Alaska Game Management Unit 23: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 23 covers 47,099 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region V. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 627 caribou hunters in Unit 23 in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 525 took one (84%). 69% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Noatak National Preserve (22%), and 12% is State of Alaska land. 1 drawing hunt reaches into it; it drew 666 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 | 47,099 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region V |
| Caribou, 2025 | 525 of 627 hunters took one (84%) |
| Moose, 2025 | 94 of 361 hunters took one (26%) |
| Muskox, 2025 | 6 of 6 hunters took one (100%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 68.8% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 11.8% |
| Largest public areas | Noatak National Preserve, BLM Anchorage Field Office and Selawik National Wildlife Refuge |
| Drawing hunts | 1: DC923 |
| Communities | Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kiana, Kivalina and Kobuk and 7 more |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 21D, 22B, 22D, 22E, 24B, 24C, 24D, 26A |
How many caribou do hunters take in Unit 23?
Unit 23 drew 627 caribou hunters in 2025, 4th of the 53 subunits with caribou hunters. 525 of them took one (84%); 95% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Western Arctic (525) (herds).
| Season | Hunters | Caribou taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 992 | 794 | 80% | 596 | 395 | 663 | 127 |
| 2021 | 760 | 567 | 75% | 352 | 408 | 494 | 70 |
| 2022 | 423 | 281 | 66% | 348 | 75 | 253 | 25 |
| 2023 | 646 | 468 | 72% | 453 | 193 | 400 | 68 |
| 2024 | 573 | 489 | 85% | 526 | 47 | 443 | 43 |
| 2025 | 627 | 525 | 84% | 597 | 30 | 499 | 26 |
How caribou hunters in 23 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: snowmachine 258 hunters (242 successful), boat 233 hunters (164 successful), 3 or 4 wheeler 95 hunters (90 successful) and airplane 36 hunters (27 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.
How many moose do hunters take in Unit 23?
Unit 23 drew 361 moose hunters in 2025, 24th of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 94 of them took one (26%); 99% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 486 | 131 | 27% | 486 | 0 | 130 | 1 |
| 2021 | 420 | 96 | 23% | 420 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
| 2022 | 350 | 109 | 31% | 348 | 1 | 109 | 0 |
| 2023 | 320 | 77 | 24% | 319 | 1 | 75 | 0 |
| 2024 | 354 | 105 | 30% | 353 | 1 | 105 | 0 |
| 2025 | 361 | 94 | 26% | 358 | 3 | 94 | 0 |
How moose hunters in 23 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: boat 292 hunters (72 successful), 3 or 4 wheeler 30 hunters (8 successful), airplane 26 hunters (11 successful) and snowmachine 7 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.
How many muskoxen do hunters take in Unit 23?
Unit 23 drew 6 muskox hunters in 2025, 5th of the 9 subunits with muskox hunters. 6 of them took one (100%); 100% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Muskox taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 5 | 4 | 80% | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 100% | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 5 | 4 | 80% | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 100% | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | 6 | 6 | 100% | 6 | 0 |
Source: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, muskox, 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 23?
Every ADF&G drawing hunt whose area includes Unit 23, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC923 | caribou | Unit 23 (Nonresidents Only) | 666 | 300 | 45% |
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 23?
USGS PAD-US maps 80.6% of Unit 23 as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National preserve (NPS) | 7,742,687 | 25.7% |
| Bureau of Land Management | 6,229,471 | 20.7% |
| National park or monument (NPS) | 3,918,528 | 13% |
| State of Alaska | 3,569,785 | 11.8% |
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 2,833,307 | 9.4% |
| Not in PAD-US | 5,849,763 | 19.4% |
Named areas inside 23: Noatak National Preserve (6,520,420 acres, 21.6%), BLM Anchorage Field Office (4,984,437 acres, 16.5%), Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (2,711,865 acres, 9%), State Patented (1,799,717 acres, 6%), State Tentatively Approved (1,784,285 acres, 5.9%), Kobuk Valley National Park (1,715,605 acres, 5.7%), Gates of the Arctic National Park (1,584,866 acres, 5.3%) and Arctic District Office (939,519 acres, 3.1%).
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 23 have special restrictions?
- Noatak Controlled Use Area (controlled use area): The area is closed from Aug. 15 - Sept. 30 to the use of aircraft in any manner for big game hunting, including transportation of big game hunters, their hunting gear, and/or parts of big game; however, this does not apply to the transportation of big game hunters or parts of big game to and between publicly owned airports.
Source: ADF&G areas with restrictions, GMU 23. Read the full boundary there before hunting near one.
What communities and roads are in Unit 23?
Census places inside 23: Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kiana, Kivalina, Kobuk, Kotzebue, Noorvik, Point Hope, Selawik, Shungnak, Noatak and Red Dog Mine. 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 caribou are taken in Unit 23?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 525 caribou reported from Unit 23 in the 2025 regulatory year, by 627 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 281 (2022) to 794 (2020).
Who manages the land in Unit 23?
USGS PAD-US maps 68.8% of Unit 23 as federal land and 11.8% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Noatak National Preserve (22%), BLM Anchorage Field Office (17%) and Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (9%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
What drawing hunts are in Unit 23?
DC923 (caribou, 666 applications in 2025), by ADF&G's results of the 2025 drawing.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 23?
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 23?
Yes. ADF&G lists Noatak Controlled Use Area in Unit 23.
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 21D Unit 22B Unit 22D Unit 22E Unit 24B Unit 24C