States / AK / Unit 25D

Unit 25D, Alaska

Game found here

cariboumoosedall_sheepgrizzly_bearblack_bearwolfwolverine

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Unit info

Game species: caribou, moose, dall_sheep, grizzly_bear, black_bear, wolf, wolverine
Group: N/A
Area: 17,463 mi²
Public land: 92%

wolf — season & harvest

Tag type: Harvest ticket (HT); no locking tag required for non-residents
Reported harvest: Not published at 25D level
Archery season: Legal during season
General season: Residents and non-residents (all of Unit 25): ten wolves, Aug 1–Apr 30
Muzzleloader season: Legal during season

Hunting notes

Incidental to other hunts or targeted late-season on frozen river corridors by snowmachine. 10-wolf bag limit is exceptionally generous. Hides must be sealed within 30 days of kill. No locking tag required for non-residents.

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: 38

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

moose — season & harvest

Tag type: Harvest ticket (HT) for 25D remainder. Resident-only permit TM940 (targeted) for western 25D sub-zone west of Preacher/Birch/Hadweenzik line.
Reported harvest: Not published at 25D level
Archery season: No separate archery season designated for 25D remainder
General season: Residents (25D remainder): one bull Sept 10–Sept 20 AND Feb 18–Feb 28 (HT). Non-residents (25D remainder): one bull with 50-inch antlers OR 4+ brow tines on at least one side, Sept 10–Sept 20 only. Western 25D sub-zone: residents only, one bull permit TM940 Aug 25–Feb 28.
Muzzleloader season: No separate muzzleloader season

Hunting notes

Hunt riparian willow and alder corridors along Yukon River tributaries during the September rut. Calling (cow calls, bull grunts, antler raking against willows) is highly effective. Most hunters glass from elevated gravel bars or locate bulls by bush plane, then land and stalk. Meat packing from remote 25D is logistically demanding — factor 600+ lbs dressed weight and distance to nearest usable airstrip. February season offers a second window for resident hunters on rutting-recovery bulls in deep snow.

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

Caribou — season & harvest

Reported harvest: 6

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: Harvest ticket (HT) — self-issued, no application required. Non-residents limited to two bulls only.
Reported harvest: Porcupine Herd harvest objective per management plan: 1,500-2,000 caribou annually across Units 25A/25B/25D/26C. Unit 25D subunit harvest not published separately.
Archery season: No separate archery season; archery equipment legal during general season
General season: Residents (25D remainder): July 1 – April 30, up to 10 caribou of either sex (HT). Non-residents (25D remainder): Aug 1 – Sept 30, two bulls only (HT). Special sub-area: 25D drained by west fork of Dall River west of 150° W long — residents Aug 10–Mar 31 one caribou; non-residents Aug 10–Sept 30 one caribou.
Muzzleloader season: No separate muzzleloader season; muzzleloader legal during general season

Hunting notes

Glassing tundra river corridors and ridgelines during fall migration. Porcupine Herd animals move south through 25D in September-October. Hunters establish spike camps on gravel bars or tundra benches accessed by floatplane, glassing drainages from high ground. Float hunts down Chandalar or Porcupine River tributaries feasible for resident hunters. Meat-packing logistics are significant in remote country.

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: Harvest ticket (HT)
Reported harvest: Not published at 25D level
Archery season: Legal during season
General season: Residents and non-residents (all of Unit 25): one wolverine, Sept 1–Mar 31
Muzzleloader season: Legal during season

Hunting notes

Rare, challenging, and largely incidental. Targeted by trappers on snowmachine in winter. Very low encounter rates for hunters. Hides must be sealed within 30 days of kill.

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

black_bear — season & harvest

Tag type: Harvest ticket (HT)
Reported harvest: Not published at 25D level
Archery season: Legal year-round
General season: Residents and non-residents (25B/25C/25D): five bears, no closed season
Muzzleloader season: Legal year-round

Hunting notes

Resident and non-resident hunt available. Black bears are widespread across boreal lowlands and berry patches. No closed season allows hunting year-round. Often incidentally encountered during caribou or moose hunts. No guide requirement for non-residents.

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

dall_sheep — season & harvest

Tag type: Harvest ticket (HT) — self-issued. Sheep Hunter Orientation course required before general season hunt.
Reported harvest: Not published at 25D level
Archery season: No separate archery season; archery legal during general season
General season: Youth hunt only Aug 1–Aug 5 (residents and non-residents). Residents: one ram full-curl or larger Aug 10–Sept 20. Non-residents: one ram full-curl or larger every four regulatory years, Aug 10–Sept 20.
Muzzleloader season: No separate muzzleloader season

Hunting notes

Backpack or spike-camp hunts into Brooks Range foothills along northern unit margin. Glass high basins and ridgelines for legal rams. Season opens Aug 10, coinciding with the best early-season weather window. Full-curl rams are the legal standard. Non-residents must count on rams carefully — one ram every four regulatory years is a severe constraint on repeat hunts. Sheep Hunter Orientation course now required for all hunters in Aug 10–Sept 20 general season.

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: Harvest ticket (HT). No resident locking-tag required. Non-resident locking tag required.
Reported harvest: Not published at 25D level
Archery season: No separate archery season; archery legal during general season
General season: Residents (25D): Two bears every regulatory year — July 1–Nov 30 AND Mar 1–June 30. Non-residents (25D): One bear every regulatory year — Sept 1–Nov 30 AND Mar 1–June 15.
Muzzleloader season: No separate muzzleloader season

Hunting notes

Targeted spring hunts (March–June) on open slopes as bears emerge from dens, or fall hunts during caribou migration. Bears concentrate along river corridors during salmon runs, in berry patches late summer, and on caribou migration routes. Evidence of sex must remain naturally attached to hide. No resident locking tag required; locking tag required for non-residents.

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

About this unit

AI-compiled · sourced

Unit 25D is a vast interior Alaska unit — the "remainder" of GMU 25 — centered on the Yukon Flats lowlands and the southern Brooks Range foothills north of Fairbanks, encompassing the Yukon River corridor between Stevens Village/Fort Hamlin and Fort Yukon/Chalkyitsik. It holds huntable populations of Dall sheep, moose, grizzly bear, black bear, caribou (primarily Porcupine Herd), wolf, and wolverine across a mosaic of boreal spruce forest, muskeg, tundra, and the dramatic northern Brooks Range front. Access is overwhelmingly by bush aircraft or the Yukon River, with the Dalton Highway corridor touching the western margin; portions of the unit lie within the Dalton Highway Corridor Management Area (DHCMA) with added restrictions.

Terrain & elevation

Unit 25D is the remainder of GMU 25 after subunits 25A, 25B, and 25C are defined. It occupies the broad Yukon Flats basin — roughly 40,000 small lakes, meandering rivers, black-spruce muskeg, and upland birch-spruce forest — bordered on the north by the southern ramparts of the Brooks Range. Elevations range from ~300 ft on the Yukon River flats to 4,000-6,000 ft in the Brooks Range foothills. Key drainages include the Chandalar River (middle reaches), Hodzana River below the Narrows, Hadweenzik River, and many lesser tributaries. The Yukon River bisects the unit east-west. Villages within or adjacent: Stevens Village, Fort Hamlin, Beaver, Venetie, and the western outskirts of Fort Yukon.

Access & public land

Overwhelmingly fly-in or river-based. No paved road access to the interior; the Dalton Highway clips the far western margin (DHCMA boundary near MP 56-97). Bush aircraft (Super Cub on tundra tires or floats, Cessna 185, Beaver on floats) is the standard access method, landing on gravel bars, tundra strips, or lakes. The Yukon River provides summer boat access from Fort Yukon or downriver villages. Snowmachine travel is common for winter/spring subsistence hunters. Public land exceeds 90% of the unit: Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge covers the eastern core (~8.6 million acres), BLM lands in the western DHCMA corridor, and scattered state and Native corporation parcels. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to 25A (eastern neighbor). Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve lies west across the Dalton. No commercial road network; hunting logistics require air charter from Fairbanks or Fort Yukon as hub airports.

Vegetation & habitat

Three main zones: (1) Yukon Flats lowlands — vast wetland-lake complex with black spruce, sedge tussock, alder, and willow; critical moose habitat. (2) Upland boreal forest — white and black spruce, birch, aspen on well-drained slopes. (3) Brooks Range foothills along northern unit edge — open alpine tundra, talus, dwarf shrub; primary Dall sheep habitat. Permafrost underlies most of the lowlands.

Wildlife movement

Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH) is the primary caribou herd transiting 25D. PCH population was approximately 218,000 in the last full census (2017); classified as stable but recent aerial surveys suggest possible decline. The PCH calves on the Arctic NWR coastal plain and winters in boreal forests of 25A, 25B, 25D, and adjacent Canada, migrating through 25D in fall southward into boreal winter ranges. Dall sheep inhabit the northern Brooks Range ridgelines along the unit's northern margin. Moose are resident year-round in riparian willows and boreal lowlands. Grizzly bears present spring through autumn, concentrating on river fish runs, berry fields, and caribou migration corridors.

Notes

SUBSISTENCE: The Porcupine Caribou Herd has a formal positive customary and traditional use finding for residents of Arctic Village, Venetie, Fort Yukon, Beaver, Chalkyitsik, Birch Creek, Stevens Village, Circle, and Eagle Village — these communities hold federal subsistence priority for PCH caribou on federal public lands. Yukon Flats NWR federal subsistence regulations may impose additional restrictions beyond state rules. NON-RESIDENT RESTRICTIONS: Must be accompanied by a licensed Alaska guide OR an Alaska resident (2nd degree of kindred) to hunt grizzly bear or Dall sheep. Non-resident moose hunters must complete ADF&G Nonresident Moose Hunter Orientation course before hunting — proof required in field. Non-resident moose in 25D remainder: antler restriction (50-inch spread OR 4+ brow tines) applies; no February season for NR. Non-resident caribou: 2 bulls only, Aug 1-Sept 30, harvest ticket. DHCMA: Western fringe of 25D within Dalton Highway Corridor Management Area has additional motorized restrictions (see ADF&G reg book p. 104). MEAT CARE: Caribou and moose taken before Oct 1 must remain on bones of front quarters, hindquarters, and ribs until out of field. CARIBOU HERD STATUS: Porcupine Herd ~218,000 as of 2017 census; a new census was conducted in 2026 — check ADF&G for updated management status before season. Western Arctic Herd (not in this unit) is in critical decline at 121,000 animals.

Sources

Species guides

caribou →moose →

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