Unit 22B, Alaska

Eastern Seward Peninsula and southern Norton Sound coastal zone. Mixed terrain including the Darby, Bendeleben, and Kigluaik mountain ranges (peaks 2,000–4,000 ft), rolling tundra uplands, boreal shrub-tundra transition, and braided glacial river corridors. Major drainages include the Koyuk, Kwiniuk, Tubutulik, Niukluk, and Inglutalik rivers flowing south into Norton Sound. Coastal lowlands feature sedge-grass tundra and barrier beach systems. The Darby Mountains form the principal interior dividing feature splitting 22B East and West subunits.

No road access into the unit interior. All backcountry hunting access is by floatplane (wheeled or floats depending on season), jet boat or riverboat on major drainages during open water (June–October), or snowmachine in winter. Hub airports: Nome (scheduled jet service from Anchorage), with air charter operators in Nome serving the unit. Villages of Golovin, Koyuk, and White Mountain serve as staging points and permit pick-up locations. The unit is managed cooperatively as state and federal (BLM) public land, with Bering Land Bridge National Preserve adjacent to the north/northwest and significant BLM-administered lands throughout. Most accessible terrain is open public land.

Dominant vegetation is Low Arctic and subarctic tundra — dwarf shrub heath (Ericaceae), sedge-cottongrass tussock tundra, and wet meadow in lowlands. River corridors and south-facing slopes support tall shrub communities (alder, willow, dwarf birch) that are primary moose forage. Upland and mountain terrain is characterized by lichen-rich tundra important to caribou. Coastal areas include saltmarsh and beach rye grass. Limited stands of white spruce occur in sheltered river drainages near the eastern unit boundary.

Caribou: The Seward Peninsula herd historically collapsed by ~1900 but significant numbers from the Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WACH) reoccupied the peninsula beginning in 1996. WACH population was estimated at ~259,000 (2017) and ~244,000 (2019 census). Caribou presence in 22B is seasonal and variable — herds can winter on the central/eastern peninsula in large numbers or be entirely absent depending on the year. Migrations are generally westward in fall and eastward in spring. Moose: Population peaked at an estimated 7,000–10,000 animals across all of Unit 22 in the late 1980s; has since declined to an estimated 4,500–6,500 unit-wide due to nutritional stress and predation. Unit 22B moose primarily inhabit river-bottom willow-alder thickets and lower mountain slopes. Brown bears are a documented significant predator on moose calves. Muskox: Small but managed resident populations east of Darby Mountains and in remainder of 22B, with subsistence permit hunts.

Nonresidents have NO open moose season in Unit 22B remainder (west of Darby Mountains). In the east subunit (22B east of Darby Mtns, including Kwiniuk, Tubutulik, Koyuk, Inglutalik drainages), nonresidents may hunt by drawing permit (DM845) for one bull with 50-inch antlers or 4+ brow tines on at least one side, Nov 1–Dec 31. All nonresident moose hunters must complete the Nonresident Moose Hunter Orientation course before hunting. Resident moose hunters use registration permits (RM840 Sept 1–14, RM843 Jan 1–31) with harvest quotas announced and seasons closed by emergency order when quota reached. Federal subsistence rules (ANILCA) apply on federal lands — priority for rural Alaska residents. Subsistence muskox hunts open to Alaska residents only; aircraft may NOT be used to transport muskox hunters or gear in subsistence hunts. Caribou nonresident season (HT): 1 bull, Aug 1–Sept 30 (east subunit); resident permit (RC800): 15 bulls, no closed season (east subunit). Brown bear nonresident permit required (DB685 — surplus permits from ADF&G Nome office if drawing undersubscribed). All bear hunters: evidence of sex must remain attached to hide; nonresidents must be accompanied by a registered guide for brown/grizzly bear. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (NPS) lies adjacent — federal regulations also apply on Preserve lands, see pg. 8 of state regs.