DB987: Alaska brown bear draw hunt, Unit 26B
Drawing hunt DB987 covers one ADF&G hunt area: Unit 26B. In ADF&G's 2025 drawing it drew 91 applications for 20 permits, and ADF&G reports 22% drawn. 15 permit holders went hunting in the 2025 regulatory year and 7 took a brown bear, by ADF&G's hunt statistics. ADF&G limits it to: nonresidents only.
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)National park or monument (NPS)National preserve (NPS)Bureau of Land ManagementState of AlaskaThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
The hunt area is part of this unit: see ADF&G's map of DB987 for its exact line.| Species | Brown bear |
|---|---|
| Hunt area | Unit 26B |
| Units | 26B |
| Who may apply | Nonresidents Only |
| Applications, 2025 drawing | 91 |
| Permits available, 2025 | 20 |
| Hunters and harvest, 2025 | 7 taken by 15 hunters |
How many applied for DB987, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB987 | 2023 | 140 | 14 | 10% |
| DB987 | 2024 | 113 | 14 | 12% |
| DB987 | 2025 | 91 | 20 | 22% |
DB987 went from 140 applications in 2023 to 91 in 2025 (down 35%), with 14 permits then 20. By applications in the 2025 drawing, DB987 ranks 53rd 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB987 | 2021 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 50% |
| DB987 | 2022 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 40% |
| DB987 | 2023 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20% |
| DB987 | 2024 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 75% |
| DB987 | 2025 | 20 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 47% |
Source: ADF&G brown bear harvest statistics, drawing hunts. "Hunted" counts permit holders who went hunting.
DB987's area lies in Unit 26B, 16,332 square miles, 29.2% of it federal land in PAD-US. Unit 26B 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 DB987?
DB987 drew 91 applications in ADF&G's 2025 drawing for 20 permits. ADF&G counts applications, and one hunter can apply for the same hunt more than once.
What share of applications drew DB987?
ADF&G's own "% drawn" for DB987: 10% in 2023, 12% in 2024, 22% in 2025. These are past drawings, not a forecast.
Where is DB987?
ADF&G's hunt area: Unit 26B. ADF&G publishes a PDF map of it.
How many hunters took a brown bear on DB987?
ADF&G's hunt statistics for the 2025 regulatory year: DB987 7 of 15 hunters (47%).
Does a nonresident need a guide for DB987?
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 DB987. FilledTag is not part of ADF&G; check its emergency orders before you hunt.