts in portions of the RE755 registration hunt area. Consequently, portions of the RE755 hunt area will not open this year.

The closed portions of the RE755 hunt area include the Southwest Afognak hunt area and a portion of the Unit 8 Remainder hunt area. The closed portion includes Unit 8 Remainder, that portion of Afognak Island and adjacent islands west of the main north-south logging road (1100 Road) from the 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) and 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.)

Afognak Island elk are managed using established harvest guidelines for individual herds and a 10 percent harvest objective for the overall elk population. As of October 20, hunters have reported a combined harvest of 51 elk from the Southwest Afognak hunt area and that portion of the Unit 8 Remainder hunt area identified in this emergency order announcement. Hunters currently remain in the field, and it is likely additional elk have been taken and not yet reported to the department. The closure in these areas is necessary to prevent harvest beyond established harvest objectives, which may impede herd productivity and growth.

Registration permit hunt RE755 will be open October 23 through December 31, 2026, for elk of either sex in the remaining portion of the hunt area including the East Afognak hunt area, Kodiak, Ban and Shuyak Islands unless closed by emergency order. 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 ADF&G offices. Detailed maps are available at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office in Kodiak.Alaska Department of Fish and Game