Cougar Hunting Season in Washington and Oregon: Caps, Zones, Rules

Most Pacific Northwest cougars are killed by deer and elk hunters who happen to have a tag in their pocket, not by hunters out looking for cats. That’s one reason cougar regulations confuse people. The season is long, but it isn’t uniform: both Washington and Oregon cap the harvest by area, and a unit can close in the middle of your elk hunt.

Here’s how both systems work, what changed for 2026, and what you need to do before and after you pull the trigger.

When is cougar season in Washington?

WDFW lists the 2026-27 cougar season as September 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, “or when the cap is reached, whichever occurs first.” You’ll need a valid big game license that includes cougar as a species option. The cougar transport tag comes with it.

The statewide bag limit is one cougar per license year. Any legal hunting method is allowed, except dogs (more on that below).

How Washington’s cougar harvest caps and closures work

Washington manages cougars by Cougar Hunt Management Unit (CHMU). A CHMU is one game management unit or a small group of them, and each has its own harvest cap. WDFW’s current table lists 58 CHMUs with caps from 1 to 13 cats. When a CHMU reaches its cap, it closes to cougar hunting for the rest of the season, even if every other unit stays open.

A few details matter in practice:

• Closures post weekly, on Thursdays. WDFW updates the closure table every Thursday. Between updates, the Cougar Hotline (1-866-364-4868, press 1 after the greeting) is the fastest check.
• Mortality numbers only appear when a unit closes. WDFW’s page says it plainly: “Mortalities will only be posted when the CHMU closes.” An open unit with no number isn’t at zero. It just hasn’t been posted.
• The cap counts more than hunter harvest. Under the commission’s cougar rule, known human-caused deaths of independent-age cougars, including conflict removals, count toward a unit’s cap. A unit can fill up without a single hunter kill.
• Small caps fill fast. A unit with a cap of 1 or 2 can close in the first week of September.

As of WDFW’s table in mid-October 2026, these units were already closed for the season: CHMU 3 (GMUs 108, 111), CHMU 7 (GMU 124), CHMU 10 (GMUs 139, 142), CHMU 36 (GMU 454), CHMU 45 (GMU 564), CHMU 48 (GMU 578), and CHMU 52 (GMU 627). That list only grows as the season goes on, so treat it as a snapshot and check WDFW’s cougar page for today’s status.

One special case: in GMU 485, only hunters holding a GMU 485 deer or elk special permit may hunt cougar, and only during that permit hunt.

When is cougar season in Oregon?

ODFW runs a general, statewide season: January 1 through December 31, or until the quota in your hunt zone is met, whichever comes first. Instead of dozens of small units, Oregon divides the state into six cougar quota zones, each made up of many wildlife management units.

As of ODFW’s October 15, 2026 update, all six zones were open:

Zone	Name	Total mortality	Quota
A	Coast/North Cascade	114	180
B	SW Cascade	76	200
C	SE Cascade	10	80
D	Columbia Basin	11	100
E	Blue Mountains	59	270
F	SE Oregon	21	140
	Statewide	291	970

As in Washington, the count includes non-hunter mortality (conflict and damage removals and other known deaths) as well as hunter harvest. In Zone A, 51 of the 114 deaths were non-hunter. When a zone’s total reaches its quota, ODFW closes it. ODFW posts the running totals on its cougar quota zone page, usually weekly.

Oregon cougar hunting regulations: tags, bag limit, check-in

From ODFW’s cougar hunting guide:

• Tags. You need an adult hunting license plus a General Season Cougar Tag and/or an Additional Cougar Tag. The general tag has to be bought by the deadline, which ODFW says is usually the day before the Western Oregon general rifle deer opener. If you bought the general tag in time, you can buy an additional tag during the season.
• Bag limit. One cougar per tag. No spotted kittens, and no females with spotted kittens.
• Check-in. Present the cougar at an ODFW office within 10 days of the kill. The hide and skull must be unfrozen, with proof of sex attached. Turn in the reproductive tract of any female. Check-in is by appointment, during weekday business hours, so call your field office first.
• Reporting. Oregon’s mandatory hunt reporting applies to cougar tags too, even if you didn’t hunt.

Looking ahead: the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the 2027 big game regulations in September 2026. ODFW says seasons and tag numbers will be similar to 2026 apart from calendar shifts, and the commission also approved a three-year cougar target area tied to bighorn sheep work in the Trout Creek Mountains. The printed 2027 regulations are the final word.

Can you hunt cougars with dogs?

Not in either state. Oregon’s Ballot Measure 18 (1994) banned using dogs to hunt or pursue cougars and bears. Washington’s Initiative 655 (1996) did the same, and the current law, RCW 77.15.245, prohibits dogs for recreational cougar hunting statewide. Both laws allow narrow exceptions for agency and damage work. Those exceptions don’t cover sport hunters.

That’s why Northwest cougar hunting looks different from Idaho or Montana. Without hounds, your options come down to three:

• Calling. Distress calls (fawn bleats, rabbit distress, elk calf) on the edges of deer and elk winter range, with long, patient sits. Cats often come in silently and slowly.
• Spot-and-stalk and tracking. Fresh snow in late fall and winter shows where cats are moving between drainages, especially in Washington’s late season.
• Opportunity. Carry the tag during deer and elk season. That’s where most of the Northwest harvest comes from.

After the shot: sealing and reporting in Washington

Washington moves faster than Oregon:

1. Seal within three business days. WDFW must seal the cougar within three business days of harvest. Bring the unfrozen hide and skull, with proof of sex attached. Staff pull a tooth and biological samples, which is why freezing isn’t allowed.
2. Report your hunt by March 31, 2027. Every cougar tag buyer has to report hunt activity through the WILD licensing system, whether or not they got a cat.

Make the sealing appointment as soon as you’re back in service. Three business days goes quickly over a holiday weekend.

Check it in Baseline Maps

In Baseline Maps, open any Washington GMU’s detail page and you’ll see its cougar hunt management unit, the harvest cap, and whether WDFW has closed it, refreshed from WDFW’s closure table. The same map carries unit boundaries, land ownership, and offline topo (offline maps come with Professional Edition), so you can confirm which unit you’re standing in before you call. First week free on the annual plan, then $34.99/year or $7.99/month.

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