Bulletin: Bear Mountain and Indigo Lake Zones in Unit 4 Closed to Mountain Goat Harvest

Sitka, Alaska – The Acting Sitka District Ranger, in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is closing the Bear Mountain and Indigo Lake Zones on Baranof Island to mountain goat harvest. The closures take effect Friday September 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. and remain effective through the rest of the 2026 season, which ends Thursday, December 31. 

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued concurrent closures in the same zones. To date, one female and three male mountain goats have been harvested from Bear Mountain zone and one female mountain goat has been harvested in the Indigo Lake zone. Additional mountain goat harvest in these zones could have long term negative effects on the conservation of the mountain goat subpopulations. The remainder of Baranof Island is open to goat hunting until the season closes, unless closed by special action.

A public hearing to discuss the 2026 Baranof Island mountain goat management strategy was held on July 30, 2026, in Sitka, Alaska. The 2026 strategy is similar to the 2025 strategy, with distinct male and female harvest levels by zone. Female harvest is more restrictive than male harvest. As mountain goat harvest levels in zones are reached, they are closed.

For additional information, contact the Sitka Ranger District Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Cody Mosley, at (907) 738-2331 or Cody.Mosley@usda.gov.

More information about the Federal Subsistence Management Program is on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.

Missing out on the latest federal subsistence issues? To receive email updates on Federal Subsistence Management Program activities, send a request to subsistence@ios.doi.gov.

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