As of Wednesday, hunters reported harvesting 18 moose and 10 mountain goats to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Elevan of the moose had three-brow-tine antler configurations. Four antlers had a spread greater than 50 inches. The other three had spike fork antler configurations.
No illegal moose have been reported.
“Moose hunting slowed down a little” since the beginning of the season, said state game biologist Carl Koch. Possible explanations include fewer legal moose, fewer hunters, and fluctuating water levels that limit access, according to Koch.
“It’s not uncommon for it to slow down late in the season,” said Koch.
The hunt will likely remain open until Monday unless the count goes over 25 before then, said Koch.
As of Thursday, the Four Winds and the middle Takshanuk areas are closed to goat hunting after reaching the area harvest limit.
Out of 11 mountain goats reported as of Wednesday, only one was female. While it is legal for hunters to take either males or females without young, the state discourages killing female goats, according to Koch.
Last weekend, two youth took legal goats in the youth hunt area which extends from Haines to 10-mile along th eeast side of the highway. Since 2015, the easy-to-access area has been restricted to young hunters ages 11-17, according to Koch.
Moose hunter Norm Hughes killed a moose on the seventh day of the hunt, but for him, it’s about more than the moose. “I enjoy the hunt,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter if I get a moose.”
Compared to other years, Hughes said he saw fewer cows and less sign of moose travel such as tracks near the river.
“The rut could be late,” he proposed.
Moose hunter Nicole Horton Holm said she also noticed changes in moose behavior this year in addition to changing water levels that present challenges to river travel.
“The water is rising and dropping two to three feet within hours. I’ve never seen it change like that,” said Horton Holm, who has been hunting in the area since the ‘90s.
Chef Travis Kukull had previous experience butchering pigs and a mountain goat, but this was the first year he butchered a moose.
“It’s all pretty much the same,” he said. “It’s just larger…The bones are a blueprint for what you are supposed to do.”
As a chef for over 20 years, Kukull uses the bones to guide his knife around the cuts of any animal.
Kukull found that coarse grain salt rubbed off dirt and debris that collected on the meat while in the field.