GMU 162 Dayton
Blue Mountains foothill unit near Dayton — top general-season deer harvest, dense bears, tough elk.
Region 1 — Blue Mountains (Eastern WA) · Last reviewed 2026-06-03
Area
208
sq mi
Public land
26%
approx.
Elevation
1,600–5,640
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 162 "Dayton" sits on the northwest edge of Washington's Blue Mountains in Columbia County, climbing from dryland-wheat prairie and brushy draws along Highway 12 (~1,600 ft) up into Umatilla National Forest timber at Griffin Peak and Chase Mountain (>5,600 ft). It is one of the top general-season deer harvest units in WDFW's District 3 (alongside Prescott/149 and Blue Creek/154) and carries the district's highest density of general-season hunters, plus among its highest black bear harvest. The unit is predominantly private (roughly three-quarters), with the public core concentrated in the forested southern end on Umatilla National Forest; the CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area also lies in the unit but is closed to elk hunting. Elk are present but at low numbers, well below herd objective, and are notoriously hard to find here.
Terrain
A textbook Blue Mountains foothill-to-timber gradient. The north/northwest along Hwy 12 and the lower Touchet River is open dryland prairie, wheat ground, and brushy grass draws around 1,600-2,500 ft. Moving south, the country folds into the classic Blue Mountains plateau dissected by steep draws and canyons, with forested ridges topping out at Griffin Peak and Chase Mountain (both >5,600 ft) in the National Forest. Slopes are a patchwork of open grass faces, ponderosa/fir timber, and old deadfall from past fires.
Cover: Dryland grasses, agricultural fields, and brushy draws at low elevation transitioning to second-growth ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, grand fir, and subalpine fir on the higher forested slopes. North-facing slopes and riparian draws hold thicker cover and berry-producing shrubs (elderberry, blackberry, hawthorn).
Landmarks: Griffin Peak (>5,600 ft, Umatilla NF) · Chase Mountain (>5,600 ft, Umatilla NF) · Touchet River drainage (primary internal drainage, heads in Umatilla NF above Dayton) · Tucannon River/Road (southeast boundary) · U.S. Highway 12 (north boundary corridor) · City of Dayton (NW corner) · Umatilla National Forest (southern end) · CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area
Access
GMU 162 is roughly three-quarters private (farm and ranch ground), with public land in the minority and concentrated in the forested southern end on Umatilla National Forest. WDFW notes the unit has good road access overall and the highest density of general-season hunters in the district. The CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area lies within the unit but is closed to elk hunting; confirm its boundaries, allowed species, and motorized restrictions before relying on it. The northern, lower portion is predominantly private and access there can be difficult, though some landowners participate in WDFW's private-land access programs (Feel Free to Hunt / Hunt by Written Permission). A Deer Area and an Elk Area (both No. 1016) exist within the unit; check the current pamphlet for their boundaries and permit requirements.
Managers: Private agricultural and timber landowners (majority), U.S. Forest Service (Umatilla National Forest), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Rainwater Wildlife Area)
Access points: U.S. Highway 12 corridor on the north (Dayton/Waitsburg) · USFS roads into the southern Umatilla National Forest timber · Forest/county roads off the Touchet River drainage · Tucannon Road along the southeast boundary
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityGMU 162 produces one of the highest total general-season deer harvests in District 3 (alongside Prescott/149 and Blue Creek/154). Mule deer share the unit with whitetails; muleys favor the more open foothill and timber-edge country higher in the unit. Hunter density is the highest in the district, so success rates run modest despite good deer numbers.
- →Glass open grass faces, timber edges, and draw heads in the foothills at first and last light, then still-hunt the timbered benches mid-day
- →Climb away from the road-accessed lower country to reach the USFS ground in the south where pressure is lighter but bucks hold
- →Early season find deer on higher, cooler north slopes and shaded timber; they shift lower as weather pushes them
- →Expect heavy company on opening weekend — hunt mid-week and the steeper, harder-to-reach folds to escape pressure
- →Mule deer here are managed for opportunity, not trophy quality; plan on younger bucks reaching legal point counts
Whitetail Deer
common opportunityWhitetails are well established in the lower foothills, brushy draws, and farm-edge cover, and contribute heavily to the unit's strong deer harvest. The District 3 whitetail segment was hit hard by a 2021 hemorrhagic-disease (EHD/bluetongue) outbreak and has been slow to recover, so antlerless opportunity has been reduced in recent recovery years.
- →Hunt the brushy creek bottoms, draws, and ag/cover edges in the lower north end where whitetails concentrate
- →Watch field edges and transition cover at dawn and dusk; whitetails bed in thick draws by day
- →Most of the lower whitetail ground is private — line up landowner permission or target the few access-program parcels well before the season
- →Glassing field edges from roads and still-hunting brushy draws both produce; rattling/calling can work in the rut window
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityThe Dayton GMU is part of the single Blue Mountains elk herd and is managed for population stability/growth, but the herd has run well below its 5,500 post-hunt objective in recent years and calf recruitment has been chronically low (cougar predation, drought, hard winters). Elk are present but notoriously difficult to find here. Note the CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area within the unit is closed to elk hunting; confirm current permit/season structure in the pamphlet.
- →Treat this as a low-density elk unit — locate sign and herds before the season rather than road-hunting blind
- →Work the southern USFS timber and the steeper, less-pressured drainages where elk escape the heavy hunter traffic
- →Glass openings and burn-edge regrowth at first/last light; elk relocate quickly under pressure on opening weekend
- →Be realistic: drawing a quality-bull permit can take years, and yearling-bull availability tracks recent weak calf crops
Black Bear
common opportunityGMU 162 holds among the highest black bear harvest densities in District 3 (with Blue Creek/154), drawing on a robust Blue Mountains population; the unit was a WDFW DNA hair-snare bear study area (Touchet/Tucannon watersheds, 2021). Most bears are taken opportunistically while deer/elk scouting and hunting; dedicated bear hunters who scout do better. Color-phase (cinnamon/brown) bears occur here.
- →Hunt the lower foothills and riparian draws in early fall where bears feed on ripening fruit and berries near old homesteads
- →Glass open slopes bisected by shrubby, berry-filled draws very early and very late in the day, then watch from a vantage with distance from cover
- →Locate fresh sign in berry patches and along north-facing slopes (huckleberry, elderberry, blackberry) before committing time
- →Predator calls can pull bears in — set up with good visibility and remember a cougar may answer instead
Cougar
common opportunityCougars occur throughout the unit, favoring the shrub- and timber-heavy southern end that also holds deer, elk, and bears. As across Washington, the cougar season is governed by a regional harvest cap and closes once the cap is met, and hound use is prohibited (I-655), so harvest is almost entirely incidental/opportunistic. Verify the current cougar hunt-management-unit boundary and quota status before hunting.
- →Most cougars are taken by deer/elk hunters who happen onto a cat or fresh tracks — carry a tag during fall seasons
- →Hunt the forested southern drainages and prey-rich edges; cats follow the deer and elk
- →Watch the regional cougar quota status closely — the season can close on short notice once the mortality cap fills
- →Fresh snow improves your odds of cutting and following tracks in the higher country
Pro tips
- →This is a high-pressure unit — WDFW says it carries District 3's highest general-season hunter density. Hunt mid-week and grind into the steeper, harder-to-reach folds and the southern public USFS ground to get away from road hunters.
- →Play the two halves: low-elevation private/farm edges in the north for whitetails (get permission early), and the southern Umatilla NF timber for muleys, elk, and bears. Remember the unit is mostly private — public is the minority.
- →If you want elk, don't expect a road-side herd — the Blue Mountains herd is well below objective and elk are genuinely hard to find here. Scout and locate sign before the season.
- →For bears, this is one of the best harvest-density units in the district — hunt early-season berry draws and old homestead orchards low in the foothills, glassing very early and very late.
- →Mandatory CWD testing applies to deer, elk, and moose harvested in Region 1 (100-series GMUs), and carcass-transport rules restrict moving whole carcasses out of the 100-series — debone or follow the allowed-parts rules. (Confirmed CWD-positive animals so far are far to the north in Spokane/Pend Oreille counties, not in GMU 162.)
- →Know the CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area boundaries and rules before you go — it lies in the unit but is closed to elk hunting and carries motorized restrictions.
Watch out for
- !The unit is roughly three-quarters private — don't assume you can hunt the foothills without permission; line up landowner access or access-program parcels well ahead of the season.
- !Public USFS land and the CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area carry motorized-vehicle restrictions — know which roads are open and plan to hike.
- !The CTUIR Rainwater Wildlife Area is closed to elk hunting; confirm allowed species and boundaries before relying on it.
- !Highest hunter density in the district means crowding and competition, especially opening weekend.
- !Wildfire risk in hot, dry late summers/falls can close National Forest roads and areas on short notice (check InciWeb, WDFW, and USFS before heading out).
- !Chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in WDFW's Eastern Region (Spokane/Pend Oreille counties) — mandatory CWD testing is required for harvested deer/elk/moose in the 100-series GMUs and carcass-transport restrictions apply.
- !Hemorrhagic disease (EHD/bluetongue) periodically knocks back whitetails (notably 2021); deer numbers and antlerless opportunity can be reduced in recovery years.
- !The cougar season is governed by a regional harvest cap and can close mid-season once the cap is met — verify quota status if you're carrying a cougar tag.
Logistics
Dayton (NW corner of the unit) and nearby Waitsburg offer gas, groceries, lodging, and restaurants; Walla Walla to the southwest is the regional hub with full services and the nearest larger airport. Camping on private land is limited — most overnight hunters use primitive/dispersed camping in the Umatilla National Forest in the south, where fire bans and closures are common in late summer and early fall. Good road access exists throughout, but plan to hike off the main roads on the public ground. Private-land access in the north should be arranged with landowners well before the season; WDFW's Eastern Region (Region 1) office in Spokane Valley (509-892-1001) can answer access questions.
Nearest towns: Dayton, WA, Waitsburg, WA, Walla Walla, WA, Pomeroy, WA
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW — Game Management Units (GMUs) · WDFW — 2025 District 3 Hunting Prospects (Asotin, Garfield, Columbia, Walla Walla counties) · GoHunt — Washington Unit 162 (Dayton) Profile · WDFW — Blue Mountains Elk Herd Management Plan (2020) · WDFW — 2025 Washington statewide black bear density monitoring report · WDFW — Chronic wasting disease (CWD) rules
FAQ
- How big is GMU 162 in Washington?
- GMU 162 (Dayton) covers about 208 square miles, ranging from roughly 1,600 to 5,640 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 162?
- Approximately 26% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Private agricultural and timber landowners (majority), U.S. Forest Service (Umatilla National Forest), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Rainwater Wildlife Area). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 162?
- Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 162 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.