Washington Elk · GMU 278 Wahluke
Washington GMU 278 covers 542,023 acres and lies 22 miles south-west of Moses Lake and 41 miles north of Richland. 32% of it is public land, mostly wildlife refuge (11%) and Bureau of Reclamation (9%). In 2025, hunters took 2 elk here; hunter counts not published.
0 licenses
first choice, NR
2025, muzzleloader hunter
11% Fish & Wildlife Service
542,023 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Licenses
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife has not offered an elk license in GMU 278 in any draw we hold. It has a page because the agency still publishes harvest for it; the Washington elk hunts that are on offer are drawn elsewhere.
Harvest
| Year | Elk |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| General season | — | 2 | — |
| General season · archery | 8 | 2 | 25% |
| General season · firearm | 13 | 0 | 0% |
| General season · muzzleloader | 16 | 0 | 0% |
2025 split: archery 2 (100%), firearm 0 (0%) from 13 hunters, 0%, muzzleloader 0 (0%) from 16 hunters, 0%
What Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. Hunter counts not published for 2025. 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. Source: WDFW 2025 Hunt Planner 'BigGame' harvest table.
The Ground
| Private | 369,319 ac | 68% |
| National Wildlife Refuge | 61,664 ac | 11% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 48,056 ac | 9% |
| BLM | 26,859 ac | 5% |
| State trust land | 19,002 ac | 4% |
| State land | 14,690 ac | 3% |
| County or city land | 2,161 ac | <1% |
| Other public | 269 ac | <1% |
▸ Sources 3
- WDFW 2025 Hunt Planner 'BigGame' harvest table harvest, area description, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WDFW 2026 Hunt Planner 'UnitSpatial' polygon… boundary, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WDFW 2026 WA DNR 'Non-DNR Major Public Lands'… land ownership, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
About These Numbers
Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Washington elk hunts