Washington Hunting

Washington

Coastal rainforest Roosevelt elk, Cascade blacktail, Columbia Basin mule deer, and Pacific Flyway duck hunting.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in Washington

Official Regulatory Authority

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)

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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) manages over 1 million acres across 33 designated Wildlife Areas and hundreds of water access sites statewide. In addition, Washington boasts over 9 million acres of federal public land within Olympic, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie, Gifford Pinchot, Okanogan-Wenatchee, and Colville National Forests. Access to WDFW lands requires a Vehicle Access Pass (issued with hunting licenses) or a Washington Discover Pass, providing sportsmen premier access to temperate rainforests, alpine high country, and eastern shrub-steppe.
Olympic National Forest & Wilderness
Temperate Rainforest | 633,000+ Acres

Olympic National Forest & Wilderness

Encompassing over 633,000 acres flanking the Olympic Mountain Range, this rugged coastal rainforest terrain features towering old-growth Douglas fir, Western red cedar, and moss-carpeted river bottoms. Premier destination for Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, and black bear hunting along the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault river drainages.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area
Eastern Cascades | 67,100 Acres

Oak Creek Wildlife Area

Located in Yakima and Kittitas counties on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. Managed primarily as a critical wintering ground for Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer, offering dramatic pine-forested ridges, basalt bluffs, and shrub-steppe valleys. Archery, modern firearm, and muzzleloader seasons target elk, mule deer, California bighorn sheep, and upland game birds.

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area
Kittitas Basin | 114,000+ Acres

L.T. Murray Wildlife Area

Spanning rolling shrub-steppe, deep canyons, and coniferous forest between Ellensburg and Yakima. A premier destination for mule deer, elk, chukar, California quail, and mourning dove. The Whiskey Dick and Quilomene units provide backcountry walk-in and horseback hunting with panoramic views of the Columbia River.

Colville National Forest
Selkirk & Kettle Crest | 1.1 Million Acres

Colville National Forest

Located in northeast Washington, featuring 1.1 million acres of rolling, densely timbered mountains along the Selkirk and Kettle River ranges. Exceptional hunting for whitetail deer, Rocky Mountain elk, Shiras moose, black bear, and ruffed grouse across thousands of miles of logging roads and backcountry trails.

Skagit Wildlife Area
Puget Sound Estuary | 16,700 Acres

Skagit Wildlife Area

Situated along the Skagit River delta and Puget Sound tidal flats. Renowned as one of the premier waterfowl hunting destinations along the Pacific Flyway, supporting massive wintering flocks of mallards, pintails, wigeon, and snow geese across marshlands and agricultural grain impoundments.