DB115 and 3 more: Alaska brown bear draw hunts, Unit 8, Sturgeon River
Drawing hunts DB115, DB145, DB215 and DB245 share one ADF&G hunt area: Unit 8, Sturgeon River. In ADF&G's 2025 drawing they drew 140 applications for 13 permits. 11 permit holders went hunting in the 2025 regulatory year and 4 took a brown bear, by ADF&G's hunt statistics.
Data updated October 2026. Drawing: ADF&G's results of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 drawings. Harvest: ADF&G hunt statistics, 2021 to 2025.
National wildlife refuge (FWS)State of AlaskaThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
The hunt area is part of this unit: see ADF&G's map of DB115 for its exact line.| Species | Brown bear |
|---|---|
| Hunt area | Unit 8, Sturgeon River |
| Units | 8 |
| Applications, 2025 drawing | 140 |
| Permits available, 2025 | 13 |
| Hunters and harvest, 2025 | 4 taken by 11 hunters |
| Exclusive guide area | ADF&G marks the area as partly in exclusive guide areas |
How many applied for DB115 and 3 more, and what share drew?
ADF&G's results of its last three drawings. Applications are entries, not people: a hunter may apply for the same hunt more than once within the six he may send per species.
| Hunt | Drawing | Applications | Permits available | % drawn (ADF&G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB115 | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| DB115 | 2024 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| DB115 | 2025 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| DB145 | 2023 | 1 | 3 | 100% |
| DB145 | 2024 | 1 | 3 | 100% |
| DB145 | 2025 | 2 | 3 | 100% |
| DB215 | 2023 | 132 | 3 | 2% |
| DB215 | 2024 | 102 | 3 | 3% |
| DB215 | 2025 | 95 | 3 | 3% |
| DB245 | 2023 | 62 | 5 | 8% |
| DB245 | 2024 | 17 | 5 | 29% |
| DB245 | 2025 | 41 | 5 | 12% |
DB115 went from 2 applications in 2023 to 2 in 2025 (no change), with 2 permits each time. DB145 went from 1 applications in 2023 to 2 in 2025 (up 100%), with 3 permits each time. DB215 went from 132 applications in 2023 to 95 in 2025 (down 28%), with 3 permits each time. DB245 went from 62 applications in 2023 to 41 in 2025 (down 34%), with 5 permits each time. By applications in the 2025 drawing, DB115 ranks 114th of ADF&G's 135 brown bear drawing hunts; the busiest, DB470, drew 2,238, and the brown bear hunts together drew 18,127 applications for 641 permits.
Source: ADF&G Drawing Permit Hunt Supplements, "Results of the Permit Hunt Drawing", 2023, 2024, 2025. ADF&G notes that permits available can differ from the number it advertised.
How many permit holders took a brown bear?
| Hunt | Regulatory year | Permits issued | Hunted | Males | Females | Harvest | Success (ADF&G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB115 | 2021 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
| DB115 | 2022 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
| DB115 | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DB115 | 2024 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DB115 | 2025 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
| DB145 | 2021 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
| DB145 | 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DB145 | 2023 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 67% |
| DB145 | 2024 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| DB145 | 2025 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DB215 | 2021 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| DB215 | 2022 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 67% |
| DB215 | 2023 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DB215 | 2024 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33% |
| DB215 | 2025 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| DB245 | 2021 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100% |
| DB245 | 2022 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DB245 | 2023 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33% |
| DB245 | 2024 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| DB245 | 2025 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20% |
Source: ADF&G brown bear harvest statistics, drawing hunts. "Hunted" counts permit holders who went hunting.
DB115's area lies in Unit 8, 9,389 square miles, 37.1% of it federal land in PAD-US. Unit 8 has its harvest by species, land by manager and communities.
ADF&G takes drawing applications November 1 to December 15 (2026-2027 supplement); how the Alaska drawing works.
Questions hunters ask
How many people apply for DB115?
DB115 drew 2 applications in ADF&G's 2025 drawing for 2 permits. ADF&G counts applications, and one hunter can apply for the same hunt more than once.
What share of applications drew DB115?
ADF&G's own "% drawn" for DB115: 100% in 2023, 67% in 2024, 100% in 2025. These are past drawings, not a forecast.
Where is DB115?
ADF&G's hunt area: Unit 8, Sturgeon River. ADF&G publishes a PDF map of it.
How many hunters took a brown bear on these hunts?
ADF&G's hunt statistics for the 2025 regulatory year: DB115 2 of 2 hunters (100%), DB145 0 of 2 hunters (0%), DB215 1 of 2 hunters (50%) and DB245 1 of 5 hunters (20%).
Does a nonresident need a guide for DB115?
Yes, unless the hunt is for residents only: ADF&G requires nonresident U.S. citizens hunting brown bears to be accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide or an Alaska resident relative 19 or older within the second degree of kindred.
Get an Alaska hunt plan when they open
Alaska plans are not open yet. They are coming soon. Join the waiting list; the first 50 hunters get one plan free.
Use the map while you wait for your plan.
Sources: ADF&G 2026-2027 Drawing Permit Hunt Supplement and the two before it; ADF&G harvest statistics; hunt map DB115. FilledTag is not part of ADF&G; check its emergency orders before you hunt.