Washington Elk · GMU 516 Packwood

Washington GMU 516 covers 343,865 acres and lies 55 miles south of Bonney Lake. 93% of it is public land, mostly national forest (93%). In 2025, hunters took 59 elk here; hunter counts not published. Its most applied-for hunt, 2030, put up 3 nonresident tags in the 2025 draw for 317 first-choice applicants.

No more draws here. The last one was 2025.

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife held its 2026 elk draw without GMU 516. 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.

NR Tags, 2025
3

1 license

Applicants
317

first choice, NR

Hunter Success
6%

2025, firearm hunter

Public Land
93%

93% Forest Service

Size
537 mi²

343,865 acres

516
6%hunter success 2025

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Every License in GMU 516

90–100% 50–89% 10–49% 1–9% under 1% fewer than 5 tags: one applicant swings it

The last draw held in GMU 516 was 2025. These are that draw's chances for a first-choice nonresident applicant, kept for the record.

2030 <1% (small sample) —

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 59
2024 54
2023 44
2022 66
2021 47
2025 by LicenseHuntersElkSuccess
General season — 58 —
General season · archery 232 19 8%
General season · firearm 404 25 6%
General season · muzzleloader 181 12 7%
Special permit — 1 —

2025 split: archery 19 (34%) from 232 hunters, 8%, firearm 25 (45%) from 404 hunters, 6%, muzzleloader 12 (21%) from 181 hunters, 7%

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 319,066 ac 93%
Private 24,268 ac 7%
State trust land 433 ac <1%
BLM 97 ac <1%

Source: WDFW 2026 WA DNR 'Non-DNR Major Public Lands'….

▸ Sources 5
  1. WDFW 2025 Elk individual hunts draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
  2. WDFW 2025 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
  3. WDFW 2025 Hunt Planner 'BigGame' harvest table harvest, area description, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
  4. WDFW 2026 Hunt Planner 'UnitSpatial' polygon… boundary, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
  5. 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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Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

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