Quick Tips
- Plan your transportation and lodging options around the season and species you will be hunting
- Paying special attention to park boundaries and native land boundaries will be pivotal
- Rain gear is a necessity
- Air taxi services fill up extremely fast and hunters need to contact them as early as possible
On The Ground
This large unit is located in east central Alaska and lies along the Canadian border. The southern end of the unit is made up of the Wrangell Mountains, most of which is comprised of the Wrangell- St. Elias National preserve which is huntable. A large portion of the unit is also owned by Ahtna Inc, a native owned company, and is not huntable to most without paying their trespass fees. These larger portions of native land can create landlocked portions of public land that will need to be floated or flown into. Great hunting can be found here but the logistics of getting into some of the more remote areas can be a lot to overcome. Good road systems exist on the north end, more notably the trans-Alaskan Highway, but hunting around and near the highway can see heavy pressure at times.
Incredible country and hunting opportunities can be found here but access is hindered in several areas due to native lands. Special precautions need to be taken when hunting close to these areas.
Terrain
This area has the fairly typical makeup of most of this portion of the state- wide spread river bottoms that extend for miles and large, steep ridge lines that climb into impressive precipice faces. Small feeder streams and creeks wind around most of the river bottom areas and can make cross country travel difficult at times. Most of these areas are densely vegetated with heavy undergrowth and stands of timber. Floating rivers and streams generally provide the easiest long distance travel options but hunters may have to float for many miles to reach legal lands. The high country areas found on the southern end of the unit are mostly void of heavy ground cover and highly glassable. Traversing these areas can be easy and straightforward but hunters will need to take care to not become cliffed out. Several airstrips are available throughout the unit and will usually provide the easiest access into remote hunting areas.
Roughly 9,988 square miles
79% Public land
Elevations range from 1,500-16,300 feet
Vegetation
Most of the river bottom areas will be comprised of heavy timber stands with some Sitka spruce but a small bump in elevation will reveal a greater distribution of white spruce, aspen, and hemlock. River bottom areas and marshlands are largely made up of grasses, sedges, alder, dwarf birch, and black spruce. Higher elevation areas above treeline will generally see a higher distribution of mountain hemlock, tundra, berry plants, and small shrubs. Traversing country in and around the river bottom areas can very difficult at times due to dense vegetation. Wading smaller creeks can be effective or following established game trails. Small gains in elevation in these areas can make spotting game from a distance much easier and can reduce the physical output needed to cover multiple areas during a day.
Access
Access options into towns and villages around the unit are great but hunters will need to be careful accessing the hunting areas within the unit. Because of the broken distribution of private and public lands hunters often times have to either fly or float into huntable lands. Hunting off of the highway system on the north end of the unit can be done but hunters may need to cover a good chunk of ground to escape hunting pressure. Highway systems exist throughout the unit and driving road systems and hunting from these locations can be effective.
Air taxi services generally done through 40 Mile are and Tok Air
Camping and Lodging
There are a few options for modern lodging in the towns and villages around the unit but daily travel from these areas to hunting locations can be difficult. Most hunters will opt for primitive camping options either along river banks or from base camps after being flown in. Several good camp sites can be found along the highway system.
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