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Alaska Game Management Units Map: Find GMU Maps Offline

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The official Alaska Game Management Unit (GMU) maps come from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). You can view them on the ADF&G hunting maps pages, build a custom map by GMU, and save it for use on a phone. Because there is usually no cell signal in the field, plan to save your map before you leave town.

Where the official GMU maps are

ADF&G's hunting maps page is the source to start with. It lists these ways to build a map:

  • By species
  • By Game Management Unit (GMU)
  • By hunt type
  • By hunt number
  • Youth only

The same page links to the Alaska Game Management Unit maps, to GMU information, and to a GIS and data downloads page. ADF&G says custom maps can be made to print or for use on a mobile device, and it publishes PDF instructions for both.

Check the unit, the season and any restrictions on ADF&G's own pages before you hunt. Rules and boundaries can change, and the agency is the final word.

Areas with restrictions

ADF&G also lists areas with restrictions, including by GMU, closed to hunting, controlled use areas, management areas and state refuges. Look these up for the unit you plan to hunt. A map of unit boundaries alone does not show every restriction.

Getting a map on your phone, offline

A GMU boundary map tells you which unit you are in. For navigating on the ground you also want a map that shows terrain, roads and trails, with your location shown as a blue dot. A GeoPDF does this and works without a signal once it is saved on your phone.

  1. Find the area you plan to hunt on the Cartahaven map store. Many federal land maps are free.
  2. Download the map to your phone before you leave coverage.
  3. Open it in a GeoPDF viewer: Android or iPhone.
  4. Turn on location and check that the blue dot moves with you while you are still in signal.

Already have a PDF map? The GeoPDF checker shows whether it is a GeoPDF that can show your location. If it is not, add location to a PDF can help.

Federal land maps in Alaska

Some federal agency maps in the store carry unit numbers in their titles, for example the BLM's Federal Subsistence Game Management Unit 25C map for the Steese Highway. Search the store for your area, and see our hunting units page for unit-based maps in other states.

Before you go

  • Save your maps while you have a signal.
  • Carry a backup, such as a printed map.
  • Confirm your unit and rules with ADF&G.
  • Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.