ADF&G plans to increase food security by relocating deer to Kenai Peninsula

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A plan to bring Sitka black-tailed deer back to the southern Kenai Peninsula is moving ahead this fall.

This move comes as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has focused on identifying ways to maintain and increase food security throughout Alaska, specifically through the harvest of wild game animals.

The goal of the project is to evaluate how well an introduced deer population in a new area and potentially add another big game species to the Kenai Peninsula.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game plans to capture up to 25 deer from the Kodiak Archipelago between September and October. Animals selected for translocation will be adult bucks without fawns at the time of capture.

While exact release sites are still being researched, the deer will be released on land south of Kachemak Bay.

Once the deer are released, they will be monitored through GPS collars. If the transplant is successful, additional transplants of the deer may happen in the future.

There is currently no hunting season for deer anywhere on the Kenai Peninsula, and people are encouraged to report any deer sightings to the Soldotna (907-262-9368) or Homer ADF&G office (907-235-1725).

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