Successful Elk Season Closes Early on Afognak

Largely mild weather has benefited area elk hunters on Afognak Island during the fall season. So much so that all areas in the RE-755 “registration hunt” will be closed by emergency order just before midnight Saturday night.

The reason for the early closure, as explained in Fish and Game’s order, is that hunters have already reported harvesting 65 elk on Afognak from a season quota of 84 animals. With hunters still in the field, biologists anticipate the harvest objective will be reached prior to the closure.

Additional harvest, Fish and Game says, could impede herd productivity and growth. The Afognak Island elk are managed for a 10 percent harvest rate per year.

The drawing hunt on nearby Raspberry Island remains open to hunters with DE-706 permits.