GMU 251 Mission
District 7's #1 elk unit and the northern tip of the Colockum herd — plus high-buck-quality mule deer and top-tier black bear, on a public/private checkerboard.
WDFW Region 2 (District 7) — East Cascades / Chelan County · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
524
sq mi
Public land
—
approx.
Elevation
600–6,800
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 251 (Mission) wraps around the west and south of Wenatchee, bounded by the Columbia River to the east, the Wenatchee River to the north, and the Wenatchee Mountain Divide to the south. It is by far the best elk unit in District 7 — the northern range extension of the Colockum herd — and produced 28 elk in 2024 (34 in 2023), while also finishing second in Chelan County for antlered mule deer (139 bucks) with an impressive 32:100 buck:doe ratio. It is one of the county's top black-bear producers too. The catch is land status: Mission is a heavily fragmented mix of public and private ground, so boundary awareness is essential.
Terrain
Rises from the Columbia and Wenatchee river bottoms and orchard lowlands up through timbered mid-elevation drainages to the Wenatchee Mountain Divide and Blewett Pass high country.
Cover: Orchards, sage, and bitterbrush in the river lowlands; ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir on the mid slopes; subalpine fir, meadows, and old burns/logging up along the divide and Blewett Pass.
Landmarks: Mission Ridge · Blewett Pass (Highway 97) · Jumpoff Ridge · Tronsen Meadows / Tronsen Creek · Camas Meadows / Peshastin Creek · Mission, Stemilt & Squilchuck Creeks · Icicle Creek · Colockum Wildlife Area (SE corner)
Access
A checkerboard unit — WDFW explicitly warns hunters to pay close attention to boundaries. Public access is most reliable in the Colockum Wildlife Area in the southeast corner, along the Highway 97 corridor between Peshastin and Blewett Pass (USFS/DNR), and via Mission Creek Road south of Cashmere. A Discover Pass (or WDFW Vehicle Access Pass) is required on state/DNR land. The unit contains two named Elk Areas — Malaga and Peshastin — that offer antlerless and branch-antlered-bull opportunity in the orchard-and-private lowlands along the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers, where access hinges on private permission. Note: the general branch-antlered bull here is by special permit only (quality seasons).
Managers: USFS Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, WDFW Colockum Wildlife Area (SE corner), WDNR state lands, Private orchard, timber & ranch land
Access points: Highway 97 / Blewett Pass corridor (Peshastin to Tronsen) · Mission Creek Road south of Cashmere · Colockum Wildlife Area roads (SE corner) · Squilchuck / Stemilt Creek roads out of Wenatchee · Mission Ridge / Beehive area
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityThe best elk GMU in District 7 by a wide margin — the Colockum herd reaches its northern extension here. 28 elk taken in 2024, 34 in 2023, 22 in 2022. WDFW says elk reliably use Jumpoff Ridge, Tronsen Meadows and Blewett Pass, the Camas Meadows/Peshastin area, and the upper reaches of Mission, Stemilt, and Squilchuck creeks. The general branch-antlered bull is special-permit only; the Malaga and Peshastin Elk Areas add antlerless and bull opportunity in the lowlands.
- →Hunt the high divide first — Jumpoff Ridge, Tronsen Meadows, Blewett Pass — where elk hold in timber and old burns
- →Work the upper Mission, Stemilt, and Squilchuck drainages
- →Elk drop into the orchard lowlands (Malaga/Peshastin Elk Areas) with snow — but that's largely private, so line up permission
- →Apply for the special-permit branch-bull quality hunts; general branch-bull is not over-the-counter here
Mule Deer
common qualitySecond-most antlered mule deer in Chelan County in 2024 (139 bucks) with a standout 32:100 buck:doe ratio from the fall aerial survey — higher than the county as a whole. A small resident herd lives here, but the majority are migratory bucks that pour east across Highway 97 in the fall from higher country, so the hunt is timing-dependent.
- →Hunt the drainages and side roads off Highway 97 and Mission Creek Road south of Cashmere
- →Time the migration — bucks cross Highway 97 eastbound in fall as snow builds up high
- →Glass timber edges and old burns/cuts on the mid slopes
- →Public ground is fragmented — use the Colockum WLA and Hwy 97 corridor as anchors and verify every boundary
Black Bear
common qualityOne of Chelan County's highest black-bear producers, alongside GMU 245. Bears occur at especially high densities south of Leavenworth in the Icicle Creek area; other productive spots are the drainages off the Highway 97 corridor such as Tronsen Creek and Scotty Creek.
- →Focus the Icicle Creek area south of Leavenworth for the highest densities
- →Glass Tronsen Creek, Scotty Creek, and other Highway 97 drainages
- →Hunt berry fields and avalanche/logged openings early season
Cougar
common opportunityCougars are found in all Chelan County GMUs and the units most popular with deer hunters — Mission among them — see the most cougar harvest. Cats follow the deer and elk herds.
- →Wait for tracking snow and cut sign in the timbered drainages
- →Hunt dawn and dusk when deer and cougars are both active
Pro tips
- →If elk are the goal, this is THE District 7 unit — start high on Jumpoff Ridge, Tronsen Meadows, and Blewett Pass, and know the branch-bull is special-permit only.
- →The 32:100 buck:doe ratio makes Mission a quality mule-deer unit too, but most bucks are migratory — hunt the Highway 97 crossing corridor as snow moves them.
- →Bring a bear tag: Icicle Creek south of Leavenworth holds some of the highest bear densities in the county.
- →This is a checkerboard — anchor on the Colockum WLA (SE corner), the Hwy 97 corridor, and Mission Creek Road, and run a GPS boundary layer constantly.
- →The Malaga and Peshastin Elk Areas offer lowland antlerless/bull chances, but those are orchard-and-private grounds — secure permission early.
Watch out for
- !Heavily fragmented public/private land — WDFW specifically warns to watch boundaries, especially chasing elk near private orchards and ranches.
- !General branch-antlered bull is special-permit only in GMU 251 — confirm your tag/permit before hunting bulls.
- !Migratory deer mean a warm, dry season can leave the unit's best bucks up high and out of the general-season area.
- !Blewett Pass / divide high country gets early snow that can close roads fast.
- !CWD carcass-transport rules apply statewide; the Colockum has not shown elk hoof disease but stay current on rules.
Logistics
Wenatchee and Cashmere sit right on the unit's edge with full fuel, groceries, lodging, and processing; Leavenworth covers the northwest corner. Road access is good along Highway 97/Blewett Pass, Mission Creek Road, and the Squilchuck/Stemilt roads, with camping on USFS ground up high. The tradeoff for that easy access is a dense public/private mosaic — carry a good boundary map (Hunt Planner / onX-style GPS layers).
Nearest towns: Wenatchee, Cashmere, Peshastin, Leavenworth
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 (PDF) · WDFW Game Management Units
FAQ
- How big is GMU 251 in Washington?
- GMU 251 (Mission) covers about 524 square miles, ranging from roughly 600 to 6,800 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 251?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, 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 251 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.