Alaska Game Management Unit 17A: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 17A covers 4,699 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region IV. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 486 moose hunters in Unit 17A in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 118 took one (24%). 69% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (67%), and 9% is State of Alaska land. 1 drawing hunt reaches into it; it drew 389 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)State of AlaskaThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
| Size | 4,699 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region IV |
| Moose, 2025 | 118 of 486 hunters took one (24%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 69.2% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 9.4% |
| Largest public areas | Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary and Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve |
| Drawing hunts | 1: DM570 |
| Communities | Togiak and Twin Hills |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 17B, 17C, 18 |
How many moose do hunters take in Unit 17A?
Unit 17A drew 486 moose hunters in 2025, 21st of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 118 of them took one (24%); 96% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 522 | 166 | 32% | 511 | 11 | 107 | 58 |
| 2021 | 542 | 146 | 27% | 520 | 22 | 85 | 61 |
| 2022 | 427 | 89 | 21% | 416 | 11 | 61 | 28 |
| 2023 | 409 | 116 | 28% | 394 | 15 | 78 | 37 |
| 2024 | 283 | 49 | 17% | 271 | 12 | 44 | 5 |
| 2025 | 486 | 118 | 24% | 467 | 19 | 80 | 38 |
How moose hunters in 17A got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: boat 239 hunters (45 successful), snowmachine 139 hunters (42 successful), airplane 92 hunters (29 successful) and 3 or 4 wheeler 15 hunters (2 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.
What drawing hunts reach Unit 17A?
Every ADF&G drawing hunt whose area includes Unit 17A, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DM570 | moose | Unit 17A (Nonresidents Only) | 389 | 20 | 5% | 6% | 8% |
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 17A?
USGS PAD-US maps 78.7% of Unit 17A as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 2,081,482 | 69.2% |
| State of Alaska | 284,102 | 9.4% |
| Not in PAD-US | 641,260 | 21.3% |
Named areas inside 17A: Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (2,007,672 acres, 66.8%), Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary (160,651 acres, 5.3%), Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve (113,460 acres, 3.8%) and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (73,810 acres, 2.5%).
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.
What communities and roads are in Unit 17A?
Census places inside 17A: Togiak and Twin Hills. No state or federal highway crosses it, so hunters reach it by plane, boat, snowmachine or on foot.
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 17A?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 118 moose reported from Unit 17A in the 2025 regulatory year, by 486 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 49 (2024) to 166 (2020).
Who manages the land in Unit 17A?
USGS PAD-US maps 69.2% of Unit 17A as federal land and 9.4% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (67%), Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary (5%) and Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve (4%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
What drawing hunts are in Unit 17A?
DM570 (moose, 389 applications in 2025), by ADF&G's results of the 2025 drawing.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 17A?
Only for brown bear, Dall sheep and mountain goat: 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.
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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.