Washington Elk · GMU 501 Lincoln
Washington GMU 501 covers 146,391 acres and lies 23 miles south-west of Tumwater. 22% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (22%). In 2025, hunters took 4 elk here; hunter counts not published. Its most applied-for hunt, 2710, put up 15 nonresident tags in the 2025 draw for 79 first-choice applicants.
No more draws here. The last one was 2025.
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife held its 2026 elk draw without GMU 501. 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.
1 license
first choice, NR
2025, firearm hunter
22% State
146,391 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Best Bets at 0 Points
Ranked by your odds times how often that license type's hunters filled their tag in 2025. Nonresident, first choice, 2025 draw; licenses with at least 10 tags that anyone can buy.
Every License in GMU 501
The last draw held in GMU 501 was 2025. These are that draw's chances for a first-choice nonresident applicant, kept for the record.
| What | Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2710 | Region 5 Northwest–Hoof Disease — Master Hunter Elk Hunt, Antlerless (All Methods) | 19% | — |
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 | 4 |
| 2024 | 34 |
| 2023 | 21 |
| 2022 | 23 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2025 by License | Hunters | Elk | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| General season | — | 4 | — |
| General season · archery | 26 | 0 | 0% |
| General season · firearm | 164 | 2 | 1% |
| General season · muzzleloader | 75 | 2 | 3% |
2025 split: archery 0 (0%) from 26 hunters, 0%, firearm 2 (50%) from 164 hunters, 1%, muzzleloader 2 (50%) from 75 hunters, 3%
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 | 114,057 ac | 78% |
| State trust land | 31,841 ac | 22% |
| State land | 471 ac | <1% |
| National Wildlife Refuge | 19 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