Moose are numerous in Game Management Unit 18 and it is one of the few places in Alaska where numbers are growing. There are five subareas to hunt, and in some of those you can take two moose. Just be sure to check the regulations to see what is available. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
GMU PrOFILE
EXPERIENCE ALASKA’S BULL HUNTING BONANZA Editor’s note: From the Alaska Panhandle to the “top of the world” in Barrow/Utqiagvik, Alaska contains 26 game management units that feature land for hunting and other outdoor activities. Our Arctic adventurer Paul Atkins is breaking down some of the units he’s hunted in the past in this ongoing feature. This issue: GMU 18. BY PAUL D. ATKINS
G
ame Management Unit 18, which lies in the southwestern part of the state, is truly one of Alaska’s best-kept secrets. This is currently one of the last few places where the moose population is thriving. Its vast willow-choked tundra is pristine, which creates some of the best habitat for growing big mature bulls. Moose can be hunted in five general areas, and, for some residents, two moose may be taken annually.
more prevalent in Unit 18 than other units further to the north. But unlike those northern units, you can only take one brown bear per year versus two where I live around Kotzebue.
MORE BULLS TO HARVEST
SPRAWLING UNIT Unit 18 is big; it encompasses the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge and also the lower drainages of the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, creating all the ingredients for some of the best hunting in the state. Like many units along Alaska’s western coast, the hunting is superb for not only the aforementioned moose, but for bears as well. For instance, hunters are allowed to harvest three black bears, which are
Caribou are not as common as they are further north, either. Only one per customer can be taken, but from what I’ve seen, some of those bulls are the biggest in the state. Muskox hunting, especially on Nunivak Island, is the real ticket in Unit 18. Open to both residents and nonresidents, these hunts are highly coveted and one of the few places on Earth where you can actually do it without waiting years to draw a tag or
aksportingjournal.com | DECEMBER 2020
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