Unit 03Z, Alaska

Coastal temperate rainforest dominated by Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and Alaska yellow cedar, with muskeg bogs and dense alder-devil''s-club understory at low elevations. Elevations range 0–3,937 ft. Large tidal flats and estuary sedge meadows line the coastlines. Clearcut logging has created extensive early-successional browse habitat that benefits deer and moose. No glaciated terrain within the unit.

Primary access by boat and skiff from the communities of Petersburg (Mitkof Island) and Wrangell (Wrangell Island), both served by Alaska Airlines jet service and Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. Island road systems on Mitkof, Wrangell, and Kupreanof (Lindenberg Peninsula) allow vehicle-based hunting. Skiff or charter boat required for Kuiu, Kupreanof interior, Etolin, Zarembo, and Kashevarof islands. Float-equipped aircraft provide access to remote bays. Same-day airborne hunting of deer is permitted. Forest Service public-use cabins throughout the unit serve as base camps. Nearly all land is Tongass National Forest (USFS) or state/tribal; private parcels are small. Road system closures: 1/4-mile strips each side of Stikine (Zimovia) Hwy from MM 12.0 to TNF boundary; Mitkof Hwy MM 8.75–17.22; Blind Slough MM 15.1–18.4; Petersburg Creek drainage (black bear only); Wrangell Road System — all closed to big game.

Tongass National Forest old-growth conifer — Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Alaska yellow cedar — with extensive muskeg, riparian alder, and coastal sedge/grass meadows. Historic and ongoing timber harvest has created early-successional shrub communities (alder, willow, elderberry) that provide important browse for deer and moose. Tidal flats and estuaries provide nutrient-rich grass/sedge foraging for deer and bears in spring and fall.

Sitka black-tailed deer are year-round residents; populations fluctuate significantly with severe winter snowfall events — the winters of 2006–2009 caused a prolonged population decline below objectives. Wolves colonized the unit following post-glacial deer colonization and freely move between islands via short water crossings and from the mainland; estimated 125–385 wolves in approximately 23 packs. Moose began colonizing Unit 3 islands in the late 1970s and continue expanding; moose have become an increasingly important prey item for wolves. Small numbers of brown bears occur on islands near the mainland separated by short water crossings. Roosevelt elk are restricted to Etolin Island and Zarembo Island permit areas. Mountain goat occur in limited alpine areas. Deer population objective: 15,000; harvest objective: 900.

Unit 03Z is the ADF&G designation for GMU 3 as an undivided unit (''Z'' suffix = no subunits). Geographic scope: islands west of Unit 1B, north of Unit 2, south of Frederick Sound centerline, east of Chatham Strait centerline. NOTE: The Glacier Bay / Skagway area is covered by Unit 1D, not Unit 3Z — they are distinct units. Brown bear: residents only, one bear per regulatory year by permit (RB065 Sept 15–Dec 31; RB075 Mar 15–May 31); nonresidents: no open season. Black bear nonresidents on Kuiu/Kupreanof require guide or second-degree of kindred (HT) or draw permit (DL029/DL030); remainder of unit nonresidents one bear HT Sept 1–Jun 30. Deer on Zarembo Island closed to nonresidents. Wolf subsistence: positive C&T determination; no subsistence-specific season; classified as general hunt for residents. Federal subsistence does not apply within this unit (no National Park or Preserve). Moose: positive C&T determination; subsistence amount set at 40 moose/year from Units 1B and 3 combined.