GMU 108 Douglas
District 1's highest deer success rate — a mostly-private whitetail unit around Colville
WDFW Region 1 — Northeastern Washington (District 1) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
294
sq mi
Public land
30%
approx.
Elevation
1,600–5,400
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 108 (Douglas) sits in central Stevens County around the town of Colville, in the Colville River valley and surrounding timbered hills. It is the top deer-success unit in District 1, posting a roughly 34.4 percent three-year average — driven by dense northeast Washington whitetail. The catch is ownership: the majority of the unit is private, with only a few sizeable blocks of Colville National Forest and WDNR land. Road access is good, but a hunt here lives or dies on securing permission or finding the public blocks.
Terrain
The Colville River valley floor rising into rolling forested foothills and low mountains on both sides, with mixed farmland and timber. Elevations run from the valley bottoms up to timbered ridgelines in the 4,000-5,400 ft range on the public blocks.
Cover: A patchwork of agricultural valley (hay, pasture, small grain), dense ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir / larch on the hills, brushy draws and regenerating timber — the ag-and-conifer edge habitat that produces heavy whitetail.
Landmarks: Colville River valley · town of Colville · Arden · Colville NF blocks · WDNR forest parcels
Access
WDFW states the majority of GMU 108 is private, with a few sizeable blocks of Colville National Forest and DNR land scattered through it. Road access is good throughout, but the private-heavy pattern means success depends on securing landowner permission or locating and hunting the public blocks. WDFW recommends carrying both a Colville National Forest and a DNR (Public Lands Quadrangle) map. Check the WDFW Private Lands Access programs (Feel Free to Hunt, Hunt by Written Permission, Hunt by Registration) for enrolled acreage.
Managers: Private, USFS Colville National Forest, WDNR, Private timber
Access points: US-395 / SR-20 corridor through Colville · Aladdin Road (northeast) · Colville NF and WDNR block access roads · Valley county roads off the Colville River
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityDouglas leads District 1 for deer success — about 34.4% on a three-year average — on the strength of dense whitetail in the mixed ag-and-conifer country around Colville. The animals are here; the challenge is the private-land access, not the deer.
- →Hunt the ag-to-timber edge — whitetail bed in conifer and feed on valley fields and green forage
- →Work brushy draws and creek bottoms connecting cover to feed
- →Time the November rut for mature bucks moving in daylight along field margins
- →Lock down permission before the season, or concentrate effort on the Colville NF and WDNR public blocks
Mule Deer
limited opportunityA few mule deer occur in the higher timbered portions, but Douglas is a whitetail unit through and through; muleys are incidental.
- →Push into the higher national forest blocks for the occasional mule deer
- →Glass open timbered slopes at the top end of the public ground
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bear are common in the forested hills and timber blocks, feeding on berries and forage in the fall.
- →Glass regenerating cuts, berry patches and green forest openings
- →Hunt logging-road edges in the public timber blocks
- →Bait and ungulate-derived scent are banned in the 100-series GMUs under CWD rules
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited lowElk are marginal in Douglas; the district's better elk hunting lies east in the Pend Oreille sub-herd units. Expect only scattered animals.
- →Treat as incidental while deer hunting
- →Check the larger forest blocks and timbered basins
Cougar
common opportunityCougars are present throughout, tracking the abundant whitetail herds.
- →Fresh late-season snow makes tracking productive
- →Hunt where deer concentrate along the valley-timber interface
Pro tips
- →Highest deer success in District 1 — but it's mostly private, so line up permission or map the Colville NF / WDNR blocks well before opening day
- →Check WDFW Private Lands Access programs (Feel Free to Hunt, Hunt by Written Permission, Hunt by Registration) for enrolled acreage inside the unit
- →The ag-timber edge is everything here; whitetail feed on the fields and bed in the adjacent conifer
- →Carry both a Colville NF map and a DNR Public Lands Quadrangle map to sort public from private with good roads everywhere
- →CWD rules apply to the 100-series: no bait, no ungulate-derived scent, and possible mandatory testing for successful hunters
Watch out for
- !Majority-private unit — good roads do not mean open access; trespass is the fastest way to end a Douglas hunt
- !Public ground is a few scattered NF and DNR blocks; know their boundaries precisely
- !Respect the working farms and rural residences in the Colville valley — permission first
- !CWD surveillance zone: bait ban, scent ban, and possible mandatory sample submission
Logistics
Colville, the Stevens County seat, sits in the middle of the unit and offers full services — fuel, groceries, lodging, sporting goods. Public camping is limited to the Colville NF and DNR blocks; the private-dominated valley requires permission for any overnight stay. Cell coverage is decent near Colville and along US-395, spotty in the hills.
Nearest towns: Colville, Arden, Kettle Falls, Chewelah, Addy
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW 2024 District 1 Hunting Prospects · WDFW Game Management Units · Spokesman-Review Eastern Washington hunting prospects (GMU 108 success rate) · NW Sportsman — CWD rules for Spokane-area 100-series GMUs
FAQ
- How big is GMU 108 in Washington?
- GMU 108 (Douglas) covers about 294 square miles, ranging from roughly 1,600 to 5,400 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 108?
- Approximately 30% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Private, USFS Colville National Forest, WDNR, Private timber. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 108?
- Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Rocky Mountain Elk, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 108 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.