Unit 19A, Alaska

Low-elevation boreal forest and riparian shrublands dominate the Kuskokwim River valley floor, transitioning to rolling tundra uplands and low hill ranges away from the river. The unit lies below the Alaska Range foothills; elevation relief is modest compared to adjacent units. Braided river channels, oxbow lakes, and black-spruce muskegs typify the interior flats. Small isolated ridges in the eastern portion of the unit provide marginal Dall sheep habitat.

No road system connects Unit 19A to the state highway network. Primary access is via the Kuskokwim River (navigable by motorized skiff late June through October) and by chartered floatplane or wheeled-aircraft service. Key hub communities include Aniak (State-owned 6,000-ft asphalt airstrip, scheduled jet service from Bethel/Anchorage), Crooked Creek, Chuathbaluk, Lower Kalskag, and Upper Kalskag, all reachable by scheduled commuter air or river travel. In winter, the frozen Kuskokwim River serves as an ice road for snowmachine travel. The unit is approximately 23% federal public land (21% BLM, 2% USFWS); the remainder is state and Alaska Native corporation lands. No designated national parks or refuges fall within 19A's core boundary, though the broader Unit 19 region borders Togiak NWR to the southwest.

Dominant vegetation is boreal white and black spruce forest interspersed with extensive river-bottom willow, alder, and cottonwood riparian zones — prime moose browse. Wet sedge meadows, tussock tundra, and muskeg bogs cover low-lying terrain between river drainages. Upland areas support dwarf birch and Labrador tea. The productive riparian corridors along the George, Holokuk, Oskawalik, and lower Kuskokwim River reach historically supported the highest moose densities in the unit.

Moose in Unit 19A are year-round residents, concentrating along the Kuskokwim River corridor and tributary drainages in fall and moving to upland spruce stands in winter. Current management objective is 7,600–9,300 moose in Unit 19A; the current estimated population is approximately 5,500, well below objective — hence the ongoing predator-control program and restrictive Tier II permit structure. The Mulchatna Caribou Herd (MCH) historically migrated through Units 19A, 19B, 9B, 17, and 18; the herd collapsed from a peak of ~200,000 to a low near 12,000 in 2022 and was estimated at 16,276 in 2025 (goal 30,000–80,000). All MCH harvest has been closed since 2021; RC503 permits show no open season as of 2026–27. Brown bears are present unit-wide; grizzly/brown bear density is moderate and an ADF&G-authorized bear-reduction program removed 64 bears from a 534-sq-mi focus area along the Kuskokwim River in one control period. Wolves are actively managed under a predator-control program in effect since 2004.

SUBSISTENCE PRIORITY: Unit 19A has strong subsistence protections. Brown bear subsistence registration hunts (RB601) are available to residents downstream of and including the Aniak River drainage; permits available in Galena, Fairbanks, and McGrath beginning July 8. The Holitna-Hoholitna Controlled Use Area (State Restricted Area 2) limits motorized boat horsepower on the Holitna, Titnuk, and Hoholitna rivers Aug 1–Nov 1. NONRESIDENT RESTRICTIONS: State Restricted Area 5 closes large portions of Unit 19A, 19B, and 19E to moose and caribou hunting by nonresidents within 2 miles of specified rivers including the Holitna, Titnuk, Hoholitna, Aniak, Salmon, Kipchuk, Owhat, Kolmakof, Holokuk, Veahna Creek, Oskawalik, Crooked Creek (to Crevice Creek), George River (to South Fork), Buckstock, Doestock, Aniak Slough, and the Kuskokwim River from the Holitna mouth downriver to the Unit 18 boundary. MOOSE (TM680): Residents-only Tier II permit hunt; 250 permits available for 2026, season Aug 25–Sept 20; one antlered bull; moose meat must remain on the bone until out of the field. CARIBOU (RC503 Mulchatna): No open season — herd under intensive recovery management; all harvest closed since 2021. SHEEP: Youth-only hunt in 19A/19B (Aug 1–5, one full-curl ram); very limited opportunity. PREDATOR CONTROL: Active wolf and bear reduction programs are in place under intensive management (5 AAC 92.123); a portion of the unit is within a predator-control area — check hunt.alaska.gov for current special regulations.