Washington Deer — GMU 242
Alta
Washington GMU 242 covers 277,719 acres and lies 55 miles north of Wenatchee and 84 miles east of Monroe. 87% of it is public land, mostly national forest (83%) and state trust land (2%). In 2025, hunters took 129 deer here. The 2026 draw put up 15 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in GMU 242, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
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1715 Alta — Deer Hunters with Disabilities, white-tailed, Any Buck, Mule Deer or Any Deer (Modern Firearm) 5 tags— Cut level
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1029 ↗ Alta — Quality Deer Hunt, Any buck (Modern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 15 / — | Nov 1–20, 2026 |
| 1087 ↗ Alta — Quality Deer Hunt, Any buck (Muzzleloader) Muzzleloader | — Cut level | — | 10 / — | Nov 25–30, 2026 |
| 1212 ↗ Alta — Buck Deer Hunt, white-tailed, Any buck (Modern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 10 / — | Nov 1–20, 2026 |
| 1422 ↗ Alta — Second Deer Hunt, white-tailed, Antlerless (Modern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 5 / — | Oct 17–27, 2026 |
| 1519 ↗ Alta — Youth Deer Hunt, white-tailed, Any buck (Modern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 5 / — | Oct 17–27, 2026 |
| 1572 ↗ Alta — Youth Deer Hunt, white-tailed, Any buck (Muzzleloader) Muzzleloader | — Cut level | — | 3 / — | Sep 24 – Oct 4, 2026 |
| 1615 ↗ Alta — Deer Hunters 65 Years and Over, white-tailed, Any buck (Modern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 5 / — | Oct 17–27, 2026 |
| 1715 ↗ Alta — Deer Hunters with Disabilities, white-tailed, Any Buck, Mule Deer or Any Deer (Modern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 5 / — | Oct 17–27, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $1,108.27 | $1,108.27 | $1,108.27 |
Application window: opens Apr 20, closes May 27, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest 229,514 ac · 83%
- Private 36,419 ac · 13%
- State trust land 5,616 ac · 2%
- BLM 3,384 ac · 1%
- State land 2,604 ac · 1%
- National Park Service 180 ac · 0%
Source: WA DNR 'Non-DNR Major Public Lands' (NDMPL) layer, federal/state/county/city ownership parcels
How the hunting has gone
What Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Washington's figures come from mandatory hunter reports. WDFW credits a multi-GMU special-permit hunt's harvest to every GMU it spans rather than splitting it, so unit totals add up to more than the statewide total.
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 129 |
| 2024 | 134 |
| 2023 | 141 |
| 2022 | 160 |
| 2021 | 199 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 2 · 2% · 13 hunters, 15% success
- Firearm 82 · 95% · 635 hunters, 13% success
- Muzzleloader 2 · 2% · 23 hunters, 9% success
Boundary: WDFW Hunt Planner 'UnitSpatial' polygon layer (WP_HuntPlanner/Regulation/MapServer/0)
Harvest: WDFW Hunt Planner 'BigGame' harvest table (WP_HuntPlanner/Harvest/MapServer/1)