Alaska Game Management Unit 5B: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 5B covers 3,494 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region I. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 44 moose hunters in Unit 5B in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 23 took one (52%). 84% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (76%).
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 park or monument (NPS)National preserve (NPS)Bureau of Land ManagementThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
| Size | 3,494 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region I |
| Moose, 2025 | 23 of 44 hunters took one (52%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 83.7% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 0% |
| Largest public areas | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve and BLM Glennallen Field Office |
| Communities | None in the Census list |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 5A, 6A, 11 |
How many moose do hunters take in Unit 5B?
Unit 5B drew 44 moose hunters in 2025, 58th of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 23 of them took one (52%); 23% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 14 | 5 | 36% | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2021 | 20 | 11 | 55% | 9 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 2022 | 22 | 9 | 41% | 10 | 12 | 9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 32 | 9 | 28% | 17 | 15 | 9 | 0 |
| 2024 | 27 | 14 | 52% | 8 | 19 | 14 | 0 |
| 2025 | 44 | 23 | 52% | 10 | 34 | 23 | 0 |
How moose hunters in 5B got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 17 hunters (8 successful), boat 17 hunters (6 successful), 3 or 4 wheeler 9 hunters (8 successful) and offroad vehicle 1 hunters (1 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 5B?
USGS PAD-US maps 83.7% of Unit 5B as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National park or monument (NPS) | 1,703,969 | 76.2% |
| National preserve (NPS) | 128,522 | 5.7% |
| Bureau of Land Management | 39,396 | 1.8% |
| Not in PAD-US | 364,128 | 16.3% |
Named areas inside 5B: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (1,703,969 acres, 76.2%), Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve (128,549 acres, 5.7%) and BLM Glennallen Field Office (39,399 acres, 1.8%).
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 5B?
The Census Bureau lists no community inside 5B. 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 5B?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 23 moose reported from Unit 5B in the 2025 regulatory year, by 44 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 5 (2020) to 23 (2025).
Who manages the land in Unit 5B?
USGS PAD-US maps 83.7% of Unit 5B as federal land and 0% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (76%), Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve (6%) and BLM Glennallen Field Office (2%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 5B?
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.
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.