Alaska Game Management Unit 17C: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 17C covers 5,873 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region IV. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 678 moose hunters in Unit 17C in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 201 took one (30%). 26% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (15%), and 42% 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)Bureau of Land ManagementState of AlaskaThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
| Size | 5,873 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region IV |
| Moose, 2025 | 201 of 678 hunters took one (30%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 26% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 41.5% |
| Largest public areas | State Tentatively Approved, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and BLM Anchorage Field Office |
| Communities | Aleknagik, Clark's Point, Dillingham, Ekwok, Manokotak and New Stuyahok and 1 more |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 9B, 17A, 17B |
How many moose do hunters take in Unit 17C?
Unit 17C drew 678 moose hunters in 2025, 13th of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 201 of them took one (30%); 100% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 534 | 118 | 22% | 531 | 3 | 118 | 0 |
| 2021 | 486 | 112 | 23% | 478 | 8 | 111 | 1 |
| 2022 | 558 | 155 | 28% | 553 | 5 | 155 | 0 |
| 2023 | 695 | 175 | 25% | 690 | 5 | 174 | 0 |
| 2024 | 618 | 169 | 27% | 614 | 4 | 169 | 0 |
| 2025 | 678 | 201 | 30% | 677 | 1 | 201 | 0 |
How moose hunters in 17C got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: boat 487 hunters (153 successful), 3 or 4 wheeler 72 hunters (23 successful), highway vehicle 51 hunters (8 successful) and snowmachine 28 hunters (8 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 17C?
USGS PAD-US maps 67.5% of Unit 17C as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| State of Alaska | 1,558,659 | 41.5% |
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 571,782 | 15.2% |
| Bureau of Land Management | 405,119 | 10.8% |
| Not in PAD-US | 1,223,444 | 32.5% |
Named areas inside 17C: State Tentatively Approved (695,162 acres, 18.5%), Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (571,484 acres, 15.2%), BLM Anchorage Field Office (405,119 acres, 10.8%), State Patented (302,471 acres, 8%), Wood-Tikchik State Park (287,174 acres, 7.6%) and Bristol Bay Fisheries Reserve (256,529 acres, 6.8%).
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 17C?
Census places inside 17C: Aleknagik, Clark's Point, Dillingham, Ekwok, Manokotak, New Stuyahok and Portage Creek. 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 17C?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 201 moose reported from Unit 17C in the 2025 regulatory year, by 678 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 112 (2021) to 201 (2025).
Who manages the land in Unit 17C?
USGS PAD-US maps 26% of Unit 17C as federal land and 41.5% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are State Tentatively Approved (19%), Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (15%) and BLM Anchorage Field Office (11%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 17C?
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.