Alaska Game Management Unit 9D: harvest, draw hunts, land and map
Unit 9D covers 9,574 square miles, by ADF&G's boundary file, in ADF&G Region IV. ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 162 caribou hunters in Unit 9D in the 2025 regulatory year, of whom 118 took one (73%). 29% of it is federal land in USGS PAD-US, the largest piece Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (18%), and 10% 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)State of AlaskaThis unitNeighboring unit lineHighway
| Size | 9,574 square miles (ADF&G) |
|---|---|
| ADF&G region | Region IV |
| Caribou, 2025 | 118 of 162 hunters took one (73%) |
| Moose, 2025 | 0 of 2 hunters took one (0%) |
| Federal land (PAD-US) | 28.6% |
| State land (PAD-US) | 9.9% |
| Largest public areas | Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and State Tentatively Approved |
| Communities | Cold Bay, False Pass, King Cove, Sand Point and Nelson Lagoon |
| Highways | None: access is by air, water or trail |
| Neighboring units | 9E, 10 |
How many caribou do hunters take in Unit 9D?
Unit 9D drew 162 caribou hunters in 2025, 10th of the 53 subunits with caribou hunters. 118 of them took one (73%); 35% of the hunters were Alaska residents. ADF&G's sex table places the 2025 harvest in Alaska Peninsula South (114) (herds).
| Season | Hunters | Caribou taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 97 | 65 | 67% | 54 | 43 | 61 | 4 |
| 2021 | 106 | 76 | 72% | 48 | 57 | 75 | 1 |
| 2022 | 92 | 57 | 62% | 28 | 64 | 54 | 3 |
| 2023 | 108 | 85 | 79% | 18 | 90 | 85 | 0 |
| 2024 | 125 | 81 | 65% | 39 | 86 | 78 | 3 |
| 2025 | 162 | 118 | 73% | 57 | 105 | 110 | 8 |
How caribou hunters in 9D got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: airplane 79 hunters (67 successful), boat 29 hunters (25 successful), highway vehicle 28 hunters (11 successful) and 3 or 4 wheeler 18 hunters (8 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 9D?
Unit 9D drew 2 moose hunters in 2025, 69th of the 72 subunits with moose hunters. 0 of them took one (0%); 100% of the hunters were Alaska residents.
| Season | Hunters | Moose taken | Success | Resident hunters | Nonresident hunters | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 50% | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0 |
How moose hunters in 9D got to the field in 2025, by ADF&G's transportation report: 3 or 4 wheeler 2 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.
Who manages the land in Unit 9D?
USGS PAD-US maps 38.5% of Unit 9D as public or tribal land. By manager:
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuge (FWS) | 1,743,505 | 28.5% |
| State of Alaska | 607,811 | 9.9% |
| Bureau of Land Management | 5,147 | 0.1% |
| Not in PAD-US | 3,770,829 | 61.5% |
Named areas inside 9D: Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (1,095,016 acres, 17.9%), Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (406,941 acres, 6.6%), State Tentatively Approved (405,257 acres, 6.6%), Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (241,814 acres, 3.9%), State Patented (75,063 acres, 1.2%) and Port Moller Critical Habitat Area (71,474 acres, 1.2%).
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 9D?
Census places inside 9D: Cold Bay, False Pass, King Cove, Sand Point and Nelson Lagoon. 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 9D?
ADF&G's interim harvest report counts 118 caribou reported from Unit 9D in the 2025 regulatory year, by 162 hunters. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly count of successful hunters ran from 57 (2022) to 118 (2025).
Who manages the land in Unit 9D?
USGS PAD-US maps 28.6% of Unit 9D as federal land and 9.9% as State of Alaska land; the largest named areas are Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge (18%), Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (7%) and State Tentatively Approved (7%). The rest is land PAD-US does not list, mostly private and Alaska Native corporation land.
Do nonresidents need a guide in Unit 9D?
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.