Unit 01A, Alaska

Coastal temperate rainforest (Tongass National Forest) covering nearly all of the unit. Prince of Wales Island features fjords, steep forested ridges rising 2,000–3,500 ft, karst limestone formations, muskeg flats, and clear-cut openings at various stages of regeneration. Revillagigedo Island (Ketchikan area) has near-vertical fjord walls reaching 2,000–3,000 ft. Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness (2.14 million acres, ~2,143,000 acres designated wilderness) lies on the mainland east of Revillagigedo. Mountain peaks in the unit top out around 4,000–5,000 ft. Dominant vegetation: Sitka spruce, western hemlock, red cedar understory with dense devil's club and blueberry. Alpine tundra zones above treeline provide early-season deer and goat habitat.

Prince of Wales Island is accessed via the Inter-Island Ferry Authority (daily Ketchikan–Hollis crossing, ~3 hours) or scheduled floatplane/wheeled aircraft service to Klawock Airport (20–30 min from Ketchikan). Once on the island, over 1,500 miles of logging roads (mostly gravel) provide vehicle access deep into the unit — one of the most road-accessible remote Alaska hunting units in existence. ATV rentals available locally; U.S. Forest Service rental cabins serve as backcountry base camps. Mainland portions (including Misty Fjords) require floatplane or boat. Public land: Tongass National Forest covers the vast majority of Prince of Wales Island and all of the Misty Fjords National Monument; public land estimated at 95%+. USFS Ketchikan–Misty Fjords Ranger District encompasses ~3.25 million acres in this area.

Old-growth Sitka spruce–western hemlock rainforest with western red cedar. Dense understory of devil's club, blueberry, and salal. Muskeg bogs and meadows provide important deer and bear feeding areas. Clear-cut openings (from historical Tongass timber harvest) create early-succession browse habitat that historically supported high deer densities; these are now maturing and closing canopy. Alpine tundra/heather above treeline. Karst limestone cave systems on Prince of Wales Island are significant ecologically (Alexander Archipelago wolf, Prince of Wales flying squirrel are endemic island species).

Sitka black-tailed deer exhibit classic altitudinal migration: summer range in alpine/subalpine zones (above 1,500 ft), descending to lower-elevation old-growth and muskeg forest in late October through winter. Rut peaks late October–November when bucks are most active and vocal. Average migration distance ~5 miles vertical. Post-logging habitat on POW is degrading — projected 50–60% habitat capability decline by 2054 as previously logged stands enter closed-canopy stages with reduced browse. Black bear density on POW and Revillagigedo is among the highest in North America; concentrated near salmon streams in August–September. Wolves are distributed throughout both islands and mainland, serving as primary deer predator alongside bears. Moose occur at very low densities in Unuk and Chickamin River mainland drainages; 10-year mean annual harvest is approximately 2 bulls at ~13% hunter success.

No brown bears on Prince of Wales Island or Revillagigedo Island — black bear only on both islands. Brown bear may occur in mainland drainages. Non-resident black bear hunters NOT accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide or qualified resident relative (2nd degree of kindred) may require a drawing permit (DL018-type) in some subunits — verify current requirement in GMU 1 regs. Non-resident brown bear hunting statewide requires a licensed Alaska guide or qualifying resident relative. Mountain goat hunts are draw-only (DG005, DG006, DG008 cover 1A areas including Revillagigedo I. Achilles Mt., Revillagigedo I. Deer Mt., and Cleveland Peninsula). Deer: harvest ticket required; bag limit 4 bucks (residents and non-residents), season August 1–December 31 for most of 1A. Wolves: open season August 1–May 31 with no bag limit statewide in Southeast. Moose: residents only in Unit 1A given extremely low density; check current regs. Subsistence: federal subsistence priority applies on federal public lands (Tongass NF) for rural residents; state subsistence applies on state lands. POW has historically high levels of unreported deer harvest (estimated equal to reported harvest). Illegal/unreported harvest is a known management concern. Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness — hunting is permitted within national monument wilderness areas under USFS jurisdiction.