GMU 654 Mashel

GMU 654 is a core unit of the South Rainier (Roosevelt) elk herd and one of District 11's two highest elk-harvest GMUs (with 652). It anchors Elk Population Management Unit 67 (653/654), the subherd continues to grow and expand, and — unlike neighboring 653 — antlerless harvest is permitted here, driven partly by damage-abatement hunts. The best elk ground is the Manulife-managed Kapowsin and Eatonville timberlands, accessible only to drawn access-license holders during elk season.

• →Buy a Manulife access license and enter the early-May Kapowsin/Eatonville elk drawing well ahead of season — those timberlands hold the elk but only drawn permittees may hunt them during elk season.
• →Work the growing subherd around the lower timberlands and damage areas; access permission is the primary limiting factor, not elk numbers.
• →On public ground, still-hunt regen stands and forage edges in Elbe Hills and Tahoma State Forests, going behind gates on foot.
• →Hunt closed-canopy timber near openings during warm early seasons when bulls hold cover by day.

Deer harvest is steady but success is modest here (~15%, below the ~20% urbanized western GMUs), a reflection of limited access and heavier cover. The standout is the eastern high country: WDFW calls out GMUs 653/654 for high-elevation trophy black-tail hunting reached via USFS roads and trails toward Norse Peak, Clearwater, and Glacier View Wilderness.

• →Get away from the crowds by hiking USFS trails into the high eastern basins for a genuine trophy-blacktail hunt.
• →Glass 3- to 9-year clearcuts and regen stands at first and last light, then still-hunt the timber edge as deer bed.
• →Time your hardest effort to the late-October/early-November rut when bucks move most.
• →Use Elbe Hills / Tahoma State Forest walk-in ground to escape the private-timber access bottleneck.

GMU 654 sits in the South Cascades Black Bear Management Unit (BBMU #2, with 653) and is a steady producer — WDFW's 7-year figures show roughly 135 bears taken with modest success. Commercial and state timberlands offer the best bear ground; the Kapowsin spring bear hunt was eliminated in 2020 and statewide in 2022, so this is a general-season opportunity now.

• →Scout regenerating timber stands for scat and bark-peeling sign, then glass berry-rich cuts at dawn and dusk.
• →Focus the Manulife Kapowsin/Eatonville lands and Elbe Hills/Tahoma State Forests — WDFW's named best bear ground here.
• →Hunt the open cuts so you spot a bear before it winds you in the thick coastal-type cover.
• →Key on ripe berry and mast feed in early fall before deer and elk pressure scatters bears.

Cougars range throughout the unit following the deer and elk. Most are taken opportunistically by big-game hunters; the season is harvest-cap managed and can close mid-season.

• →Carry a tag and hunt where deer and elk concentrate — cougars follow the prey.
• →After fresh snow in the higher eastern country, cut roads and landings for tracks.
• →Check hunt-area status regularly since cap-managed areas can close once the threshold is hit.