Washington Elk — GMU 506
Willapa Hills
Washington GMU 506 covers 244,440 acres and lies 30 miles north-west of Longview and 49 miles south-west of Tumwater. 16% of it is public land, mostly state trust land (16%) and state land (1%). In 2025, hunters took 277 elk here. The 2026 draw put up 60 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 506, 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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| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 ↗ Wahkiakum — Quality Elk Hunt, Any bull (Western Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 1 / — | Sep 28 – Oct 2, 2026 |
| 2232 ↗ Willapa Hills — Antlerless Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Western Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 35 / — | Nov 7–18, 2026 |
| 2259 ↗ Willapa Hills — Antlerless Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Western Archery) Archery | — Cut level | — | 60 / — | Nov 25 – Dec 15, 2026 |
| 2287 ↗ Willapa Hills — Antlerless Elk Hunt, Antlerless (Western Muzzleloader) Muzzleloader | — Cut level | — | 20 / — | Oct 3–9, 2026 |
| 2515 ↗ Willapa Hills — Elk Hunters 65 Years And Older, Antlerless (Western Firearm) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 5 / — | Nov 7–18, 2026 |
| 2710 ↗ Region 5 Northwest–Hoof Disease — Master Hunter Elk Hunt, Antlerless (All Methods) Rifle | — Cut level | — | 15 / — | Dec 1 – Feb 28, 2027 |
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 204,251 ac · 84%
- State trust land 38,376 ac · 16%
- State land 1,667 ac · 1%
- County or city land 143 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 | 277 |
| 2024 | 206 |
| 2023 | 250 |
| 2022 | 281 |
| 2021 | 348 |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 43 · 19% · 427 hunters, 10% success
- Firearm 121 · 53% · 806 hunters, 15% success
- Muzzleloader 64 · 28% · 279 hunters, 23% 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)