SITKA, ALASKA The Department of Fish & Game’s decision to close the hunting season for does on the first of October on northeast Chichagof Island was unprecedented.
The closure came over a month earlier than last year’s closure of the same area in November, and two months before the department closed down hunting for does in the entire game management unit comprised of Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof islands.
Area management biologist Phil Mooney says two hard winters in a row, following several years of mild winters, high deer abundance, and over-foraging, all contributed to the crash in the population.
Mooney spent a week in August working on the road system in the closed area between Tenakee Springs and Hoonah. He spoke with KCAW’s Robert Woolsey about what he found there.
© Copyright 1970, Raven Radio Foundation Inc.
