Unit 24B, Alaska

Interior boreal taiga transitioning to arctic tundra; flat to rolling wetland lowlands along the Koyukuk, Kanuti, and Kilolitna rivers; spruce-birch forest on drier slopes; extensive muskeg and lake complexes in lowlands; Brooks Range foothills in northern 24B with alpine tundra and previously glaciated valleys; unit straddles the Arctic Circle (~66.5°N)

No road access to any part of the unit interior. Primary access: floatplane charter from Fairbanks or Bettles (Bettles is the closest hub, ~175 air miles north of Fairbanks); summer river travel by motorboat on Koyukuk River mainstem and tributaries; winter snowmachine travel on frozen rivers and tundra. The Koyukuk Controlled Use Area and Kanuti Controlled Use Area (1,885 mi² of 24B) prohibit use of aircraft for moose hunting or transporting moose hunters/gear — aircraft may only move processed meat and hunters between publicly-owned airports. All hunters passing ADF&G check stations on the Koyukuk River must stop and report. Public lands: Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge (primary), Koyukuk NWR portions, Gates of the Arctic NP&P (northern fringe), BLM. Unit is ~95%+ public land.

Dominant cover: black spruce and white spruce boreal forest on uplands; willow-alder shrub thickets along river bars and floodplains (prime moose habitat); sedge-tussock tundra and muskeg in lowland basins; birch-aspen mix on well-drained slopes; alpine tundra and lichen-heath above treeline in Brooks Range foothills. Approx. 21,000+ lakes and ponds dot the lowlands. The unit sits at the transition zone where boreal taiga gives way northward to open Arctic tundra.

Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WACH) uses Unit 24B as a primary winter range; caribou migrate south from North Slope summer range through Brooks Range passes (Aug–Oct) and winter in Koyukuk/Kanuti lowlands (Nov–Mar), then return north in spring. WACH population: estimated 164,000 animals (2022 ADF&G census), down from a peak of ~490,000 in 2003 — a ~67% decline over 20 years; herd stabilizing but still under management concern. Moose are year-round residents concentrated along river corridors and willow-alder flats. Brown and black bears follow salmon in late summer. Wolves track moose and caribou throughout the year.

SUBSISTENCE PRIORITY: Federal subsistence priority applies on all federal public lands (Kanuti NWR, Koyukuk NWR, Gates of the Arctic) under ANILCA — rural qualified users have priority over all other users. State subsistence priority applies on remaining state lands for rural residents. WACH CARIBOU LIMITS (2024 state action): Subsistence hunters in Unit 24B are now limited to 15 caribou/year (down from 5/day), only one of which may be a cow — the single most important management restriction given the herd's decline. NON-RESIDENT CARIBOU: Open season Aug 1–Sept 30, bag limit 1 bull, harvest ticket required (24B Remainder); Kanuti-Kilolitna drainage: Aug 10–Sept 30, 1 caribou, harvest ticket. NON-RESIDENT MOOSE: General season Sept 5–Sept 25; bag limit 1 bull with 50-inch antlers or 4+ brow tines on at least one side; harvest ticket required. KOYUKUK/KANUTI CUAs: No aircraft use for moose hunting; bone-in meat requirement until transported out of area. RM833 REGISTRATION HUNT: Unit 24B & 24C winter moose, available to residents and nonresidents; registration permit, no cap unless harvest goal triggers emergency closure. INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT: Unit 24B moose was under an intensive management program (expired ~2018) aimed at increasing moose populations for human consumptive use. DALL SHEEP: Present in John River/Glacier River drainages (northern 24B in Brooks Range foothills); residents: 3 sheep (only 1 ewe), Aug 1–Apr 30; non-residents: 1 ram full-curl, Aug 10–Sept 20.