GMU 254 Saint Andrews
District 7's most accessible mule deer unit — the highest number of enrolled private-access properties in the district, wrapped around Jameson and Grimes lakes.
WDFW Region 2 — Columbia Basin / Waterville Plateau (District 7, Douglas County) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
324
sq mi
Public land
15%
approx.
Elevation
1,450–2,900
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
GMU 254 "Saint Andrews" is a ~327-square-mile shrubsteppe-and-wheat unit on the Waterville Plateau of central Douglas County, built around the Jameson Lake and Grimes Lake basins. Unlike Chelan County's migratory herds to the west, Douglas County's mule deer are largely resident animals living in a mix of sagebrush, broken basalt coulees, and dryland grain fields. Land is predominantly private agriculture, but 254 is the standout for access: it carries both a considerable core of BLM and WDFW land around the lakes and the highest number of properties enrolled in WDFW's Private Lands Hunter Access Program of any GMU in the district. It was a 2025 bright spot, with harvest up roughly 40% from 2023 to 2024 (101 general-season bucks) on virtually flat hunter numbers, and it offers a rare late-season modern-firearm mature-buck permit.
Terrain
Rolling Waterville Plateau tableland of dryland wheat, canola, CRP grass, and native sagebrush, cut by steep, broken basalt coulees and rimrock. Jameson Lake sits in a coulee near 1,470 ft while the surrounding plateau and grain benches rise toward 2,700-2,900 ft. Deer key on the seams where sagebrush cover or rocky broken ground meets adjacent farmed forage.
Cover: Big sagebrush and bunchgrass shrubsteppe, Conservation Reserve Program grasslands, and dryland winter wheat and canola fields, with thin riparian brush in the coulee bottoms and around the lakes. Recovering burn scars from the 2020 Pearl Hill and Road 11 fires are woven through the northern and western parts of the unit.
Landmarks: Jameson Lake · Grimes Lake · Town of Mansfield · Saint Andrews (locale) · Moses Coulee rim (western edge) · Columbia Plateau basalt coulees and rimrock
Access
WDFW rates 254 as one of the best-access units in Douglas County: it has plenty of public land plus the highest number of properties enrolled in WDFW's Private Lands Hunter Access Program in District 7. County-wide, more than 80,000 acres are enrolled. The four enrollment types matter — Free to Hunt (open, no permission), Register to Hunt (sign in at a slip box near parking), Hunt by Reservation (book a slot online through WDFW), and Hunt by Written Permission (contact the landowner for a slip). Check current enrollments on WDFW's Private Lands Access site before every trip, as properties and rules change yearly. Core public ground sits around Jameson and Grimes lakes (BLM/WDFW) with a DNR patchwork in the northeast; a Discover Pass is required on WDFW/DNR lands.
Managers: Private ranch and dryland-wheat farms (dominant ownership), Bureau of Land Management (blocks south and east of Jameson/Grimes lakes), WDFW lands (around the lake basins), Washington DNR (patchwork parcels in the northeast corner)
Access points: Jameson Lake Road / the Jameson Lake resort access from the north · Mansfield and the roads south toward the lake basins · Grimes Lake access on the Waterville Plateau · County grid roads off SR 172 and SR 17 serving enrolled private parcels · BLM/WDFW parking areas south and east of the lakes
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe headline hunt and the district's brightest 2025 story. St. Andrews produced 101 general-season bucks in 2024 (all antlered — 55 three-point, 36 four-point, 10 five-point-plus), a ~40% jump from 2023 on flat hunter numbers, and it ranks first in archery success in Douglas County (about 38% three-year average). These are resident open-country muleys; buck escapement in sagebrush is lower than in the mountains, so mature bucks are a smaller share, but a rare late-season modern-firearm quality permit here targets mature deer.
- →Hunt the transition seams: sagebrush cover or steep broken rimrock adjacent to winter wheat and canola fields is where deer feel secure and still feed.
- →Glass at first and last light from coulee rims and benches, then plan a spot-and-stalk across the open country — glassing beats grinding in this terrain.
- →Scout bachelor groups on enrolled private parcels and reach out to landowners well before opening day, before the pre-season rush.
- →Work the pockets around Jameson and Grimes lakes and the adjacent BLM/WDFW ground where public access is reliable.
- →For the late modern-firearm permit, wait for weather and the rut to move mature bucks into daylight and the open.
Whitetail Deer
transient lowWhitetails are a very minor incidental in Douglas County, essentially absent from the open plateau and limited to a few brushy draws and moist bottoms. Nearly every deer taken here is a mule deer.
- →If one turns up, expect it in thicker riparian brush in coulee bottoms rather than the open wheat.
- →Confirm species before shooting — mule deer and whitetail can carry different season structures.
Cougar
limited opportunityCougars use the broken basalt coulees and rimrock where cover and resident deer overlap, but Douglas County cougar hunting is concentrated on the bigger Columbia River breaks, Moses Coulee, and Rufus Woods to the north; 254's opportunity is more incidental. It is a snow-tracking pursuit.
- →Wait for fresh snow and cut tracks on foot along coulee rims and rocky breaks.
- →Focus where deer concentrate in the broken country rather than the open farmed benches.
Rocky Mountain Elk
transient lowElk are very rare across Douglas County — only about 2 were taken county-wide in 2024 — and WDFW runs liberal any-elk seasons in all GMUs specifically to keep elk from settling into crops. Not a unit to plan an elk hunt around.
- →Treat any elk as an opportunistic encounter while deer or bird hunting.
- →If pursued, key on recovering burn scars and creek edges where forage regrew after the 2020 fires.
Pro tips
- →254 is the access play in Douglas County — it has the most enrolled private-access properties in the district plus real public ground around the lakes; do your landowner legwork early and it pays off.
- →Hunt edges, not expanses: the sage/rimrock-to-wheatfield seam is the whole game, and dominant bucks live in small, secure habitat pockets.
- →Glass from vantage points at the light windows — open-country muleys are found by optics, not by walking.
- →The late modern-firearm quality permit is the mature-buck ticket here; general season is honest opportunity hunting.
- →Pair the deer trip with excellent pheasant and upland bird hunting on the same CRP-and-shrubsteppe ground.
- →No CWD carcass-transport restriction currently applies in District 7 (Chelan/Douglas), but check the current rule before hauling meat out of the region.
Watch out for
- !Ownership is a fine-grained private-ag checkerboard — the easy road grid makes trespass easy; verify boundaries and current enrollment constantly.
- !Hunter Access enrollments and rules (Free/Register/Reservation/Written Permission) change year to year — confirm each property before hunting it.
- !Severe multi-year drought has thinned the herd and dried up water; deer and birds concentrate on remaining forage and water.
- !Recovering 2020 Pearl Hill and Road 11 burn scars still have reduced cover and forage in places.
- !Lower buck escapement in open sagebrush means fewer mature bucks in the general harvest than the terrain might suggest.
Logistics
Stage out of Waterville (the Douglas County seat) or Mansfield for basic services; Wenatchee to the southwest is the nearest full-service hub for fuel, groceries, lodging, and gear. The plateau has an extensive, easy county road grid, but many roads cross private ground — carry a private/public boundary GPS layer (onX or WDFW's private-lands mapping) and the current Hunter Access enrollment list offline. Cell coverage is patchy off the main highways. A Discover Pass is needed on WDFW and DNR lands. There is dispersed camping and a resort at Jameson Lake.
Nearest towns: Mansfield, Waterville, Bridgeport, Coulee City, Wenatchee
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, Douglas County mule deer (GMU 254 access, harvest table, 40% increase, late permit) · WDFW — Game Management Units (GMU 254 Saint Andrews boundary & hunt planner) · WDFW — Private Lands Hunter Access Program (enrollment types, Douglas County)
FAQ
- How big is GMU 254 in Washington?
- GMU 254 (Saint Andrews) covers about 324 square miles, ranging from roughly 1,450 to 2,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 254?
- Approximately 15% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Private ranch and dryland-wheat farms (dominant ownership), Bureau of Land Management (blocks south and east of Jameson/Grimes lakes), WDFW lands (around the lake basins), Washington DNR (patchwork parcels in the northeast corner). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 254?
- Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Cougar, Rocky Mountain Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 254 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.