By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Deer hunting season opened last month, but rough weather through August has likely reduced the early season harvest, a Department of Fish and Game official said today.
“The weather has been horrible, that has probably limited harvest to some degree. But there seems to be plenty of deer out there,” Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Steve Bethune said.
He added that a combination of the weather and the location of early-season deer have combined to create difficult hunting conditions.
“Generally this time of year alpine is popular, but because of the weather folks have been resorting to more beach cruising and lowland muskegs… They (deer) generally come out of the alpine this time of year as the vegetation starts to die off,” he said.
Poor weather can reduce visibility in alpine areas, making it difficult for a hunter to spot animals, and high winds can lead to challenging conditions on the water for those who use small boats to access hunting grounds.
Hunting season for bucks began on August 1, but doe season won’t open until next week, on Sept. 15. Resident hunters in Game Unit 4, which includes Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof islands, have a bag limit of six animals. The only exception is the area near Hoonah and Tenakee, where the limit is three deer. Bethune said this lower limit is a result of harsh weather and a history of logging in the area.
Bethune added that the bag limit in the Sitka area has historically been four.
“We had a four-deer bag limit since statehood basically, so going up to six deer is fairly recent,” he said. The six deer bag limit is the highest in Alaska.
Bethune said many hunters choose to hold off on serious hunting until doe season begins, as doe hunting is much easier.
“The doe season starts on the 15th, so that’s a big date,” he said. “A lot of hunters are holding off because of the poor weather, waiting for doe season to start.”
He noted that hunters typically see many more does than bucks, and does are often more responsive to deer calls.
Bethune said that while the exact number of deer in Unit 4 is uncertain, the population is healthy, and taking does should not have a negative impact on the herd.
“We have a robust population right now, so I encourage people to take does right now (after Sept. 15),” he said.
He walked beach transects looking for deer that died during the winter and saw indications that overall survival was good.
“I found about twice as many as the year before, but it was still pretty low,” he said.
Not all Southeast Alaska hunters can take does, however. The 2020 Alaska Hunting Regulations stipulate that hunters on Prince of Wales Island (Unit 2), and some other units, can shoot only males. Around Yakutat (Unit 5), hunters are limited to a single buck.
But around Sitka, Bethune said, there aren’t enough hunters to put a dent in the deer herd.
“We just don’t have enough hunters to touch that,” he said, adding that only a few local hunters take their bag limit.
While some areas receive a good deal of hunting pressure, once a hunter hikes more than a mile from the shore they will be in a less-pressured area, he said.
“If you get a mile away from a boat you’re going to have a lot less hunting competition,” he said.
Over the past four years, ADFG says that hunters in Unit 4 have taken about 6,000 deer annually, with 5,969 felled last year. The toll was 5,219 deer in Unit 4 in 2018; 5,258 in 2017; 7,192 in 2016; and 6,492 in 2015.
Bethune added that since Unit 4 is not a popular area for non-resident trophy hunters, the hunting numbers reflect local effort.
Concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic have not affected the hunting season, he said.
“Nothing significant has changed with the COVID situation,” Bethune said. “We don’t really get a whole lot of nonresident deer hunters here.”
For new hunters, or people interested in hunting, Bethune recommended a visit to the Fish and Game office at 304 Lake Street. He added that a new hunter could benefit by finding a friend who already hunts.
Hunters need a valid license and tags. Regulation books are available for free at most outdoors stores.
