How big is GMU 603 in Washington?

GMU 603 (Pysht) covers about 244 square miles, ranging from roughly 0 to 3,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.

What species does the catalog list for GMU 603?

Blacktail Deer, Roosevelt Elk, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.

GMU 603 Pysht

The north-shore timber strip — District 16's best blacktail buck harvest, but the deer ground is walk-in only

WDFW Region 6 — Coastal / Olympic Peninsula (District 16) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12

Hunter with a mule deer buck in dry grass

Area

244

sq mi

Public land

25%

approx.

Elevation

0–3,600

feet

Motorized

limited

access

Overview

GMU 603 (Pysht) runs along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in northern Clallam County, from the mouth of the Clallam River east to the Elwha River and south to the Olympic National Park boundary above Lake Crescent. It is a low-elevation mosaic of private industrial timberland, WDNR state forest and small farms around Joyce, with the ONP boundary forming its high southern wall. Despite WDFW rating western District 16 as generally deer-sparse, Pysht posted the highest state buck harvest of any west-end GMU in 2024 (159 bucks) — but the key private landowner, Merrill & Ring, no longer allows deer hunting, so access is the whole game. Roosevelt elk have grown from near-absent in the 1990s to an established herd concentrated on the Pysht Tree Farm and in the Elwha watershed, though general-season bull opportunity stays limited.

Terrain

A gently benched coastal timber shelf rising from tidewater on the Strait of Juan de Fuca southward into steeper foothills against the Olympic National Park boundary north of Lake Crescent. Cut by the Pysht, Clallam and lower Elwha river drainages.

Cover: Managed second-growth Douglas-fir, western hemlock and Sitka spruce in a patchwork of clearcuts and regenerating stands; dense salal, salmonberry, sword fern and red alder in the bottoms — the classic thick, wet Olympic understory that hides deer and bear.

Landmarks: Strait of Juan de Fuca shoreline · Pysht River · Elwha River / newly formed Elwha floodplains · Lake Crescent (ONP boundary) · Joyce · Burnt Mountain (SR 113) · Merrill & Ring Pysht Tree Farm

Access

WDFW rates Pysht as a limited-opportunity unit for general-season hunters — most of it is private timberland and many roads are gated against timber theft and dumping. Merrill & Ring's Pysht Tree Farm made a hard change several years ago: no deer hunting at all, and only a small number of elk-season access permits issued through a lottery. Nuveen Natural Capital holdings in the GMU allow hunting with a free online permit (nncpermits.com). Other gated timber and DNR roads are commonly open to foot or mountain-bike access even where vehicles are barred — an open gate does not mean motorized access is allowed. WDFW's own guidance: determine current ownership for your target ground, read the signs at the gate, and secure permission before the season.

Managers: Merrill & Ring (Pysht Tree Farm), Nuveen Natural Capital (Olympic Peninsula Timberlands), WDNR, Private (small farms / Joyce area), Olympic National Park (boundary, closed to hunting)

Access points: SR 112 (Joyce–Neah Bay corridor) · SR 113 / Burnt Mountain Road · US 101 south edge (Lake Crescent) · Pysht River Road / M&R gates (permit only) · Nuveen permit-access gates · Elwha River corridor

Species notes

Blacktail Deer

common quality

The standout in a deer-sparse west end: Pysht recorded 159 state bucks in 2024, the highest of any western District 16 GMU, and WDFW notes buck harvest here has climbed in recent years. Big coastal-foothill does are documented in this Dungeness-west lower-foothill country. The catch is access — the best deer ground is on Merrill & Ring, which no longer permits deer hunting.

→Hunt clearcut and regeneration edges at first and last light where blacktail feed on salal and forbs
→Work the transition between older timber and 5-to-15-year cuts; bucks bed in the thick and feed the openings
→Focus on Nuveen free-permit ground and open DNR roads walked or biked in past gates
→Still-hunt riparian brush along the Pysht and lower Elwha; November rut pulls bucks into the open near farm edges around Joyce

Roosevelt Elk

common opportunity

Part of the Olympic elk herd. Elk were uncommon here in the 1990s but have increased for three decades; a 2025 aerial survey recorded five groups. Most of the growth is on the Merrill & Ring Pysht Tree Farm and neighboring private forest, with additional animals in the Elwha watershed and increasing conflict around Joyce. General-season bull harvest is limited (modern-firearm success roughly 5-10%); the northwestern GMUs including 603 contribute the district's lower bull totals.

→Elk-season access to the core Pysht Tree Farm herds is by M&R lottery permit only — apply for it
→Scout river-bottom and floodplain ground along the Elwha where elk move onto new habitat
→Watch three-point-minimum rules — this is a bull-only general harvest with antlerless used for damage control
→Damage/special hunt permits are being issued for the Joyce vicinity; check the special-permit lists

Black Bear

common opportunity

Coastal BBMU black bear. Lower Elwha Klallam biologists sampled Pysht in 2024 and estimated only 12-14 bears per 100 km2 — a lower density than the Clearwater/Dickey timber units to the west. 2024 harvest was 10 bears from 101 hunters (10% success). Most bears are taken opportunistically during deer and elk seasons.

→Glass regenerating clearcuts for bears working salmonberry, salal, cascara and huckleberry
→Sit fresh feed sign in cut units in the last hours of light
→Access behind gates on foot or bike to reach less-pressured berry ground
→No hounds or bait (banned statewide); a premolar tooth must be submitted after harvest

Cougar

common opportunity

Cougars range throughout the unit following the deer herds. Managed under the new Cougar Hunt Management Unit structure with a harvest cap that can close a unit mid-season.

→Hunt incidentally while deer hunting; no hounds allowed in Washington since 1996
→Call the cougar hotline (1-866-364-4868, updated Thursdays) to confirm the unit is still open
→Fresh sign along the timber-clearcut edges concentrates where prey density is highest

Pro tips

→Sort out access before you scout: identify whether your spot is Merrill & Ring (elk-lottery only, no deer), Nuveen (free online permit), DNR, or small private — the rules change property to property
→Pull a free Nuveen permit at nncpermits.com; those holdings are the most straightforward legal access in the GMU
→For elk, get into the M&R lottery — the core Pysht herd lives on their tree farm and there is no general walk-in to it
→Behind most gated DNR and timber roads you can legally walk or mountain-bike in even where vehicles are barred — this beats the crowds
→Blacktail here are a genuine target despite the 'deer-sparse west end' reputation; hunt cut edges and rut-period farm margins around Joyce

Watch out for

!Merrill & Ring Pysht Tree Farm does NOT allow deer hunting and issues only a few elk permits by lottery — hunting it without that permit is trespass
!Rayonier recently sold most of its District 16 holdings to three new managers whose access plans are not all published — verify current ownership and read the gate signs
!This area has historically been non-motorized access only, including no e-bikes on some ownerships
!The Olympic National Park boundary forms the south edge — it is unlawful to hunt in ONP; know exactly where the line is above Lake Crescent
!Gates are locked against timber theft and dumping; an open gate is not permission to drive in

Logistics

Port Angeles to the east is the full-service hub (fuel, groceries, lodging, WDFW regional office); Joyce and Clallam Bay offer limited services closer in. SR 112 and US 101 frame the unit. Cell coverage is decent along the highway corridors and drops off fast on the timber roads. Dispersed camping is on DNR and USFS ground away from the private tree farms — do not camp on industrial timberland.

Nearest towns: Joyce, Port Angeles, Clallam Bay, Sekiu, Forks

Nearby units

Elk Area 6030 · Joyce GMU 607 · Sol Duc GMU 615 · Clearwater Elk Area 6612 · Forks

Seasons & regulations

This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:

Research sources: WDFW 2025 District 16 Hunting Prospects (Region 6) · WDFW GMU 603 (Pysht) boundary map · WA Admin Code 220-410-060 — Region 6 GMU boundary descriptions · WDFW Game Management Units

FAQ

How big is GMU 603 in Washington?: GMU 603 (Pysht) covers about 244 square miles, ranging from roughly 0 to 3,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
How much public land is in GMU 603?: Approximately 25% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Merrill & Ring (Pysht Tree Farm), Nuveen Natural Capital (Olympic Peninsula Timberlands), WDNR, Private (small farms / Joyce area), Olympic National Park (boundary, closed to hunting). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
What species does the catalog list for GMU 603?: Blacktail Deer, Roosevelt Elk, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.

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