Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
August 2025

Mountain Goats in Alaska
Why sex matters

Hunters should be able to tell the difference between male and female mountain goats. If they can, and they target billy goats instead of nannies, goat numbers will likely grow.

That’s the reason for the new requirement that anyone hunting mountain goats in Alaska must pass the Mountain Goat Identification Quiz prior to hunting. This has already been required in some of Alaska’s game management units but now applies to all goat hunts. Fish and Game provides excellent ...   Mountain Goats Article Continued

Why do we Only See Pigeons in Town?
Ask a Wildlife Biologist

“Were pigeons deliberately introduced to Alaska? Why do we only see them in towns? I never see them in the wild.”

Pigeons were introduced to North America in the 1600s the same way dogs, goats and cats were introduced – as domesticated animals. They were domesticated at least 5,000 years ago in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, and have moved around the world as people moved. They were kept for food, as pets, and for their remarkable homing ability, which ...   Pigeons in Town? Article Continued