States / AK / Unit 25C

Unit 25C, Alaska

Game found here

{"name": "Caribou", "herds": ["Western Arctic Herd", "Teshekpuk Herd"]}{"name": "Moose"}{"name": "Grizzly Bear"}{"name": "Wolf"}{"name": "Wolverine"}{"name": "Muskox"}{"name": "Dall Sheep"}

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Unit info

Game species: {"name": "Caribou", "herds": ["Western Arctic Herd", "Teshekpuk Herd"]}, {"name": "Moose"}, {"name": "Grizzly Bear"}, {"name": "Wolf"}, {"name": "Wolverine"}, {"name": "Muskox"}, {"name": "Dall Sheep"}
Group: N/A
Area: 5,142 mi²
Public land: 97%

wolf — season & harvest

Tag type: No tag/permit required; may be taken under hunting or trapping regulations. Sealing required for untanned skins.
General season: Year-round under hunting regulations in Unit 26A

Hunting notes

Incidental or targeted; wolves follow caribou herds throughout the unit.

Draw odds for wolfaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

Moose — season & harvest

Reported harvest: 40

Draw odds for Moosearen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

moose — season & harvest57% success

Hunter success57%

0%100%

Tag type: Harvest ticket (no drawing permit required for open areas)
Reported harvest: Average of 3 moose/year during RY2015–2019 (14 total over 5 years). Colville drainage minimum count 348 moose (2017).
General season: Unit 26A west of 156°00'W (excluding Colville drainage): Residents Aug 1–Sep 30 (any moose, not calf/accompanied cow). Unit 26A Colville drainage incl. Anaktuvuk: Residents Aug 1–Sep 3 (1 bull). No open season for nonresidents in any part of Unit 26A.

Hunting notes

Riparian corridor hunting along Colville, Chandler, and Anaktuvuk Rivers. Most hunters fly to Umiat then boat downriver. Sep rut concentrates bulls. Very low overall hunter numbers (avg 5/year during 2015–2019).

Draw odds for moosearen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

muskox — season & harvest

Tag type: Drawing permit (subsistence) — Alaska residents only
General season: Aug 1 – Mar 15 when drawing permits issued

Hunting notes

Walk-and-stalk on open tundra; herds observable from distance. Found near Teshekpuk Lake, Colville Delta, and coastal areas.

Draw odds for muskoxaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

Caribou — season & harvest

Reported harvest: 785

Draw odds for Caribouaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

caribou — season & harvest

Tag type: Registration permit RC907 (Units 23 and 26A) for WAH range; harvest ticket system for Teshekpuk herd areas. Unlimited permits available.
Reported harvest: WAH harvestable surplus estimated at ~7,300 total as of 2023 census. Historical subsistence harvest tracked by community survey; ~0.9 caribou/person/year for North Slope communities within TCH range.
General season: July 1 – June 30 (year-round state season in most of Unit 26A for residents). Nonresidents: year-round where open. Cow harvest Emergency Order closure in 26A Southwest effective 2024. Federal closure on Noatak NP federal lands Aug 1–Oct 31 to non-federally-qualified users.

Hunting notes

Walk-and-stalk or intercept hunting along migration corridors, river crossings, and insect-relief aggregation areas. Teshekpuk herd concentrates near Teshekpuk Lake and coastal areas Jul–Aug. WAH crosses the unit in fall migration. Float hunts on the Colville River are a common approach.

Draw odds for caribouaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

wolverine — season & harvest

Tag type: No tag required under hunting regulations; sealing required for untanned skins
General season: Open; check current ADF&G regulations for specific dates

Hunting notes

Incidental take or trapping; wide-ranging across the tundra.

Draw odds for wolverinearen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

dall_sheep — season & harvest

Tag type: Drawing permit (when open)
General season: CLOSED — State closed Unit 26A west of Etivluk River drainage to sheep hunting pending population recovery. Federal subsistence Dall sheep season also closed in portions of GMUs 23 and 26 as of July 1, 2024.

Hunting notes

Brooks Range foothills on southern margin of unit. Steep, rugged terrain requiring pack-in or helicopter spike camps.

Draw odds for dall_sheeparen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

grizzly_bear — season & harvest

Tag type: Locking tag (sealing required). Bear bait stations permitted in Unit 26A.
General season: No closed season (year-round).

Hunting notes

Incidental to caribou and moose hunts; also targeted hunts along river systems and coastal plain. Bears are active during caribou migration and berry season (Aug–Sep).

Draw odds for grizzly_beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.

Season & harvest data is published for wolf, Moose, moose, muskox, Caribou, caribou, wolverine, dall_sheep, grizzly_bear so far. {"name": "Caribou", "herds": ["Western Arctic Herd", "Teshekpuk Herd"]}, {"name": "Moose"}, {"name": "Grizzly Bear"}, {"name": "Wolf"}, {"name": "Wolverine"}, {"name": "Muskox"}, {"name": "Dall Sheep"} also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.

About this unit

AI-compiled · sourced

Unit 26A is Alaska's northernmost game management unit — a 56,000-square-mile Arctic expanse spanning the western North Slope from Cape Lisburne to just west of the Itkillik River drainage, encompassing the entirety of the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A) and portions of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The unit supports two distinct caribou herds (Teshekpuk and Western Arctic), a sparse moose population along the Colville River corridor, grizzly bears, wolves, wolverine, and huntable populations of muskox, making it one of Alaska's most remote and logistically demanding big-game destinations. Access is exclusively by floatplane or helicopter to remote gravel bars and airstrips; there are no road connections, and the unit is open to nonresidents for caribou but requires a licensed guide for moose, bear, and Dall sheep.

Terrain & elevation

Arctic coastal plain, tundra wetlands, and river corridors. The unit extends from the Arctic Ocean coast southward across the continuous North Slope tundra to the Brooks Range foothills and Gates of the Arctic. Permafrost underlies the entire unit to depths exceeding 660 m at Prudhoe Bay. Surface features include ice-wedge polygons, oriented thermokarst lakes, pingos, peat ridges, and frost boils. Drainages west of the Colville River are sluggish and meandering; the Colville itself is a ~350-mile river offering the primary riparian moose corridor. Coastal habitats between Cape Halkett and Barrow serve as insect-relief aggregation areas for caribou. Elevation ranges from sea level to Brooks Range foothills (~3,000 ft) at the southern margin. The unit includes Teshekpuk Lake, a major landmark and caribou calving and insect-relief area.

Access & public land

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Vegetation & habitat

Sedge-tussock tundra dominates the coastal plain and foothills. Willow shrub lands concentrate along river drainages and provide primary moose browse and key grizzly foraging habitat. Dryas tundra on ridges and exposed slopes. Wet sedge meadows and polygon marshes widespread across flat terrain. The Brooks Range foothills transition zone supports alpine heath and sparse shrub vegetation. No boreal forest — the treeline lies south of the unit boundary.

Wildlife movement

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Notes

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Sources

Questions, tips & discussion

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Boundaries: ADFG official Game Management Units. Community info last updated 24d ago.