GMU 413 San Juan
Friday Harbor's home island — abundant black-tailed deer locked behind private fences and a no-rifle county
WDFW Region 4 — North Puget Sound / San Juan Islands (District 13) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
48
sq mi
Public land
2%
approx.
Elevation
0–1,080
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 413 covers San Juan Island, the ferry-served heart of the San Juan archipelago and the seat of Friday Harbor. It holds a dense, historically overabundant population of Columbian black-tailed deer that WDFW actively wants reduced, yet the island is almost entirely private ground — the only sizable public parcel, DNR's Cattle Point tract, is closed to hunting. San Juan County bans modern rifles outright, so this is a shotgun, muzzleloader, pistol, and archery hunt, and every acre of private land requires written landowner permission under county code. The 2021 adenovirus hemorrhagic disease (AHD) outbreak knocked harvest down roughly 84 percent, but the herd has rebounded quickly.
Terrain
A low, rolling maritime island rising from saltwater shoreline to modest summits — Mount Dallas and Cady Mountain top out just over 1,000 feet. Heavily indented coastline, interior valleys and small lakes.
Cover: A mosaic of Douglas-fir and mixed conifer forest, rare Garry oak (Oregon white oak) woodland, madrona-fringed bluffs, open prairie and grassland at the south end (American Camp / Cattle Point), and extensive pasture and rural residential land. Deer overbrowsing here degrades oak woodland and threatens the endangered island marble butterfly.
Landmarks: Friday Harbor · Mount Dallas · Cady Mountain · American Camp / Cattle Point prairie · English Camp · Mount Grant Preserve · Roche Harbor
Access
WDFW is blunt that public access in the San Juans is extremely limited and that most hunting occurs on private property. San Juan County ordinance (SJC Code 9.08) requires written landowner permission to hunt any private parcel — carry it. Countywide firearm restrictions prohibit modern rifles; only shotguns, muzzleloaders, a specialized class of short-range pistols, and archery are legal. DNR's Cattle Point parcel is public but hunting is prohibited there, and the San Juan Island National Historical Park (American Camp / English Camp) is NPS land, also closed to hunting. The real opening is the WDFW Private Lands Access Program: Mount Grant, owned by the San Juan County Land Bank, is being enrolled with a Hunt by Reservation system — check the PLAP website for current enrolled sites before you plan a trip.
Managers: Private, San Juan County Land Bank, NPS San Juan Island National Historical Park, WDNR
Access points: Washington State Ferries to Friday Harbor (Anacortes route) · Mount Grant Preserve (WDFW PLAP / Hunt by Reservation — verify enrollment) · Private parcels with written landowner permission
Species notes
Blacktail Deer
abundant opportunityColumbian black-tailed deer are dense on San Juan Island — WDFW considers the herd overabundant and reduction a management goal — but island deer run smaller than mainland blacktails. The 2021 AHD outbreak cut harvest success roughly 84 percent between 2020 and 2021; harvest has since recovered on San Juan. This is a high-opportunity, high-access-difficulty hunt: the deer are here, getting on huntable ground is the whole game.
- →Line up written landowner permission (required by county code) well before the season — knock on doors, farms with crop damage are your best odds
- →Watch the WDFW Private Lands Access Program site for Mount Grant and other enrolled parcels; book Hunt by Reservation slots the moment they open two weeks out
- →Plan for shotgun slug, muzzleloader, or archery — no modern rifles anywhere in the county
- →Hunt oak-woodland and pasture edges at first and last light; island deer pattern tightly around private food plots and orchards
- →Report your harvest to the correct island GMU (413) — misreporting hampers the very access negotiations that could help you
Pro tips
- →Access is the entire challenge — solve landowner permission or PLAP reservations first, then worry about deer
- →This is a no-rifle county: sight in a slug gun, muzzleloader, or bow, not a centerfire rifle
- →Farmers and orchardists dealing with deer damage are the most receptive to written-permission requests; the WDFW Conflict Specialist can point you toward damage complaints
- →Mount Grant (San Juan County Land Bank) is the flagship new public opportunity — treat the Hunt by Reservation calendar like a lift-ticket drop
- →Carry proof of written landowner permission at all times; enforcement takes SJC Code 9.08 seriously
Watch out for
- !No modern rifles allowed anywhere in San Juan County — bringing one is a violation
- !Written landowner permission is legally required on all private land; verbal 'OK' is not enough
- !DNR's Cattle Point parcel and the San Juan Island National Historical Park are public but CLOSED to hunting
- !No elk, bear, or cougar hunting — San Juan County is closed to elk and the islands have no huntable populations of the others
- !AHD-impacted herd: use discretion harvesting sick-looking deer and dispose of carcasses locally to avoid spreading the virus
- !Deer overbrowsing here is tied to endangered island marble butterfly and oak habitat — a politically sensitive backdrop to island hunting
Logistics
San Juan Island is reached only by Washington State Ferries from Anacortes to Friday Harbor (reservations strongly recommended in season) or by small plane / private boat. Friday Harbor has full services — fuel, groceries, lodging, and the WDFW/county contacts. There is no dispersed vehicle camping; overnight stays are at state and county parks or private lodging. Cell coverage is generally good across the island.
Nearest towns: Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Anacortes (ferry terminal)
Nearby units
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW — Hunting in the San Juan Islands (August 2024) · WDFW 2025 District 13 Hunting Prospects (Region 4) · WDFW Game Management Units · San Juan County Code 9.08 (hunting / firearm discharge)
FAQ
- How big is GMU 413 in Washington?
- GMU 413 (San Juan) covers about 48 square miles, ranging from roughly 0 to 1,080 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 413?
- Approximately 2% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Private, San Juan County Land Bank, NPS San Juan Island National Historical Park, WDNR. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 413?
- Blacktail Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 413 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.