The Alaska black bear draw application period runs from November 1 at 8 AM to December 15 at 5 PM (Alaska time), and it's the one door you have to walk through before you can hunt bears with us as a nonresident. The good news: it's all online, and nobody makes you fax anything. The less-good news: the State of Alaska, not us, runs the lottery, so all we can do is cheer loudly from Point Baker.
This guide walks you through the whole thing, step by step, with screenshots from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) website. Grab your hunting license (or a credit card to buy one), and let's get your name in the hat.
Why Our Bear Hunts Require a Draw
Calder Mountain Lodge sits at Point Baker, on the north tip of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. From here, our self-guided hunters reach the northern part of Prince of Wales plus the famous Kuiu and Kupreanof Islands across Sumner Strait.
In those areas, Alaska's rule is simple: a nonresident who hunts black bear without an Alaska-licensed guide (or a qualifying Alaska-resident relative) must hold a drawing permit. Our hunts are self-guided, so that's you. If you'll hunt with a registered guide or a resident relative within the second degree of kindred, you're on a different track: you can't apply for these drawing hunts and instead use a black bear harvest ticket.
U.S.-citizen nonresidents don't need a guide to hunt black bear. Non-U.S. citizens (ADF&G calls them nonresident aliens) must be guided for black bear, so the self-guided draw hunts below aren't an option for them.
The Hunt Numbers: DL028, DL029 and DL030
Alaska organizes hunts by Game Management Unit (GMU) and gives each drawing hunt its own hunt number. These are the nonresident, nonguided black bear drawing hunts for our May hunts, as listed in the 2026–2027 Drawing Supplement:
DL028: Unit 2, Prince of Wales Island (spring), Jan. 1–June 30, 200 permits
DL029: Unit 3, Kuiu Island, Sept. 1 thru June 30, 40 permits
DL030: Unit 3, Kupreanof Island, Sept. 1 thru June 30, 70 permits
Our hunts run in May, so these are the three hunt numbers that matter for a trip with us: DL028, DL029 and DL030.
Point Baker is right at the top of the Unit 2 map, on Sumner Strait. Kuiu and Kupreanof are in Unit 3, just across the water.
Timing heads-up: the draw you enter this November and December is for next regulatory year's hunts. Apply in Nov–Dec 2026, get results in February 2027, and a spring hunt with us lands in May 2028. Plan your calendar (and your bragging) accordingly.
How to Apply for the Alaska Drawing Permit: 7 Steps
Step 1: Open the current Drawing Supplement
Everything starts with the supplement, ADF&G's book of every drawing hunt, permit count and rule. Find it on the Supplements & Application Materials page. ADF&G posts the new edition for each application period, so confirm the hunt numbers and season dates in the newest supplement before you apply. (As of October 27, 2026, the 2026–2027 edition was still the one posted; ADF&G says the 2027–2028 edition is coming.)
Step 2: Confirm you qualify for a nonguided hunt
Quick checklist before you spend a dime:
You're a nonresident U.S. citizen (nonresident aliens must be guided for black bear).
You will not be accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide or a resident relative within the second degree of kindred. (If you will be, use a harvest ticket instead, and don't apply for these hunts.)
You'll be at least 10 years old by the start of the hunt.
You turned in your hunt reports from last year. Forgetting a report makes you ineligible for the next regulatory year's permits.
You didn't win the exact same drawing hunt last year. You can't be awarded the same hunt two years in a row.
Step 3: Go to the ADF&G Online Store and sign in
Drawing applications are online only (paper applications are no longer accepted). Head to the ADF&G Online Store. You'll see two buttons: Shop as Guest or Sign In and Shop. We'd suggest signing in. An ADF&G account (it's separate from a myAlaska account) keeps your license and applications in one place and lets you eSign your license.
Step 4: Buy next year's nonresident hunting license
You must have, or be buying, an Alaska big game hunting license to apply, and you can add it to the same cart as your draw applications. Here's our money-saving tip: buy the following year's license. If you're applying in November–December 2026, buy the 2027 nonresident annual hunting license.
Why? ADF&G's Drawing FAQ says "a current year hunting license or any license issued for a later year will be valid for application purposes," and future-year licenses are sold in the online store. So a 2027 license works for this draw, and it's still your current-year license when the next draw opens in November 2027. Two draws, one license.
One catch: if you draw, you also need a license valid for the calendar year you actually hunt. For a May 2028 hunt, that means a 2028 license.
Not hunting in Alaska in 2027? Skip the 2027 license and buy the 2028 nonresident hunting license instead. ADF&G accepts a license for the year your drawing hunt takes place, so one 2028 license covers your application now and your May 2028 hunt. ADF&G currently lists the Nonresident Annual Hunting license at $160. License rules and prices can change, so check ADF&G's Drawing Hunt page and License & Tag Prices before you buy.
Step 5: Add your hunts to the cart
On the Drawing Hunt Permits page in the store, ADF&G's instructions are:
Choose Individual Application or Party Application.
Pick Black Bear from the Species menu.
Pick your hunt number (for example, DL028).
Use Quantity to choose how many times to apply for that hunt.
Set your Choice Order. If you happen to be drawn for more than one black bear hunt, you only get one, and choice order "1" is the one you want most.
Set Guide Type to show you will not be guided.
Enter your hunting license number (or the license in your cart).
Click Add Hunt to Cart, repeat for any other hunts, then Checkout.
You get up to six black bear applications total, across individual and party applications combined. You can put all six on one hunt or spread them out (for example, DL028, DL029 and DL030). Go over six and every black bear application you submitted is rejected, so count twice.
Party applications: two hunters can apply together, and if the application is drawn, both get permits. A party application doesn't improve your odds, and it counts toward both hunters' six. If either hunter is ineligible, the whole application is tossed.
Step 6: Pay and save your receipt
Each hunt entry costs $5 on top of your license. ADF&G takes Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express (no cash or checks). All applications are final, and fees aren't refunded, so double-check your hunt numbers before you click. Also, don't wait until December 15. ADF&G warns that the website slows down in the last few days.
Step 7: Wait for Alaska draw results (and practice your happy dance)
ADF&G's Drawing Supplement says draw results come out on the third Friday of February. Its Draw Results page says results from this November–December 2026 period are expected Friday, February 20. Watch the Draw Results page for the exact date. Only winners are notified, and most hard-copy permits are mailed in early July.
What Are My Odds? Last Year's Numbers
ADF&G publishes last year's draw results in the back of the supplement. In the 2025 drawing:
DL028 (Unit 2, spring): 2,072 applications received, 190 permits available, 9% drawn
DL029 (Kuiu Island): 879 applications received, 40 permits available, 5% drawn
DL030 (Kupreanof Island): 524 applications received, 70 permits available, 13% drawn
In plain English, these are lottery odds, not sure things, and using all six of your chances helps. ADF&G's own tip is to apply for hunts with fewer applicants per permit. Permit numbers can change from year to year, so check the new supplement.
You Drew! Now What?
First, call your hunting buddy. Second, call us. Then:
Buy your black bear locking tag before you hunt. A tag is required for all nonresidents, and ADF&G lists it at $450 (check current prices). If your permit spans two calendar years, you need a tag and hunting license for each year you hunt.
Read the hunt page for your permit. Each hunt has a page with its season dates, permit numbers and reporting rules. Here's DL028:
Know the legal bear. Any black bear except cubs or females with cubs. In Units 1–3, a bear you wound counts toward your bag limit for the regulatory year.
Report and seal on time. Successful hunters report to ADF&G within 15 days of the kill and bring the skull and hide in person to ADF&G or an appointed sealer within 30 days. For January 1–May 31 kills (our May hunts), you must present the skinned-out skull and hide, with evidence of sex and claws naturally attached. Unsuccessful hunters still report within 15 days of the season's close, at hunt.alaska.gov. Skip it and you can't get permits next year.
Check the Current Regulations
Regulations, fees, permit numbers and dates can change, and ADF&G can change seasons by emergency order. Before you apply and again before you hunt, check the current ADF&G Drawing Hunt information, the newest Drawing Supplement and the Alaska Hunting Regulations for Unit 2. This guide is friendly help from a lodge, not legal advice, and ADF&G has the final word.
Ready to Put In? We're Here to Help
Drawing a bear permit is the hard part. The rest is the fun part: spring on Sumner Strait, captaining your own boat along quiet beaches, and glassing for bears. Learn more about our self-guided black bear hunts, see dates and availability, or contact us.
Want help with your application? Call or text Chris at 208-681-9270, or email caldermountainlodge@gmail.com. We're happy to help you get your name in the hat before December 15. For questions about the hunt or booking, call or text Nicole at 435-770-6176.
Sources
ADF&G, Drawing Hunt Permits Information: Overview (accessed Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.draw
ADF&G, Supplements & Application Materials (accessed Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.drawsupplements
ADF&G, 2026–2027 Alaska Drawing Permit Hunt Supplement (PDF, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/license/huntlicense/pdfs/2026-2027-draw-supplement.pdf
ADF&G, Drawing Hunt FAQs (accessed Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.drawfaqs
ADF&G, Draw Results (accessed Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.drawresults
ADF&G, 2026–2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations, GMU 2 (PDF, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/wildliferegulations/pdfs/gmu2.pdf
ADF&G, hunt pages for DL028, DL029 and DL030 (Regulatory Year 2026 screenshots Oct 26; Regulatory Year 2027 pages checked Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntingmaps.find_hunt&huntnum=DL028
ADF&G, License, Stamp, and Tag Prices (accessed Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.prices
ADF&G, Guide Requirements (accessed Oct 27, 2026): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntlicense.guiding
ADF&G Online Store: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/store/
