Alaska Game Management Unit 26C: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 26C covers 10,997 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region III. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 68 caribou hunters in Unit 26C in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 47 took one (69%). 95% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (95%).
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)This unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
| Size | 10,997 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region III |
| Caribou, 2025 | 47 of 68 hunters took one (69%) |
| Dall sheep, 2025 | 24 of 59 hunters took one (41%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 95.3% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 0% |
| Largest public areas | Arctic National Wildlife Refuge |
| Communities | Kaktovik |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 25A, 26B |
How many caribou do hunters take in Unit 26C?
Unit 26C drew 68 caribou hunters in 2025, 15th of the 53 subunits with caribou hunters. 47 of them took one (69%); 43% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Central Arctic (25) and Porcupine (16) (herds).
| Season | Hunters | Caribou taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 32 | 13 | 41% | 17 | 15 | 12 | 1 |
| 2021 | 75 | 55 | 73% | 22 | 53 | 53 | 2 |
| 2022 | 78 | 53 | 68% | 31 | 47 | 46 | 7 |
| 2023 | 71 | 42 | 59% | 24 | 45 | 39 | 3 |
| 2024 | 40 | 14 | 35% | 6 | 34 | 14 | 0 |
| 2025 | 68 | 47 | 69% | 29 | 39 | 45 | 2 |
How caribou hunters in 26C got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 66 hunters (47 successful) and boat 1 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.
How many Dall sheep do hunters take in Unit 26C?
Unit 26C drew 59 sheep hunters in 2025, 7th of the 34 subunits with sheep hunters. 24 of them took one (41%); 64% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Brooks Range (23) (mountain ranges).
| Season | Hunters | Dall sheep taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 90 | 49 | 54% | 56 | 34 | 49 | 0 |
| 2021 | 88 | 39 | 44% | 56 | 31 | 39 | 0 |
| 2022 | 91 | 50 | 55% | 57 | 34 | 49 | 0 |
| 2023 | 67 | 35 | 52% | 40 | 27 | 34 | 0 |
| 2024 | 69 | 28 | 41% | 38 | 30 | 28 | 0 |
| 2025 | 59 | 24 | 41% | 38 | 21 | 24 | 0 |
How sheep hunters in 26C got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 57 hunters (23 successful) and boat 1 hunters (0 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.
Who manages the land in Unit 26C?
USGS PAD-US maps 95.4% of Unit 26C as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 6,710,913 | 95.3% |
| Not in PAD-US | 327,128 | 4.6% |
Named areas inside 26C: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (6,710,913 acres, 95.3%).
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 26C?
Census places inside 26C: Kaktovik. 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 26C?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 47 caribou reported from Unit 26C in the 2025 regulatory year, by 68 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 13 (2020) to 55 (2021).
Who manages the land in Unit 26C?
USGS PAD-US maps 95.3% of Unit 26C as federal land and 0% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (95%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 26C?
For Dall sheep, hunted in Unit 26C, 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.
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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.