Southwest Washington (WDFW Region 5): elk, deer and bear hunting by GMU
WDFW Region 5, run from Ridgefield, has 23 game management units and is 38.2% public land open to hunting. Adding up WDFW's GMU figures, hunters took 1,079 elk, 6,132 deer and 255 black bears (general season) in Region 5 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: WDFW reports to 2025. Land: WA DNR, 2026-10.
Region 5 covers southwest Washington from Mount Rainier's south side to the Columbia River, including Mount St. Helens, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Klickitat country on the east slope.
Which GMUs are in Region 5?
All 23 GMUs in Region 5, with WDFW's 2025 harvest and the public land in each. The most elk were taken in GMU 506 (277), GMU 530 (163) and GMU 550 (75).
| GMU | Name | Square miles | Public land | Elk, 2025 | Deer, 2025 | Bears, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMU 382 | East Klickitat | 811 | 7.8% | 9 | 267 | 7 |
| GMU 388 | Grayback | 487 | 11.2% | 8 | 169 | 3 |
| GMU 501 | Lincoln | 235 | 21.8% | 4 | 387 | 6 |
| GMU 503 | Randle | 57 | 11.1% | 20 | 88 | 5 |
| GMU 504 | Stella | 100 | 0.3% | 11 | 185 | 2 |
| GMU 505 | Mossyrock | 296 | 3.4% | 34 | 394 | 5 |
| GMU 506 | Willapa Hills | 375 | 16.6% | 277 | 377 | 35 |
| GMU 510 | Stormking | 205 | 32.6% | 12 | 89 | 6 |
| GMU 513 | South Rainier | 240 | 93.2% | 27 | 55 | 4 |
| GMU 516 | Packwood | 537 | 92.9% | 59 | 126 | 24 |
| GMU 520 | Winston | 298 | 13.8% | 65 | 545 | 8 |
| GMU 522 | Loo-wit | 104 | 95.5% | 23 | 0 | |
| GMU 524 | Margaret | 93 | 24.8% | 41 | 77 | 10 |
| GMU 530 | Ryderwood | 551 | 13.6% | 163 | 561 | 12 |
| GMU 550 | Coweeman | 347 | 7.2% | 75 | 661 | 10 |
| GMU 554 | Yale | 45 | 22.4% | 9 | 84 | 2 |
| GMU 556 | Toutle | 230 | 31.1% | 32 | 302 | 9 |
| GMU 560 | Lewis River | 743 | 90.2% | 73 | 153 | 24 |
| GMU 564 | Battle Ground | 528 | 3.3% | 8 | 574 | 13 |
| GMU 568 | Washougal | 421 | 49.5% | 41 | 585 | 29 |
| GMU 572 | Siouxon | 435 | 91.4% | 22 | 127 | 15 |
| GMU 574 | Wind River | 279 | 73.3% | 19 | 131 | 7 |
| GMU 578 | West Klickitat | 458 | 27.6% | 47 | 195 | 19 |
Harvest: WDFW Game Harvest Reports (GMU, 2025); a linked number opens that GMU's page. Public land measured by FilledTag inside WDFW's GMU boundaries from WA DNR Major Public Lands (non-DNR) and WA DNR Managed Land Parcels, read 2026-10.
How many elk, deer and bears are taken in Region 5?
WDFW's GMU figures for Region 5 added together, for the last ten years.
| Year | Elk taken | General elk hunters | Deer taken | General deer hunters | Bears taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,079 | 13,220 | 6,132 | 22,426 | 255 |
| 2024 | 1,099 | 13,684 | 6,406 | 21,804 | 254 |
| 2023 | 1,191 | 14,863 | 5,534 | 21,980 | 252 |
| 2022 | 1,349 | 15,433 | 4,395 | 21,167 | 330 |
| 2021 | 1,480 | 16,651 | 4,815 | 23,082 | 202 |
| 2020 | 1,620 | 18,718 | 4,985 | 23,910 | 348 |
| 2019 | 1,611 | 17,233 | 4,769 | 21,471 | 383 |
| 2018 | 1,737 | 18,258 | 4,314 | 21,593 | 208 |
| 2017 | 1,721 | 18,485 | 3,950 | 21,842 | 196 |
| 2016 | 2,180 | 19,954 | 5,024 | 22,867 | 151 |
Source: WDFW Game Harvest Reports (GMU). Hunter counts are added across GMUs, so a hunter who hunted two GMUs is counted in each.
How much public land is in Region 5?
| Manager | Acres | Share of the region |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 1,346,241 | 26.7% |
| DNR state trust land | 534,583 | 10.6% |
| WDFW land | 25,961 | 0.5% |
| Other public (parks, county, city, other agencies) | 19,696 | 0.4% |
| BLM | 18,442 | 0.4% |
| National wildlife refuge (refuge rules; not counted) | 17,692 | 0.4% |
| Military land (restricted) | 3,528 | 0.1% |
| National park or historic site (no hunting) | 131 | under 0.1% |
WDFW wildlife areas in Region 5
WDFW manages 4 wildlife areas in Region 5, from Klickitat (27,794 acres) down.
- Klickitat: 27,794 acres
- Cowlitz: 14,056 acres
- Mount Saint Helens: 10,177 acres
- Shillapoo: 2,424 acres
Questions hunters ask
Which GMUs in Region 5 have the most elk harvest?
By WDFW's 2025 report: GMU 506 Willapa Hills (277), GMU 530 Ryderwood (163) and GMU 550 Coweeman (75).
Which GMUs in Region 5 have the most deer harvest?
By WDFW's 2025 report: GMU 550 Coweeman (661), GMU 568 Washougal (585) and GMU 564 Battle Ground (574).
How much of Region 5 is public land?
38.2% of the region's GMUs, 1,925,227 of 5,040,865 acres, is public land open to hunting, most of it national forest, measured by FilledTag from WA DNR's maps.
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Sources: WDFW Game Harvest Reports; WA DNR Major Public Lands (non-DNR) and WA DNR Managed Land Parcels, read 2026-10; WDFW wildlife area and unit boundaries.
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.
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