U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

907/456 0250 800/362 4546

arctic_refuge@fws.gov http://arctic.fws.gov/

facebook.com/arcticnationalwildliferefuge

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Attention Sheep Hunters

The Arctic Village Sheep Management Area 

(AVSMA), which lies west and north of Arctic 

Village, is closed to sheep hunting except by 

federally qualified residents of Arctic Village, 

Venetie, Fort Yukon, Kaktovik and Chalkyitsik. 

Red Sheep Creek and Cane Creek are now part 

of this closure due to a decision made by the 

Federal Subsistence Board in January 2012. 

Qualified hunters must have a Federal 

registration permit to hunt sheep in the AVSMA

Regulation for Unit 25A – Arctic Village 

Sheep Management Area: 2 rams by Federal 

registration permit only, August 10 to April 30. 

Federal public lands are closed to the taking 

of sheep except by rural Alaska residents of 

Arctic Village, Venetie, Fort Yukon, Kaktovik, 

and Chalkyitsik hunting under Federal harvest 

of wildlife regulations.

General hunting of any game species other 

than sheep is allowed in the AVSMA during 

hunting season

The AVSMA was established in 1995 in response 

to concerns from local rural residents about 

conflicts with general hunters. The Alaska 

National Interest Lands Conservation Act 

(ANILCA) provides authority to protect 

subsistence uses in particular areas. The AVSMA 

protects subsistence sheep hunting opportunities 

and provides a mechanism for reporting harvests. 

Boundary description of the AVSMA

The AVSMA is bounded on the east by the East Fork 

of the Chandalar River, beginning at the confluence 

of Red Sheep Creek, and proceeds downstream 

past Arctic Village to the confluence with Crow 

Nest Creek. It then continues up Crow Nest Creek, 

through Portage Lake, to the confluence with the 

Junjik River; then down the Junjik River past 

Timber Lake and a larger tributary, to a major, 

unnamed tributary, northwesterly for approximately 

6 miles, where the stream forks into two roughly equal 

drainages. The boundary follows the easternmost 

fork, proceeding almost due north to the headwaters 

and intersects the Continental Divide. The boundary 

then follows the Continental Divide east through 

Carter Pass, then east and north approximately 62 

miles along the divide to the headwaters of the most 

northerly tributary of Red Sheep Creek. The boundary 

then follows the divide south and east to the eastern 

extreme of the Red Sheep Creek drainage, then to the 

confluence of Red Sheep Creek and back to the East 

Fork of the Chandalar River. 

Please be respectful and do not enter 

private lands. The red dots on this map show 

their general locations. 

If you are planning to hunt sheep in Game Management Unit 25A, please be aware of Federal hunting regulations 

that do not appear in your State of Alaska regulations booklet: 

The entire Arctic Village Sheep Management Area (AVSMA) is closed to general sheep hunting.

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Guilbeau Pass

Junjik River East Fo rk Chandalar River

Cane Creek

Crow Nest Creek

Otterta il Creek

Spring Creek

Red Sheep Creek

Trit t Creek

Deadman Creek

Flatrock Creek

Christ ian River

Smoke Creek

Venetie Tribal Lands

Arctic Village

Produced by:

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Projection: Alaska Albers

Datum: NAD83

March 8, 2012

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Arctic Village Sheep Management Area

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Arctic

National

Wildlife

Refuge

Map Area

Arctic Village Sheep Managment Area

Arctic Refuge Boundary

!( Native Allotment

Regional Native Corp.

p Airport

0 5 10 15 20

Miles

0 5 10 15 20

Kilometers

new 

closure 

as of 

2012

Arctic Village Sheep 

Management Area 

(AVSMA) closed to 

general sheep hunting 

since 1995