Outdoors digest: Goat permits available, free firewood on the Kenai, Delta caribou hunt ends

Permits for rugged but popular Southcentral mountain goat hunts in the Twentymile River area and the Lake George area (game management unit 14C) are available online or at Fish and Game offices.

A state survey of the Lake George area counted 315 goats, 21 percent of them kids. Warm weather during the count "could have driven goats into lower elevations dominated by alders," Anchorage area biologist Dave Battle said in a press release. "As a result, detections may have been reduced."

[Alaska's pink salmon record broken twice in two days this week on Kenai River]

Fish and Game seeks to cap the annual harvest at six percent of the population. Consequently, it's imposed limit of 18 "goat units" in the Lake George area and six in the Twentymile area.

A billy constitutes one goat unit, a nanny is two.

To prevent an overharvest by nonresidents, which has happened each of the last four years in the Lake George area, those hunters will only be allowed to shoot Sept. 1-3.

Call Fish and Game biologists Battle (267-2185) or Cory Stantorf (267-2811) for more information. Permits online at hunt.alaska.gov.

Free firewood on the Kenai

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is offering free firewood permits for the Ski Hill Road, Funny River Road and Three Johns Street areas.

Up to five cords may be cut Sept. 1-March 31 for personal use.

Maps and instructions are available at the refuge headquarters on Ski Hill Road in Soldotna. Permit holders may harvest only dead and down trees — no standing trees — and they're required to scatter woody debris created by their cutting.

Vehicles are prohibited beyond the shoulders of main refuge roads, and ATVs are banned.

For more information, call the refuge at (907) 262-7021.

Planning for Mendenhall Glacier’s future

Burgeoning demand for access to Mendenhall Glacier has prompted the U.S. Forest Service in Juneau to host a discussion on ways to accommodate the onslaught of visitors.

The first session will begin 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in the Juneau Ranger District conference room. Another will take place a week later.

"This will be a collaborative effort to look far ahead, even 50 years out, at a vision for this very popular recreation area," said Forest Service landscape architect Eric Ouderkirk in a press release.

Thus far this summer, the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center has received 550,000 visits, said director John Neary. "We need improvements to traffic flow, trails, viewing platforms, covered viewing areas and food venues."

Call Neary at 907-789-6637 for information or email him at jneary@fs.fed.us.

Caribou hunt shut down

A registration hunt for caribou in the Macomb herd near Delta Junction has been closed by emergency order.

The harvest quota of 40 bulls was reached and state biologists determined that an emergency closure was needed to "prevent unsustainable harvest (that) could harm the long-term stability of the Macomb herd," according to a press release from state wildlife biologist Bob Schmidt.

Fish and Game aims to maintain a herd size of 600-800 animals.

Earlier, biologists decided that a conservative harvest of 40 bulls — 30 fewer than last year — would allow the herd to continue growing.

Top 10 at Seward Silver Salmon Derby

Quality trumped quantity in this year's Seward Silver Salmon Derby.

The number of fish entered in the 61st annual derby was down — way down — from last year.

A total of 517 fish were turned in, a dramatic drop from the 1,861 entered in 2015.

But on average this year's cohos were considerably bigger than last year, according to Cindy Clock, executive director of the Seward Chamber of Commerce.

They weighed a total of 4,940.92 pounds, she said — an average of 9.55 pounds per fish. Last year's haul weighed in at 13,626, an average of 7.32 pounds per fish.

Mike Hanson of Anchorage won this year's 10-day derby with a 16.22-pound fish. The 2015 winner, caught by Jerry Bixby of Soldotna, weighed 16.19 pounds.

Here are this year's top 10 anglers and their winnings.

Top 10 Seward Silver Salmon

1) Mike Hanson, 16.22 pounds, $10,000; 2) Howard Lazar, 16.18 pounds, $5,000; 3) Nick Hunter, 15.42 pounds; $2,500; 4) Darlene Neighbours, 14.97 pounds, $1,000 Cabela's gift card; 5) Jerry Soukup, 14.48 pounds, $750; 6) Michele Droege, 14.47 pounds, $500; 7) Darrell Lamping, 14.45 pounds, $500 Cabela's gift card; 8) Phil Collins, 14.41 pounds, $500 Cabela's gift card; 9) Paul Paquette, 14.24 pounds, $500 Cabela's gift card; 10) Dan Heji, 14.22 pounds, Alaska Sea Life Center family pass.