GMU 602 Dickey

Dickey is one of District 16's best elk units. WDFW puts it among the four highest-harvest GMUs (602/607/612/615), and 'bull elk harvest within the western GMUs (602, 607, 612, and 615) consistently contributes the district's highest levels' — 89 bulls across those four in the 2024 general season. Roosevelt elk are three-point-minimum, bull-only in the general season (no general cow harvest); total bull harvest peaked around 2019 and has softened since, but this remains a legitimate general-season elk destination. Dickey also historically carried much of the district's muzzleloader elk effort.

• →Hunt the west end's well-distributed herds — glass fresh clearcuts and regen edges near cover at first and last light where elk feed.
• →Scout for elk moving out of Olympic National Park along the major river drainages into huntable timber (it is unlawful to hunt in ONP).
• →Work behind gates on foot or by bike; the best elk roads are frequently closed to trucks.
• →Consider a muzzleloader or archery hunt — Dickey has long carried strong primitive-weapon elk effort and lower crowding than modern-firearm Clearwater.
• →Focus on three-point-minimum bulls holding in closed timber by day, feeding cuts at the edges of light.

Dickey is a standout black bear unit — WDFW recorded it as the district's second-highest bear harvest in 2024 (17 bears) with about 15% hunter success, among the best in District 16. Coastal BBMU bears are abundant in the berry-rich regen; most are taken during general deer and elk seasons but Dickey rewards dedicated bear hunters more than the neighboring units.

• →Glass open clearcuts and regen units full of salmonberry, huckleberry, blackberry and elderberry at dawn and dusk.
• →Hunt the open ground so you spot a bear before it winds you in the thick coastal cover.
• →Locate fresh sign on ripe berry feed, then sit extended watches over the best cut rather than covering ground.
• →Hunt early fall while bears are keyed on berries, before deer and elk pressure scatters them.

Like the whole western district, Dickey is deer-sparse — WDFW lists it among the GMUs with 'low buck harvest,' though at 123 bucks in 2024 it out-produced Hoko and several neighbors. Black-tailed deer densities are genuinely low across the west end; deer here are more of a bonus to an elk or bear hunt than the main draw.

• →Hunt the newest clearcuts and replants where the scattered blacktails concentrate on regen forage.
• →Put in effort — western-peninsula deer success 'largely depends on the amount of effort hunters put into the hunt.'
• →Still-hunt timber/clearcut edges at first and last light; glass landings across the cuts.
• →Combine the deer tag with an elk or bear focus rather than dedicating a trip to deer alone.

Cougars occur throughout District 16 and are taken opportunistically by deer and elk hunters. Seasons are harvest-guideline managed at the unit/PMU level and can close once removal thresholds are met, so check current status before and during your hunt.

• →Carry the tag as an opportunistic add-on while glassing cuts for elk, bear and deer.
• →Hunt where prey concentrates — the regen stands and river bottoms holding elk and deer hold cougars.
• →Check the harvest-area status regularly since cap-managed cougar areas can close mid-season.
• →After fresh snow on the higher inland ridges, cut roads and landings for tracks.