Elk Special season in Washington runs Jul 1 – Oct 7 across 40 GMUs.
| GMU | Type | Dates | Harvest | Pressure | Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Blackrock Ranches | Firearm | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Blackrock Ranches | Firearm | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Blackrock Ranches | Firearm | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Blackrock Ranches | Firearm | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1008 | Firearm | Oct 26 — Nov 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1009 | Firearm | Oct 26 — Nov 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1013 | Firearm | Oct 31 — Nov 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Sep 26 — Oct 5 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Sep 30 — Oct 5 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Nov 7 — Nov 12 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Nov 7 — Nov 26 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Nov 14 — Nov 19 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Dec 1 — Dec 6 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Firearm | Dec 1 — Dec 6 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1021 | Firearm | Jan 1 — Feb 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1081 | Firearm | Oct 31 — Nov 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1081 | Firearm | Oct 31 — Nov 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Firearm | Sep 5 — Sep 16 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Firearm | Sep 5 — Sep 16 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Firearm | Nov 1 — Dec 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Firearm | Nov 1 — Dec 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Firearm | Nov 1 — Dec 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2033 | Firearm | Dec 15 — Feb 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2033 | Firearm | Feb 8 — Feb 17 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3721 | Firearm | Sep 26 — Oct 4 | — | — | — |
+ 21 more
| GMU | Type | Dates | Harvest | Pressure | Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Centralia Mine | Archery | Sep 1 — Oct 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Centralia Mine | Archery | Sep 1 — Oct 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Centralia Mine | Archery | Sep 1 — Oct 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1008 | Archery | Sep 7 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1009 | Archery | Sep 7 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Archery | Sep 12 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Archery | Sep 12 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1054 | Archery | Sep 12 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Archery | Aug 29 — Sep 4 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3681 | Archery | Nov 25 — Dec 6 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3681 | Archery | Nov 25 — Dec 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3911 | Archery | Aug 1 — Jan 20 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3912 | Archery | Aug 1 — Jan 20 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 4601 | Archery | Sep 12 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 4601 | Archery | Nov 25 — Dec 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5064 | Archery | Oct 1 — Oct 7 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5065 | Archery | Oct 1 — Oct 7 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5066 | Archery | Sep 8 — Sep 14 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5066 | Archery | Oct 1 — Oct 7 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5099 | Archery | Sep 12 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5099 | Archery | Sep 25 — Oct 1 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5099 | Archery | Nov 20 — Nov 30 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 6010 | Archery | Dec 16 — Jan 20 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 6014 | Archery | Sep 12 — Sep 24 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 6014 | Archery | Nov 25 — Dec 15 | — | — | — |
+ 7 more
| GMU | Type | Dates | Harvest | Pressure | Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Elk Area 1008 | Muzzleloader | Sep 28 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1009 | Muzzleloader | Sep 28 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1013 | Muzzleloader | Oct 3 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Muzzleloader | Nov 21 — Nov 26 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Muzzleloader | Nov 21 — Nov 26 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | Muzzleloader | Dec 8 — Dec 13 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1054 | Muzzleloader | Dec 6 — Dec 26 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1054 | Muzzleloader | Dec 30 — Jan 19 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1054 | Muzzleloader | Jan 23 — Feb 12 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1075 | Muzzleloader | Nov 29 — Jan 18 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1081 | Muzzleloader | Oct 3 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 1081 | Muzzleloader | Nov 29 — Jan 18 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2032 | Muzzleloader | Oct 3 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 2051 | Muzzleloader | Oct 3 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3911 | Muzzleloader | Aug 1 — Jan 20 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 3912 | Muzzleloader | Aug 1 — Jan 20 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 4601 | Muzzleloader | Oct 3 — Oct 9 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 4601 | Muzzleloader | Nov 25 — Dec 8 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5064 | Muzzleloader | Sep 16 — Sep 22 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5064 | Muzzleloader | Oct 9 — Oct 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5065 | Muzzleloader | Sep 16 — Sep 22 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5065 | Muzzleloader | Oct 9 — Oct 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5066 | Muzzleloader | Sep 16 — Sep 22 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5066 | Muzzleloader | Oct 9 — Oct 15 | — | — | — |
| Zone Elk Area 5099 | Muzzleloader | Oct 3 — Oct 13 | — | — | — |
+ 6 more
| GMU | Type | Dates | Harvest | Pressure | Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Elk Area 1015 | General | Dec 16 — Dec 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone King County | General | Jul 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Region 1 | General | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Region 2 | General | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Region 3 | General | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Region 5 | General | Aug 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Skagit County | General | Jul 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Snohomish County | General | Jul 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
| Zone Whatcom County | General | Jul 1 — Mar 31 | — | — | — |
Elk Special season in Washington currently runs Jul 1 to Oct 7, across 118 season rows and 40 GMUs, split by weapon (Firearm, Archery, Muzzleloader, General).
The best GMUs for elk special in Washington depend on harvest success and public-land access, both shown per GMU above. Compare units before you apply for a tag or plan your hunt.
View GMU boundaries, public land, and walk-in access areas on our interactive map.
Also see Washington seasons, public land, and license.