GMU 627 Kitsap
A blacktail island in the suburbs — Green Mountain State Forest and Rayonier woods surrounded by saltwater and city
WDFW Region 6 — Coastal / Kitsap Peninsula (District 15) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
703
sq mi
Public land
20%
approx.
Elevation
0–1,761
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
GMU 627 (Kitsap) is the entire Kitsap Peninsula plus Bainbridge Island — a unit almost completely surrounded by Puget Sound, Hood Canal and their inlets, connected to the mainland only at the Kellums/Belfair isthmus at its southern tip. It is a highly developed, low-elevation blacktail unit: WDFW flags good deer potential here (alongside 621 and 633), but the huntable ground is a patchwork of Green Mountain State Forest, DNR sections and Rayonier timber threaded through private property, naval installations and tribal land. There is no elk herd; occasional bulls are reported and rarely taken. Success comes to hunters who can navigate the boundaries and get off the roads.
Terrain
A low, water-wrapped peninsula of forested hills and glacial lowland. The high ground is the Green Mountain / Gold Mountain block in the west-central peninsula, topping out near Gold Mountain (~1,761 ft) and Green Mountain (~1,639 ft); most of the unit lies well below 500 feet.
Cover: Second-growth Douglas-fir, western hemlock and red alder in a mosaic of DNR and timber-company cuts, replants and mature stands, laced with residential and suburban edge. Salal, sword fern and dense brush provide the cover blacktail favor near people.
Landmarks: Green Mountain State Forest · Gold Mountain (~1,761 ft) · Green Mountain (~1,639 ft) · Bainbridge Island · Hood Canal · Dyes and Sinclair inlets · Kellums/Belfair isthmus
Access
WDFW: the Kitsap Unit is a highly developed area with private property throughout, but hunting can be found on DNR and Rayonier forestlands. The largest continuous public tracts are Green Mountain State Forest and scattered DNR sections, though their borders are erratic and interlaced with private land. Whether state or private, most access is walk-in or non-motorized, except DNR allows ATV use on designated trails. Rayonier requires an access permit to hunt its land in most locations. Naval Base Kitsap (Bangor/Bremerton) and the Suquamish and Port Gamble S'Klallam reservations are closed.
Managers: WDNR (Green Mountain State Forest), Rayonier, US Navy (closed), Suquamish / Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribes (closed), Private
Access points: Green Mountain State Forest — Wildcat, Gold Creek and Tin Mine trailheads · Gold Mountain / Gold Creek Road · DNR designated ATV trail system (Tahuya-Green Mountain) · SR-3 and SR-16 corridors · Newberry Hill Heritage Park area (day-use, check rules)
Species notes
Blacktail Deer
common opportunityWDFW lists Kitsap among the district's better deer bets, with a slow, steady rise in harvest. Excellent blacktail habitat exists but in smaller, scattered pockets; deer thrive in this populated landscape because thick escape cover is everywhere. All weapons have general and permit opportunity.
- →Focus on Green Mountain State Forest and DNR sections — the largest huntable public blocks
- →Hunt edges where clearcuts, powerline corridors and brush meet mature timber
- →Get crafty with land boundaries: small public pieces next to private cover often hold pressured, patternable bucks
- →Go quiet and go on foot to escape crowds on the accessible public ground
- →Early-to-mid November rut moves bucks; still-hunt slowly through salal and second growth
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bear are present across the peninsula as part of the Puget Sound Black Bear Management Unit (with 624 and 633). Numbers are lower than the Olympic foothill units, and most bears are taken incidentally by deer hunters during the Aug 1-Nov 15 season.
- →Glass regenerating cuts and berry-heavy edges in late summer and early fall
- →Hunt the Green Mountain block and DNR timber where bears feed on forbs and berries
- →Carry a bear tag while blacktail hunting — dedicated bear effort is rare here
Cougar
common opportunityCougars follow the deer through the peninsula's timber and greenbelts. GMU 627 is its own cougar hunt unit, CHMU 52, with a low independent-aged harvest cap of just 2 for the 2025 season — so it can close early. Call the WDFW cougar hotline (1-866-364-4868, updated Thursdays) before hunting.
- →Nearly all cougar harvest here is incidental to deer hunting
- →Watch the CHMU 52 cap closely — a cap of 2 means an early closure is likely
- →Focus on the larger contiguous timber where deer concentrate
Roosevelt Elk
transient lowNot an elk unit. WDFW: there are no known herds in GMU 627, though the Department occasionally receives elk sighting reports and hunters harvest bulls infrequently.
- →Do not plan around elk on the Kitsap Peninsula — hunt 621, 636 or 651 for Roosevelt elk
- →Any elk seen here is a chance encounter, not a huntable population
Pro tips
- →Map the erratic DNR and Green Mountain State Forest boundaries before you go and carry a parcel app in the field — legal public ground here is jigsaw-shaped
- →Buy the Rayonier access permit if you plan to hunt their blocks; otherwise stick to DNR and state forest
- →Use the DNR designated ATV trails for access, but hunt on foot away from them to find undisturbed deer
- →Small public parcels wedged against homes and greenbelts hold surprisingly good bucks that survive by hugging cover — hunt them carefully and legally
- →Verify the CHMU 52 cougar season (cap of 2) is still open before any cat-focused hunt
Watch out for
- !Highly developed unit — private property is everywhere and public land has erratic, interlaced borders
- !Naval Base Kitsap (Bangor/Bremerton) and the Suquamish and Port Gamble S'Klallam reservations are closed to hunting
- !Rayonier requires an access permit; most other access is walk-in or non-motorized
- !Know your safe-shooting and firearm-discharge limits near the many residential edges
- !CHMU 52 cougar cap is only 2 and can close the season quickly
Logistics
This is a suburban unit — Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard and Poulsbo offer full services, fuel, lodging and gear, and Belfair anchors the south end near the Tahuya/Green Mountain DNR complex. Ferries connect from Seattle (Bainbridge, Bremerton) and Edmonds (Kingston). Public camping is limited; most hunters day-trip. Cell coverage is strong throughout.
Nearest towns: Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Belfair
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW 2025 District 15 Hunting Prospects (Region 6) · WDFW Game Management Units (GMUs) · GOHUNT Washington Unit 627 (Kitsap) profile
FAQ
- How big is GMU 627 in Washington?
- GMU 627 (Kitsap) covers about 703 square miles, ranging from roughly 0 to 1,761 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 627?
- Approximately 20% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: WDNR (Green Mountain State Forest), Rayonier, US Navy (closed), Suquamish / Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribes (closed), Private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 627?
- Blacktail Deer, Black Bear, Cougar, Roosevelt Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 627 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.