GMU 243 Manson
North-shore Lake Chelan mule-deer unit — District 7's best deer GMU and its most whitetail-rich, split between a road-accessed east half and the roadless Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness.
WDFW Region 2 — North Central / Lake Chelan (District 7, Chelan County) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
355
sq mi
Public land
60%
approx.
Elevation
1,100–8,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 243 "Manson" runs the north side of Lake Chelan from the Columbia River all the way up-lake to Stehekin, bounded by the lake to the south and the Sawtooth Divide (the Okanogan/Chelan county line) to the north. It is a unit of two halves: the western portion is almost entirely the rugged, roadless Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, reached only by an up-lake boat ride or a long backcountry hike, while the eastern half is a workable mix of private and public land laced by Grade Creek, Black Canyon and Cooper Mountain roads. Manson offers some of the best mule deer hunting in District 7 — WDFW flagged it as the district's top deer unit for 2025 after a strong 2024 — and it carries more white-tailed deer than any other GMU in the district. It also holds one of the area's small bighorn sheep herds along the north shore.
Terrain
Rises from the Lake Chelan shoreline (~1,100 ft) through steep timbered breaks and benches on the north shore up to the Sawtooth Divide and high alpine ridges approaching 8,000 ft. The east end is more open, rolling shrub-steppe and pine; the west end is high, rugged wilderness with earlier snow.
Cover: Shrub-steppe, bitterbrush and bunchgrass with grassland habitats on the low eastern benches (deer winter range), grading up through ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir into subalpine and alpine terrain in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness. Brushy draws and riparian cover in the east hold white-tailed deer.
Landmarks: Lake Chelan (north shore) and City of Manson · Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness (west half, roadless) · Stehekin (up-lake terminus) · Grade Creek, Black Canyon and Cooper Mountain roads · Sawtooth Divide (Chelan/Okanogan county line) · Lone Fir Creek (bighorn range)
Access
Two very different access stories. The western half is the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness — no roads, no vehicles, reached by up-lake boat (Lady of the Lake / private craft) or a hard backcountry hike, and it is CLOSED to the September high-buck hunt Sept. 15–25. The eastern half is the practical general-season ground: a mix of private and public land that is readily road-accessed via Grade Creek Road, Black Canyon Road and Cooper Mountain Road. Around Manson and the lower benches expect private orchard and ranch land, so sort ownership with onX and secure permission where needed. Note the 2025 bear-tag reporting and season-date changes for GMUs 243/244 within the Okanogan Black Bear Management Unit (BBMU 5). Recent fires (Pioneer 2024, Apple Acres 2025 and 2020) have driven in-season closures — verify before you go.
Managers: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USFS), Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness (USFS, roadless), Washington DNR (state forest sections), Private landowners (east-half benches and orchard/ranch land near Manson)
Access points: US-97A / SR-150 to Manson and the north-shore road network · Grade Creek Road (east-half public access) · Black Canyon Road · Cooper Mountain Road · Lake Chelan boat shuttle (Lady of the Lake) for the wilderness west end and Stehekin
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer are the marquee here — WDFW named Manson the top deer GMU in District 7 for the 2025 season after the herd showed a significant increase in 2024. The unit combines low bench winter range in the east with vast wilderness summer range in the Sawtooth to the west, and the roadless country grows and holds mature bucks. This is genuinely quality mule deer ground by Washington standards.
- →Hunt the east-half public land off Grade Creek, Black Canyon and Cooper Mountain roads for accessible general-season deer.
- →For a bigger buck, backpack or boat into the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness summer range (note the Sept. 15–25 high-buck closure there).
- →Glass south-facing benches and shrub-steppe/timber edges at first and last light.
- →Let snow push deer to the lower east-end winter range as the season progresses.
Whitetail Deer
common opportunityManson holds the most white-tailed deer of any GMU in District 7 — still a minority behind mule deer, but a real presence in the brushier east-half draws and riparian cover. General-season archery hunters can legally harvest any white-tailed deer here, an unusual liberalization worth noting.
- →Hunt brushy draws, riparian bottoms and dense cover in the eastern half where whitetail hold.
- →Archery hunters can take any whitetail — still-hunt cover edges and sit trails.
- →Be certain of species before shooting; whitetail and mule deer share this ground under different rules.
Black Bear
common qualityManson is a standout black bear unit — the sole District 7 GMU placed in the Okanogan Black Bear Management Unit (BBMU 5), and it saw a dramatic rise in harvest from 2020 to 2023, hitting an all-time high before the 2024 Pioneer Fire disrupted the season. WDFW expects the upward trajectory to resume. New for 2025, bear hunters in 243/244 face specific reporting requirements and a later season opener under BBMU 5.
- →Glass berry fields, burns and open timbered slopes in the timbered mid-elevations.
- →Old and recent burns (Pioneer, Apple Acres) will concentrate bears on regenerating forage.
- →Confirm the 2025 BBMU 5 season dates and mandatory reporting rules for 243 before hunting.
Bighorn Sheep
limited lowThe Manson bighorn herd ranges the north shore of Lake Chelan from just west of the City of Manson to Lone Fir Creek, occupying mostly USFS land. It has always been a more challenging hunt than the nearby Chelan Butte or Swakane herds, and a growing shortage of mature rams (a recent survey found only ~36 rams:100 ewes) led WDFW to withhold ram opportunity in 2025 and likely beyond. Effectively a look-but-don't-draw herd for now.
- →Any ram permit is highly restricted or unavailable — check current WDFW special-permit status before planning.
- →If ewe or future opportunity opens, glass the steep north-shore breaks from Manson to Lone Fir Creek.
- →Follow herd-health notices; M. ovi and low ram counts are actively shaping seasons.
Cougar
common opportunityCougars track the strong deer base through Manson's mix of shrub-steppe winter range and timbered high country. Widespread but low-density, they are mostly taken by late-season hunters working fresh snow within the unit harvest guideline.
- →Cut and follow fresh tracks after snow along ridgelines and drainage bottoms.
- →Hunt near the deer winter range where cougars concentrate on the prey base.
- →Track the unit's harvest-guideline status through the season.
Pro tips
- →Play the two halves: road-hunt the accessible east for opportunity, or commit a boat/backpack trip to the wilderness west for a mature buck.
- →WDFW called Manson the district's best deer unit for 2025 — it is worth the effort.
- →Archery hunters get an any-whitetail allowance here that most WA units don't offer.
- →Bear hunters: this is a top BBMU 5 unit, but confirm the new 2025 season dates and mandatory reporting for 243.
- →Post-fire burns (Pioneer, Apple Acres) become prime deer and bear forage in the years after — scout the greening edges.
Watch out for
- !Recurring wildfire — the 2024 Pioneer Fire (38,735 ac) and 2020/2025 Apple Acres fires burned into the unit and forced in-season closures; check status before traveling.
- !The Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness is roadless and closed to high-buck hunting Sept. 15–25.
- !East-half benches near Manson are a private/public patchwork — verify ownership and get permission.
- !The Manson bighorn herd has no ram opportunity for 2025 and a declining ram age structure.
- !Up-lake access depends on the boat shuttle or a hard hike — plan logistics carefully.
Logistics
Chelan and Manson are the bases — fuel, lodging, groceries and boat access on the lake. The east-half road network (Grade Creek, Black Canyon, Cooper Mountain) is reached off the north-shore roads from Manson; the roadless west half requires the Lady of the Lake up-lake shuttle or a long hike, with Stehekin at the head of the lake. Cell coverage is reasonable near Manson/Chelan and gone in the wilderness. Fall weather turns fast and the high west end gets snow early.
Nearest towns: Manson, Chelan, Chelan Falls, Pateros, Entiat
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW 2025 District 7 Hunting Prospects (Chelan & Douglas counties) · WDFW Game Management Units
FAQ
- How big is GMU 243 in Washington?
- GMU 243 (Manson) covers about 355 square miles, ranging from roughly 1,100 to 8,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 243?
- Approximately 60% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (USFS), Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness (USFS, roadless), Washington DNR (state forest sections), Private landowners (east-half benches and orchard/ranch land near Manson). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 243?
- Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Black Bear, Bighorn Sheep, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 243 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.