Alpine GMU 249 deer hunting: harvest, seasons and public land
WDFW's harvest report shows 7 deer taken in GMU 249 Alpine in 2025. General-season hunters numbered 110 (WDFW's archery, modern firearm, muzzleloader and multiple-season counts added together), with 520 hunter days. GMU 249 is 99.6% public land open to hunting, the largest share national forest (226,341 acres), measured from WA DNR's public land maps.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: WDFW reports for 1997 to 2025. Seasons and permits: WDFW's 2026 pamphlet with its April 2026 corrections. Land: WA DNR, 2026-10.
National forestNational wildlife refuge (refuge rules; not counted)GMU 249Neighboring GMUsLake or riverHighway
| WDFW region | Region 2, North Central Washington |
|---|---|
| Size | 227,189 acres (355 square miles) |
| Public land open to hunting | 99.6% (226,341 acres) |
| Deer taken, 2025 | 7 (7 in 2024) |
| General-season hunters, 2025 | 110 |
| Modern firearm, 2026 | Oct. 17-27, any buck |
| Towns in and near it | Leavenworth, Roslyn and Skykomish |
Also for GMU 249: elk hunting, black bear hunting.
How many deer are taken in GMU 249?
WDFW reports 7 deer taken in GMU 249 in 2025, against 7 in 2024. The most in one year since 2000 was 51, in 2015. WDFW's figures average 8 a year for 2021 to 2025, against 14 a year for 2016 to 2020.
| Year | Deer taken, all hunts | General season | Special permit | Antlered | Antlerless | General-season hunters | Hunter days | Deer per 100 general hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 110 | 520 | 6 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 161 | 569 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 145 | 565 | 3 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 161 | 623 | 7 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 175 | 701 | 7 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 176 | 736 | 4 |
| 2019 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 191 | 710 | 7 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 224 | 852 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 150 | 512 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 30 | 2 | 237 | 967 | 13 |
| 2015 | 51 | 51 | 48 | 3 | 213 | 797 | 24 | |
| 2014 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 1 | 171 | 705 | 16 | |
| 2013 | 39 | 39 | 37 | 2 | 187 | 697 | 21 | |
| 2012 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 2 | 188 | 709 | 16 | |
| 2011 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 1 | 182 | 660 | 16 | |
| 2010 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 1 | 175 | 787 | 18 | |
| 2009 | 41 | 41 | 38 | 3 | 176 | 722 | 23 | |
| 2008 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 0 | ||||
| 2007 | 37 | 37 | not split out | 36 | 1 | 208 | 710 | 18 |
| 2006 | 37 | 37 | not split out | 37 | 0 | 194 | 734 | 19 |
| 2005 | 40 | 40 | not split out | 39 | 1 | 230 | 968 | 17 |
| 2004 | 36 | 36 | not split out | 35 | 1 | 239 | 924 | 15 |
| 2003 | 51 | 51 | not split out | 51 | 0 | 219 | 796 | 23 |
| 2002 | 37 | 37 | not split out | 34 | 3 | 249 | 1,042 | 15 |
| 2001 | 24 | 24 | not split out | 24 | 0 | 242 | 904 | 10 |
| 2000 | 36 | 36 | not split out | 35 | 1 | 492 | 1,467 | 7 |
Source: WDFW Game Harvest Reports (deer, GMU 249, 2000 to 2025), read through WDFW's Hunt Planner harvest table. "All hunts" is WDFW's general plus special permit total where it publishes one (from 2008), otherwise the general season. Where WDFW gives no all-weapon hunter count, the hunters and days shown are its per-weapon counts added together. Deer per 100 general hunters is worked out from WDFW's own two figures. The averages above are of WDFW's yearly figures.
How did each weapon do in GMU 249 in 2025?
The modern firearm general season drew the most deer hunters in GMU 249 in 2025: 79, who took 7 (8.8% success by WDFW's count).
| Weapon, 2025 general season | Hunters | Hunter days | Deer taken | Success (WDFW) | Days per animal (WDFW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 13 | 82 | 0 | 0% | |
| Modern firearm | 79 | 347 | 7 | 8.8% | 50 |
| Muzzleloader | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0% | |
| Multiple-season tag | 15 | 83 | 0 | 0% |
Source: WDFW Game Harvest Reports (deer general season, 2025).
What size bucks come out of GMU 249?
WDFW counts antlered deer by the points on one side. In 2025, the most common was 5-point or larger: 5 of 7 antlered deer.
| Year | 1 point | 2 points | 3 points | 4 points | 5 or more | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Source: WDFW Game Harvest Reports (deer, antler points).
When is deer season in GMU 249 in 2026?
General seasons for all hunters in GMU 249, by weapon: archery: Sept. 1-25 (any deer, white-tailed deer) and Sept. 1-25 (3 pt. min., mule deer); modern firearm: Oct. 17-27 (any buck, white-tailed deer) and Oct. 17-27 (3 pt. min., mule deer).
| Weapon | Season | Deer | 2026 dates | Legal deer | Who | WDFW's notes for GMU 249 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern firearm | General season | White-tailed Deer | Oct. 17-27 | Any buck | All hunters | |
| Modern firearm | General season | Mule Deer | Oct. 17-27 | 3 pt. min. | All hunters | |
| Archery | Early archery season | White-tailed Deer | Sept. 1-25 | Any deer | All hunters | |
| Archery | Early archery season | Mule Deer | Sept. 1-25 | 3 pt. min. | All hunters |
Source: WDFW 2026 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Regulations, pages 23 and 24, with WDFW's April 2026 corrections. WDFW can change a season during the year: check WDFW's regulations page before you go.
How much public land is in GMU 249?
99.6% of GMU 249 is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 226,341 of its 227,189 acres. The largest share is national forest, 226,341 acres or 99.6% of the unit.
| Manager | Acres | Share of GMU 249 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 226,341 | 99.6% |
| National wildlife refuge (refuge rules; not counted) | 846 | 0.4% |
Measured by FilledTag inside WDFW's GMU boundary (WDFW game management units, in effect April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027) from WA DNR Major Public Lands (non-DNR) and WA DNR Managed Land Parcels, read 2026-10. Tribal land is not counted as public. National wildlife refuges, military land and "other public" land (state parks, county, city and other agencies) are not counted as open to hunting: each sets its own rules.
How do you get to GMU 249?
No numbered highway crosses the unit. Nearby: Leavenworth (4 miles), Roslyn (10 miles), Skykomish (11 miles) and Cashmere (11 miles).
Which GMUs border GMU 249?
GMU 249 touches 3 other GMUs. Their public land and WDFW's 2025 deer numbers, for comparison:
| GMU | Name | Public land | Deer taken, 2025 | General hunters, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMU 251 | Mission | 58.6% | 159 | 811 |
| GMU 335 | Teanaway | 73.8% | 182 | 1,187 |
| GMU 460 | Snoqualmie | 61.3% | 161 | 751 |
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season in GMU 249 in 2026?
By WDFW's 2026 pamphlet, the general deer seasons open to all hunters in GMU 249 are archery: Sept. 1-25 (any deer, white-tailed deer) and Sept. 1-25 (3 pt. min., mule deer); modern firearm: Oct. 17-27 (any buck, white-tailed deer) and Oct. 17-27 (3 pt. min., mule deer).
How many deer are taken in GMU 249?
WDFW reports 7 deer taken in GMU 249 in 2025: 7 antlered and 0 antlerless. The most in one year since 2000 was 51, in 2015.
How much public land is in GMU 249?
99.6% of GMU 249, 226,341 of its 227,189 acres, is national forest, BLM, DNR trust, WDFW, Reclamation or national recreation area land; the largest share is national forest. Measured by FilledTag from WA DNR's public land maps.
What town is closest to GMU 249?
No town or Census-listed community is inside it. The nearest towns are Leavenworth (4 miles), Roslyn (10 miles) and Skykomish (11 miles).
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, hunters, days and success: WDFW Game Harvest Reports.
- Seasons, special permits, applicants and points: WDFW 2026 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Regulations.
- Public land: WA DNR Major Public Lands (non-DNR) and WA DNR Managed Land Parcels, read 2026-10. GMU boundary: WDFW game management units, in effect April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Numbers are copied from WDFW and the State of Washington, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag. WDFW's regulations are the final word on every rule.
Washington hunting Washington deer by GMU Region 2 GMU 251 GMU 335 GMU 460