Alaska Game Management Unit 17B: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 17B covers 9,777 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region IV. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 340 moose hunters in Unit 17B in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 148 took one (44%). 8% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Lake Clark National Preserve (3%), and 88% is State of Alaska land.
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 | 9,777 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region IV |
| Moose, 2025 | 148 of 340 hunters took one (44%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 8% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 87.5% |
| Largest public areas | State Tentatively Approved, State Patented and Wood-Tikchik State Park |
| Communities | Koliganek |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 9B, 17A, 17C, 18, 19B |
How many moose do hunters take in Unit 17B?
Unit 17B drew 340 moose hunters in 2025, 26th of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 148 of them took one (44%); 45% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 274 | 113 | 41% | 173 | 100 | 113 | 0 |
| 2021 | 299 | 96 | 32% | 161 | 138 | 96 | 0 |
| 2022 | 338 | 136 | 40% | 172 | 166 | 136 | 0 |
| 2023 | 339 | 111 | 33% | 176 | 163 | 111 | 0 |
| 2024 | 372 | 125 | 34% | 167 | 205 | 125 | 0 |
| 2025 | 340 | 148 | 44% | 153 | 187 | 148 | 0 |
How moose hunters in 17B got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: boat 171 hunters (75 successful), airplane 163 hunters (69 successful) and snowmachine 6 hunters (4 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.
Who manages the land in Unit 17B?
USGS PAD-US maps 95.6% of Unit 17B as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| State of Alaska | 5,477,456 | 87.5% |
| National preserve (NPS) | 212,009 | 3.4% |
| National park or monument (NPS) | 184,553 | 2.9% |
| Bureau of Land Management | 64,069 | 1% |
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 43,552 | 0.7% |
| Not in PAD-US | 275,512 | 4.4% |
Named areas inside 17B: State Tentatively Approved (2,619,111 acres, 41.9%), State Patented (1,644,819 acres, 26.3%), Wood-Tikchik State Park (1,196,144 acres, 19.1%), Lake Clark National Preserve (212,010 acres, 3.4%), Lake Clark National Park (184,553 acres, 2.9%) and BLM Anchorage Field Office (64,069 acres, 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 17B have special restrictions?
- Unit 17(B), Nonresident Closed Area (areas closed to hunting): Closed to taking of caribou by nonresidents
- Upper Mulchatna Controlled Use Area (controlled use area): Closed to the use of any motorized vehicle for hunting big game, including the transportation of big game hunters, their hunting gear, or parts of big game from August 1 through November 1, except that the use of an aircraft or a boat is not prohibited, and a motorized vehicle in a legally permitted hunting camp is not prohibited
Source: ADF&G areas with restrictions, GMU 17. Read the full boundary there before hunting near one.
What communities and roads are in Unit 17B?
Census places inside 17B: Koliganek. 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 17B?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 148 moose reported from Unit 17B in the 2025 regulatory year, by 340 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 96 (2021) to 148 (2025).
Who manages the land in Unit 17B?
USGS PAD-US maps 8% of Unit 17B as federal land and 87.5% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are State Tentatively Approved (42%), State Patented (26%) and Wood-Tikchik State Park (19%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 17B?
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.
Are there closed or controlled use areas in Unit 17B?
Yes. ADF&G lists Unit 17(B), Nonresident Closed Area and Upper Mulchatna Controlled Use Area in Unit 17B.
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.
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.
Alaska hunting Unit 17 Unit 9B Unit 17A Unit 17C Unit 18 Unit 19B