Alaska Game Management Unit 8: harvest, draw hunts, land and map

Unit 8 covers 9,389 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region II. ADF&G counts 4,648 deer hunters in Unit 8 in 2025, who took 5,620 deer. 37% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (27%), and 10% is State of Alaska land. 140 drawing hunts reach into it; they drew 37,664 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.

How many mountain goats do hunters take in Unit 8?

Unit 8 drew 481 goat hunters in 2025, 1st of the 17 subunits with goat hunters. 247 of them took one (51%); 80% of the hunters were Alaska residents.

How goat hunters in 8 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 247 hunters (129 successful), boat 98 hunters (51 successful), highway vehicle 81 hunters (29 successful) and 3 or 4 wheeler 31 hunters (21 successful).

Source: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, goat, 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 elk do hunters take in Unit 8?

Unit 8 drew 261 elk hunters in 2025, 1st of the 2 subunits with elk hunters. 105 of them took one (40%); 89% of the hunters were Alaska residents.

Source: ADF&G Harvest General Reports, elk, 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 caribou do hunters take in Unit 8?

Unit 8 drew 24 caribou hunters in 2025, 22nd of the 53 subunits with caribou hunters. 14 of them took one (58%); 63% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Kodiak (13) (herds).

How caribou hunters in 8 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 24 hunters (14 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 8?

Unit 8 drew 1 moose hunters in 2025, 72nd of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 0 of them took one (0%); 0% of the hunters were Alaska residents.

How moose hunters in 8 got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 1 hunters (0 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 deer are taken in Unit 8?

Sitka black-tailed deer, by ADF&G's deer harvest statistics for Unit 8:

Source: ADF&G deer harvest statistics by GMU.

How many bears do drawing permit holders take in Unit 8?

ADF&G's harvest statistics for the bear drawing hunts that reach Unit 8 count 859 bears taken by 1,684 permit holders who went hunting, 2021 to 2025 together.

Source: ADF&G brown bear harvest statistics and black bear harvest statistics, drawing hunts. Bears taken on general-season harvest tickets and registration permits are not in these rows.

What drawing hunts reach Unit 8?

Every ADF&G drawing hunt whose area includes Unit 8, with ADF&G's results of its last three drawings. "% drawn" is ADF&G's own figure; one hunter can send several applications.

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 8?

USGS PAD-US maps 46.5% of Unit 8 as public or tribal land. By manager:

Named areas inside 8: Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (1,639,570 acres, 27.3%), Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (584,132 acres, 9.7%), State Patented (337,799 acres, 5.6%) and Tugidak Island Critical Habitat Area (137,690 acres, 2.3%).

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.

Which areas of Unit 8 have special restrictions?

• Kodiak Road System Management Area (management area): Deer huning is open Aug 1-Oct 31 with no weapons restrictions; Nov 1-Nov 14 by bow and arrow, crossbow or muzzleloader only, weapon-specific certification required; and Nov 16-Dec 31 for youth hunters age 10-17 by bow and arrow, crossbow or muzzleloader only, weapon-specific certification and hunter education required

Source: ADF&G areas with restrictions, GMU 8. Read the full boundary there before hunting near one.

What communities and roads are in Unit 8?

Census places inside 8: Akhiok, Kodiak, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Ouzinkie, Port Lions, Aleneva, Chiniak, Karluk, Kodiak Station, Mill Bay and Womens Bay. 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 deer are taken in Unit 8?

ADF&G counts 5,620 deer taken in Unit 8 in 2025 (4,864 bucks and 756 does) by 4,648 hunters.

Who manages the land in Unit 8?

USGS PAD-US maps 37.1% of Unit 8 as federal land and 9.5% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (27%), Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (10%) and State Patented (6%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.

What drawing hunts are in Unit 8?

DE702 (elk, 3,579 applications in 2025), DG478 (goat, 3,360 applications in 2025), DE711 (elk, 3,025 applications in 2025), DE704 (elk, 2,524 applications in 2025), DG479 (goat, 2,364 applications in 2025), DE715 (elk, 2,069 applications in 2025), DE717 (elk, 1,432 applications in 2025) and DE721 (elk, 1,324 applications in 2025), and 132 more, by ADF&G's results of the 2025 drawing.

Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 8?

For mountain goats and brown bears, hunted in Unit 8, 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.

Are there closed or controlled use areas in Unit 8?

Yes. ADF&G lists Kodiak Road System Management Area in Unit 8.

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