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Alaska

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Alaska Subunit Finder

Answer six questions and get Alaska game management subunits ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and ADF&G harvest history.

How the Alaska finder works

ADF&G reports hunters and harvest by game management subunit. This tool scores all 73 subunits using ADF&G harvest reports for regulatory years 2021–2025 (moose, caribou, Dall sheep, mountain goat, muskox, bison and elk) and Sitka black-tailed deer harvest by unit, USGS land-cover (NLCD 2016 Alaska) and elevation data, and the share of public land such as state land, national wildlife refuges, BLM land and national preserves.

Season fit uses each unit's pages in the 2026–2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations: general harvest-ticket seasons and registration, drawing, Tier II and community hunts by subunit, with resident and nonresident seasons named. Brown/grizzly bear, black bear and wolf are ranked without harvest. Grouse, ptarmigan and waterfowl are ranked by borough with the small game regulations and the 2026–2027 Migratory Game Bird regulations.

Species covered

  • Black-tailed deer
  • Elk
  • Moose
  • Caribou
  • Dall sheep
  • Mountain goat
  • Bison
  • Muskox
  • Black bear
  • Brown/grizzly bear
  • Gray wolf

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Forest grouse
  • Ptarmigan

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Sandhill crane
  • Tundra swan

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

Alaska hunting FAQ

Which Alaska units have the most moose harvest?

Unit 18 (the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta) leads ADF&G's 2021–2025 reported moose harvest with about 1,080 a year, followed by Units 14A (Matanuska Valley), 20A (south of Fairbanks), 20B and 13A.

Where do hunters take the most caribou in Alaska?

Units 25C and 20B (Fortymile herd), 26B (Central Arctic herd on the North Slope) and 23 (Western Arctic herd) lead the reported caribou harvest. Fortymile hunts are registration permits with dates announced by ADF&G.

Where are the best Dall sheep units?

Unit 12 (Tok and the Alaska Range), 20A, 11 (Wrangell Mountains) and 26C (eastern Brooks Range) lead the 2021–2025 sheep harvest. General season sheep are full-curl rams, Aug. 10–Sept. 20, and nonresidents need a guide.

Can nonresidents hunt brown bear in Alaska?

Yes, but nonresidents must hunt brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep and mountain goat with a registered guide or a close relative who is an Alaska resident.

Alaska harvest leaders

The game management subunits with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

Black-tailed deer (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 04Z Unit 4: 4,880 per year
  2. Subunit 08Z Unit 8: 4,385 per year
  3. Subunit 02Z Unit 2: 1,820 per year
  4. Subunit 06D Unit 6D: 1,491 per year
  5. Subunit 03Z Unit 3: 977 per year

Elk (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 08Z Unit 8: 104 per year, 38% success
  2. Subunit 03Z Unit 3: 4 per year, 7% success

Moose (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 18Z Unit 18: 1,077 per year, 56% success
  2. Subunit 14A Unit 14A: 462 per year, 17% success
  3. Subunit 20A Unit 20A: 461 per year, 28% success
  4. Subunit 20B Unit 20B: 334 per year, 15% success
  5. Subunit 13A Unit 13A: 238 per year, 17% success

Caribou (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 25C Unit 25C: 987 per year, 34% success
  2. Subunit 26B Unit 26B: 804 per year, 48% success
  3. Subunit 23Z Unit 23: 470 per year, 77% success
  4. Subunit 20B Unit 20B: 261 per year, 28% success
  5. Subunit 25A Unit 25A: 260 per year, 69% success

Dall sheep (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 12Z Unit 12: 88 per year, 26% success
  2. Subunit 20A Unit 20A: 48 per year, 27% success
  3. Subunit 11Z Unit 11: 43 per year, 29% success
  4. Subunit 26C Unit 26C: 35 per year, 47% success
  5. Subunit 25A Unit 25A: 31 per year, 31% success

Mountain goat (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 08Z Unit 8: 288 per year, 45% success
  2. Subunit 06D Unit 6D: 63 per year, 54% success
  3. Subunit 01C Unit 1C: 43 per year, 59% success
  4. Subunit 01A Unit 1A: 36 per year, 71% success
  5. Subunit 04Z Unit 4: 32 per year, 45% success

Bison (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 20D Unit 20D: 57 per year, 79% success
  2. Subunit 19C Unit 19C: 16 per year, 91% success
  3. Subunit 11Z Unit 11: 8 per year, 73% success
  4. Subunit 13D Unit 13D: 4 per year, 87% success

Muskox (2021–2025 average)

  1. Subunit 18Z Unit 18: 37 per year, 98% success
  2. Subunit 22C Unit 22C: 19 per year, 96% success
  3. Subunit 22D Unit 22D: 7 per year, 85% success
  4. Subunit 22A Unit 22A: 6 per year, 83% success
  5. Subunit 26B Unit 26B: 6 per year, 77% success