GMU 578 West Klickitat

West Klickitat deer are managed as black-tailed deer under a three-point-or-greater antler restriction; collectively GMUs 578, 388 and 382 support about 1,000 three-point-or-better bucks a year. WDFW reports 578 has 'good success rates for deer,' and the 2024 harvest ticked up as part of a recovery — nearly all antlerless permits have been removed to support that recovery. Note: none of the Klickitat GMUs offer a general-season late buck rifle hunt.

• →Hunt clearcut and thinning edges where blacktails concentrate on forage, glassing at first and last light.
• →Focus the oak-pine transition and riparian corridors that hold deer in the drier eastern/southern half.
• →Still-hunt the timber/clearcut boundary — blacktails thrive in dense cover and sit tight.
• →Verify the three-point antler restriction and confirm which weapon seasons apply before you go; there is no general late buck rifle hunt here.
• →Use accurate ownership maps to stay on the free-walk-in timber and off Weyerhaeuser lease and closed Western Pacific ground.

WDFW calls 578 a 'productive elk unit,' providing opportunity 'in the northern and western parts of the GMU.' It lies in the Western Washington elk tag area (unlike neighboring 388/382, which require Eastern Washington elk tags). The unit is predominantly private timber with some DNR, so accurate ownership maps are essential to find the elk on huntable ground. Elk hoof disease (TAHD) has been detected in the area (near Trout Lake), so expect to see and report affected animals.

• →Concentrate on the northern and western timber where WDFW says the elk opportunity is.
• →Glass fresh clearcuts and thinnings near cover at first and last light where elk feed.
• →Buy the correct Western Washington elk tag for 578 — do not confuse it with the Eastern-tag Klickitat units next door.
• →Walk or bike behind gates on the free-access timber; the best elk roads are often closed to trucks.
• →Report any elk with abnormal hooves and follow WDFW's hoof-submission program.

GMU 578 offers black bear hunting opportunity alongside deer and elk, with a fall general season (Aug. 1–Nov. 15). Bears use the timbered north and west of the unit and the berry-rich clearcut regen; most are taken opportunistically by deer and elk hunters.

• →Glass clearcuts and regen with berry feed at dawn and dusk, hunting the open ground to spot bears before they wind you.
• →Concentrate on the wetter, timbered northern and western portions rather than the dry oak-pine south.
• →Carry a bear tag while deer or elk hunting — that's how most 578 bears are killed.
• →Sit fresh sign on a productive berry cut rather than covering ground.

Cougars occur throughout GMU 578 and are taken opportunistically during deer and elk seasons. Seasons are harvest-guideline managed and can close once removal thresholds are met, so check the current unit/PMU status before and during your hunt.

• →Carry the tag as an opportunistic add-on while hunting deer, elk and bear.
• →Hunt where prey concentrates — clearcut edges, oak-pine deer range and river corridors.
• →Check harvest-area status regularly since cap-managed cougar areas can close mid-season.
• →After fresh snow in the higher north end, cut roads and landings for tracks.