Washington Elk · GMU 437 Sauk
Washington GMU 437 covers 564,591 acres and lies 26 miles north-east of Arlington. 61% of it is public land, mostly national forest (42%) and state trust land (17%). In 2025, hunters took 23 elk here; hunter counts not published. Its most applied-for hunt, 2813, put up 6 nonresident tags in the 2025 draw for 595 first-choice applicants.
No more draws here. The last one was 2025.
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife held its 2026 elk draw without GMU 437. No current hunt code lists this unit; the Washington elk hunts on offer are drawn elsewhere. The odds, costs and harvest below are that history, kept for the record.
6 licenses
first choice, NR
not published
42% Forest Service
564,591 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in GMU 437
The last draw held in GMU 437 was 2025. These are that draw's chances for a first-choice nonresident applicant, kept for the record.
| What | Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2422 · youth | Sauk — Youth Elk Hunt, Any elk (Western Archery, Firearm, or Muzzleloader) | 3% | — | |
| 2516 · hunters | Sauk — Elk Hunters 65 Years And Older, Any elk (Western Archery, Firearm, or Muzzleloader) | 2% | — | |
| 2615 · hunters | Sauk — Elk Hunters with Disabilities, Any elk (Western Archery, Firearm, or Muzzleloader) | 4% | — | |
| 2813 | Sauk — Bull Elk Hunt, Any bull (Western Firearm) | 1% | — | |
| 2823 | Sauk — Bull Elk Hunt, Any bull (Western Archery) | 3% | — | |
| 2834 | Sauk — Bull Elk Hunt, Any bull (Western Muzzleloader) | 2% | — |
First-choice nonresident odds at your points, 2025 draw. Cut = points the last tag went at; ▲ = points added since the earliest draw on file.
Draw results: WDFW 2025 Elk individual hunts, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
If you draw (2025 nonresident fees): $837.90 ($837.90 to apply). Open Apr 20 – May 27, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Elk |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 |
| 2024 | 18 |
| 2023 | 21 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| General season | — | 0 | — |
| Special permit | — | 23 | — |
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
| National Forest | 239,100 ac | 42% |
| Private | 217,765 ac | 39% |
| State trust land | 95,329 ac | 17% |
| State land | 6,354 ac | 1% |
| County or city land | 5,810 ac | 1% |
| BLM | 129 ac | <1% |
| Other public | 101 ac | <1% |
▸ Sources 5
- WDFW 2025 Elk individual hunts draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- WDFW 2025 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- 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
Odds are from the 2025 draw, the latest on file, computed from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's published results. They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. 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.
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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