Alaska Game Management Unit 12: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 12 covers 9,989 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region III. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 589 moose hunters in Unit 12 in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 98 took one (17%). 63% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve (37%), and 17% is State of Alaska land. 1 drawing hunt reaches into it; it drew 4,324 applications in ADF&G's 2025 drawing.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: ADF&G interim harvest reports, regulatory years 2020 to 2025. Drawing: ADF&G's 2023 to 2025 results. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1.
National wildlife refuge (FWS)National park or monument (NPS)National preserve (NPS)Bureau of Land ManagementState of AlaskaThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
| Size | 9,989 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region III |
| Moose, 2025 | 98 of 589 hunters took one (17%) |
| Dall sheep, 2025 | 77 of 280 hunters took one (28%) |
| Caribou, 2025 | 2 of 49 hunters took one (4%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 63% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 17.1% |
| Largest public areas | Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and State Tentatively Approved |
| Drawing hunts | 1: DS102 |
| Communities | Alcan Border, Chisana, Mentasta Lake, Nabesna, Northway and Tanacross and 2 more |
| Highways | Alaska Hwy (120 mi), State Hwy 2 (108 mi), Tok Cutoff (24 mi) and State Hwy 1 (20 mi) |
| Neighboring units | 11, 13C, 20D, 20E |
How many moose do hunters take in Unit 12?
Unit 12 drew 589 moose hunters in 2025, 18th of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 98 of them took one (17%); 90% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 583 | 127 | 22% | 507 | 61 | 125 | 0 |
| 2021 | 552 | 113 | 20% | 484 | 65 | 111 | 0 |
| 2022 | 668 | 103 | 15% | 585 | 81 | 102 | 0 |
| 2023 | 552 | 92 | 17% | 493 | 57 | 92 | 0 |
| 2024 | 636 | 115 | 18% | 568 | 66 | 115 | 0 |
| 2025 | 589 | 98 | 17% | 531 | 57 | 97 | 1 |
How moose hunters in 12 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: 3 or 4 wheeler 176 hunters (30 successful), highway vehicle 169 hunters (10 successful), boat 76 hunters (14 successful) and offroad vehicle 74 hunters (22 successful).
Source: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, moose, reports 330 (success by residency), 130 (sex of the harvest) and 390 (transportation), regulatory years 2020 to 2025. A regulatory year runs July 1 to June 30. ADF&G labels these reports interim: late hunt reports can still change them.
How many Dall sheep do hunters take in Unit 12?
Unit 12 drew 280 sheep hunters in 2025, 1st of the 34 subunits with sheep hunters. 77 of them took one (28%); 91% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Wrangell Mountains (70) and Alaska Range East (3) (mountain ranges).
| Season | Hunters | Dall sheep taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 443 | 116 | 26% | 391 | 52 | 116 | 0 |
| 2021 | 397 | 110 | 28% | 340 | 55 | 110 | 0 |
| 2022 | 399 | 93 | 23% | 353 | 46 | 92 | 0 |
| 2023 | 317 | 82 | 26% | 292 | 24 | 81 | 0 |
| 2024 | 309 | 82 | 27% | 278 | 31 | 81 | 0 |
| 2025 | 280 | 77 | 28% | 255 | 25 | 76 | 0 |
How sheep hunters in 12 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 120 hunters (45 successful), highway vehicle 66 hunters (10 successful), boat 37 hunters (14 successful) and 3 or 4 wheeler 36 hunters (5 successful).
Source: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, sheep, reports 330 (success by residency), 130 (sex of the harvest) and 390 (transportation), regulatory years 2020 to 2025. A regulatory year runs July 1 to June 30. ADF&G labels these reports interim: late hunt reports can still change them.
How many caribou do hunters take in Unit 12?
Unit 12 drew 49 caribou hunters in 2025, 18th of the 53 subunits with caribou hunters. 2 of them took one (4%); 98% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Nelchina (2) (herds).
| Season | Hunters | Caribou taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 71 | 14 | 20% | 70 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2021 | 67 | 15 | 22% | 65 | 2 | 15 | 0 |
| 2022 | 74 | 6 | 8% | 73 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 38 | 0 | 0% | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 49 | 5 | 10% | 49 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 49 | 2 | 4% | 48 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
How caribou hunters in 12 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: offroad vehicle 16 hunters (2 successful), 3 or 4 wheeler 15 hunters (0 successful), highway vehicle 12 hunters (0 successful) and foot 3 hunters (0 successful).
Source: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, caribou, reports 330 (success by residency), 130 (sex of the harvest) and 390 (transportation), regulatory years 2020 to 2025. A regulatory year runs July 1 to June 30. ADF&G labels these reports interim: late hunt reports can still change them.
What drawing hunts reach Unit 12?
Every ADF&G drawing hunt whose area includes Unit 12, with ADF&G's results of its last three drawings. "% drawn" is ADF&G's own figure; one hunter can send several applications.
| Hunt | Species | Hunt area | Applications, 2025 | Permits, 2025 | % drawn, 2025 | % drawn, 2024 | % drawn, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS102 | sheep | Unit 12, 13C, and 20D, Tok Management Area | 4,324 | 10 | under 1% | under 1% | under 1% |
Source: ADF&G Drawing Permit Hunt Supplements, "Results of the Permit Hunt Drawing" for 2023, 2024, 2025. Hunt areas: ADF&G's hunting maps list of drawing hunts.
Who manages the land in Unit 12?
USGS PAD-US maps 80.1% of Unit 12 as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National preserve (NPS) | 2,330,188 | 36.4% |
| State of Alaska | 1,095,536 | 17.1% |
| National park or monument (NPS) | 796,149 | 12.5% |
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 739,477 | 11.6% |
| Bureau of Land Management | 161,051 | 2.5% |
| Not in PAD-US | 1,270,457 | 19.9% |
Named areas inside 12: Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve (2,330,234 acres, 36.5%), Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (796,149 acres, 12.5%), State Tentatively Approved (755,188 acres, 11.8%), Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge (739,393 acres, 11.6%), Tanana Valley State Forest (236,121 acres, 3.7%), BLM Eastern Interior Field Office (88,803 acres, 1.4%), State Patented (88,391 acres, 1.4%) and BLM Glennallen Field Office (72,248 acres, 1.1%).
Source: USGS PAD-US 4.1, fee land by manager, measured inside ADF&G's boundary by FilledTag.
Federal law sets what each kind of land allows. A national preserve in Alaska is run like a national park except that sport hunting, subsistence hunting and trapping are allowed (16 U.S.C. 3201); national park and monument land is closed to sport hunting. On federal public land, rural Alaska residents can also hunt under federal subsistence rules, and the Federal Subsistence Board can close federal land to other hunters for a species. Land PAD-US does not map is mostly private, including Alaska Native corporation land, and needs the owner's permission.
Which areas of Unit 12 have special restrictions?
- Tok Management Area (management area): Open to sheep hunting by permit only
Source: ADF&G areas with restrictions, GMU 12. Read the full boundary there before hunting near one.
What communities and roads are in Unit 12?
Census places inside 12: Alcan Border, Chisana, Mentasta Lake, Nabesna, Northway, Tanacross, Tetlin and Tok. Highways in the unit: Alaska Hwy (120 miles), State Hwy 2 (108 miles), Tok Cutoff (24 miles), State Hwy 1 (20 miles), Tok Cutoff-Glenn Hwy (17 miles) and State Hwy 5 (9 miles).
Communities and highways: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and Gazetteer 2024.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Alaska?
For three species, yes. ADF&G's 2026-2027 drawing supplement: "Nonresidents who are citizens of the United States are required to be personally accompanied in the field by an Alaska-licensed guide OR an Alaska resident relative 19 years of age or older within the second-degree of kindred when hunting brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat." Nonresidents who are not U.S. citizens need a licensed guide for those and for every other big game species, by ADF&G's guide requirements. Moose, caribou, black bear, bison, muskox, elk and deer need no guide for a nonresident U.S. citizen.
Questions hunters ask
How many moose are taken in Unit 12?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 98 moose reported from Unit 12 in the 2025 regulatory year, by 589 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 92 (2023) to 127 (2020).
Who manages the land in Unit 12?
USGS PAD-US maps 63% of Unit 12 as federal land and 17.1% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve (37%), Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (13%) and State Tentatively Approved (12%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
What drawing hunts are in Unit 12?
DS102 (sheep, 4,324 applications in 2025), by ADF&G's results of the 2025 drawing.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 12?
For Dall sheep, hunted in Unit 12, yes: ADF&G requires nonresidents to be accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide or an Alaska resident relative 19 or older within the second degree of kindred for brown bear, Dall sheep and mountain goat. Nonresidents who are not U.S. citizens need a guide for all big game.
Are there closed or controlled use areas in Unit 12?
Yes. ADF&G lists Tok Management Area in Unit 12.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, hunters and success: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, interim, regulatory years 2020 to 2025; each table checked against ADF&G's printed totals.
- Drawing results: ADF&G 2026-2027 Drawing Permit Hunt Supplement and the two before it. Restrictions: ADF&G areas with restrictions.
- Boundary: ADF&G Game Management Subunits. Land: USGS PAD-US. Communities and highways: U.S. Census Bureau.
FilledTag is not part of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. ADF&G's regulations and emergency orders are the final word.