Washington Elk — GMU 368
Cowiche
Washington GMU 368 covers 225,640 acres and lies 14 miles west of Yakima and 31 miles south-west of Ellensburg. 43% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (33%) and state land (8%). In 2025, hunters took 195 elk here. The 2026 draw put up 105 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 368, 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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2613 Yakima South — Elk Hunters with Disabilities, Antlerless (Eastern Archery, Firearm, or Muzzleloader) 10 tags— Cut level
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| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ Cowiche — Quality Elk Hunt, Any bull (Eastern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 3 / — | Sep 21–25, 2026 |
| 2063 ↗ Cowiche — Quality Elk Hunt, Any bull (Eastern Archery) Archery | — Cut level | — | 15 / — | Sep 1–18, 2026 |
| 2087 ↗ Cowiche — Quality Elk Hunt, Any bull (Eastern Muzzleloader) Muzzleloader | — Cut level | — | 17 / — | Sep 26 – Oct 2, 2026 |
| 2229 ↗ Cowiche — Antlerless Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Eastern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 105 / — | Nov 4–8, 2026 |
| 2286 ↗ Cowiche — Antlerless Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Eastern Muzzleloader) Muzzleloader | — Cut level | — | 80 / — | Oct 3–9, 2026 |
| 2412 ↗ Yakima South — Youth Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Eastern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 35 / — | Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026 |
| 2414 ↗ Yakima Late — Youth Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Eastern Archery) Archery | — Cut level | — | 50 / — | Nov 25 – Dec 6, 2026 |
| 2417 ↗ Yakima South — Youth Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Eastern Muzzleloader) Muzzleloader | — Cut level | — | 20 / — | Sep 26 – Oct 9, 2026 |
| 2509 ↗ Yakima South — Elk Hunters 65 Years And Older, Antlerless (Eastern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 10 / — | Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026 |
| 2511 ↗ Yakima Late — Elk Hunters 65 Years And Older, Antlerless (Eastern Archery) Archery | — Cut level | — | 15 / — | Nov 25 – Dec 6, 2026 |
| 2613 ↗ Yakima South — Elk Hunters with Disabilities, Antlerless (Eastern Archery, Firearm, or Muzzleloader) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 10 / — | Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026 |
| 2811 ↗ Cowiche — Bull Elk Hunt, Any bull (Eastern Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 27 / — | Oct 26 – Nov 8, 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 | $837.90 | $837.90 | $837.90 |
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
- Private 128,811 ac · 57%
- State trust land 74,746 ac · 33%
- State land 17,512 ac · 8%
- National Forest 3,200 ac · 1%
- BLM 865 ac · 0%
- County or city land 467 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 35 ac · 0%
- Tribal 2 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 | 195 |
| 2024 | 164 |
| 2023 | 214 |
| 2022 | 152 |
| 2021 | 129 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 2 · 2% · 182 hunters, 1% success
- Firearm 85 · 82% · 1,112 hunters, 8% success
- Muzzleloader 17 · 16% · 395 hunters, 4% 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)