Unit 02Z, Alaska

Rugged island terrain rising steeply from sea level to 4,650 ft (Admiralty) and 5,390 ft (Baranof). Lower slopes are dense Sitka spruce-western hemlock old-growth rainforest with devil''s club, blueberry, and salmonberry understory. Muskeg openings and stream corridors break the canopy at mid-elevations. Upper slopes transition to subalpine shrub and alpine tundra. Admiralty Island spans ~90 miles long and 35 miles wide with more than 5,000 miles of combined unit shoreline across all ABC Islands.

No road system on Admiralty Island. Primary access by floatplane (~30 min from Juneau) or chartered boat/skiff. Alaska Marine Highway serves Angoon (the only community on Admiralty). Approximately 90 percent of unit uplands is Tongass National Forest; Admiralty Island National Monument (Kootznoowoo Wilderness) covers nearly one million acres. Thirteen USFS public-use cabins available on Admiralty via advance reservation. Boats provide excellent shoreline access to bays and inlets throughout the unit.

Old-growth Sitka spruce and western hemlock rainforest dominant below ~2,000 ft; understory of devil''s club, blueberry, huckleberry, salmonberry. Muskeg openings provide meadow forage. Alpine tundra and rocky ridgelines above ~2,500 ft. Salmon streams critical brown bear habitat. Annual precipitation varies 40–200 inches across unit; mild maritime climate year-round.

Sitka black-tailed deer: Year-round residents. Alpine bucks move to low-elevation old-growth and beach fringe during winter snows (Nov–Feb). Rut occurs late Oct through Nov, peak activity. Deep snow winters concentrate deer in large timber stands and can cause significant die-off. No wolves or wolf packs established on ABC Islands, limiting deer predation. Unit 4 population estimated 80,000–125,000 animals; Juneau residents harvest ~32% of Unit 4 deer, primarily from Admiralty shores. Brown bears: ~1,600 bears on Admiralty alone (~1 bear/sq mi), one of the highest densities in North America. Bears use salmon streams in fall and alpine areas in summer. Annual unit-wide harvest averages 120+ bears, with ~40% from Admiralty, ~40% from Chichagof, remainder from Baranof/Kruzof. Annual mortality guideline of 172 bears over 3-year average (Brown Bear Management Strategy).

Dual regulatory framework: hunters must comply with both ADF&G state regulations AND U.S. Forest Service federal subsistence regulations. Federal restrictions apply on National Monument/Kootznoowoo Wilderness lands. Brown bear closed areas on Admiralty Island: (1) Seymour Canal Closed Area — all drainages into NW Seymour Canal between Staunch Point and tip of peninsula separating Swan Cove and King Salmon Bay, including Swan and Windfall islands; (2) Salt Lake Closed Area — all lands within 1/4 mile of Salt Lake above Klutchman Rock at head of Mitchell Bay; (3) Mitchell Bay Closed Area — Mitchell Bay, Kootznahoo Inlet, Kanalku Bay, Favorite Bay and all land within 660 ft of mean high tide; (4) Pack Creek/Stan Price Wildlife Sanctuary — closed to bear hunting since 1934 (expanded 1984), ~95 sq mi around Pack Creek on eastern Admiralty; (5) Greens Creek Mine Closed Area — road system closed to wheeled vehicle hunting access. Brown bear: Nonresidents must be accompanied by an Alaska-licensed registered guide (registration permit RB077 fall, RB088 spring) or by a resident relative within second degree of kindred (drawing permit DB077/DB088). Bag limit is one bear every four regulatory years. Deer on federal lands within National Monument may have additional federal restrictions. No established wolf packs or black bears on Admiralty Island. Mountain goat found on Baranof Island only within Unit 4 (not Admiralty); Baranof goat population ~1,500 animals.