US state

Washington (WA)

Jurisdiction shell is ready; add agency, species, unit, deadline, and application data as research comes in.

Known for Elk

Washington big-game backdrop

Washington is known for elk plus coastal and mountain big-game opportunity.

Generated wildlife art is used as atmosphere only; official tag, season, and unit decisions stay tied to agency data below.

Back to map Compare all units Open application portal

Agency source

1

high confidence

Opportunities

12

researched nonresident paths

Applications

0

public research mode

Unit map

GIS

ArcGIS REST

Nonresident permit and tag opportunities

First-pass official-source research package for nonresident applications, draw/OTC paths, odds, harvest stats, and map linkage. Retrieved 2026-05-13.

12 opportunities

10 mapped

17 sources

Application process

Washington nonresidents use the same WDFW special-permit draw as residents; no official nonresident quota was found. Applications for deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, bighorn sheep, and turkey run April 20 through midnight May 20, 2026. Washington uses a weighted-point system by species/category: each submitted application earns a point, unsuccessful applicants keep accumulating category points, and points reset when drawn in that category. Apply by purchasing one application per eligible category, then submitting/ranking hunt choices in WILD/FishHunt; most categories allow up to four choices, while quality deer and quality elk allow two. If an application is purchased but choices are not submitted by deadline, the applicant receives a point but is not in that year's drawing. Results post in WILD in June. Permits may be returned up to two weeks before the season opener to restore points. Deer/elk/turkey require license prerequisites before submission; moose/sheep/goat licenses are purchased only if drawn.

Open portal

Timezone: Pacific Time (WDFW deadline says midnight; verify exact portal cutoff annually)

Deer

General deer seasons / transport tag

high

otc

nonresident

map: gmu

Units: statewide GMUs by general-season table, wilderness High Buck hunt areas, Deer Areas where listed

Deadlines: kind: text; text: License/tag valid for April 1-March 31 license year; hunt dates vary by method and GMU.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident Deer License: $599.07 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Deer + Elk License: $1,020.06

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Deer

Special deer permits (quality, buck, antlerless, second deer, youth/disabled/master hunter where listed)

high

draw

nonresident

map: gmu

Hunt codes: Quality Deer examples: 1000 Kelly Hill White-tailed Buck, 1001 Kelly Hill Mule Deer Buck, 1023 East Okanogan, 1026 Pearrygin

Units: GMU 105, GMU 108, GMU 111, GMU 117, GMU 121, GMU 124

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Apply April 20-midnight May 20, 2026 • kind: text; text: Quality Deer allows up to 2 choices; other deer categories up to 4 choices unless table says otherwise.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident special permit application: $152.30 per category • kind: text; text: Must already hold required deer license/transport tag before submitting choices.

Open map layer

Elk

General elk seasons / transport tag

high

otc

nonresident

map: gmu

Units: Eastern Washington GMUs, Western Washington GMUs, Elk Areas where listed, Master Hunter-only elk areas where listed

Deadlines: kind: text; text: License/tag valid for April 1-March 31 license year; hunt dates vary by elk tag area, method and GMU.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident Elk License: $685.60 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Deer + Elk License: $1,020.06

Open map layer

Elk

Special elk permits (quality, bull, antlerless/cow, youth/disabled/65+/master hunter where listed)

high

draw

nonresident

map: gmu

Hunt codes: Quality Elk examples: 2000 Turnbull, 2001 Prescott, 2015 Mission, 2017 Colockum, 2027 Green River

Units: GMU 149, GMU 154, GMU 157, GMUs 162/163, GMU 166, Elk Areas 1008/1009/1015

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Apply April 20-midnight May 20, 2026 • kind: text; text: Quality Elk allows up to 2 choices; other elk categories up to 4 choices unless table says otherwise.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident special permit application: $152.30 per category • kind: text; text: Must already hold required elk license/transport tag before submitting choices.

Open map layer

Moose

Moose special permits

high

draw

nonresident

map: gmu

Hunt codes: Any Antlered Bull examples: 8000 Kettle Range-East Okanogan, 8001 Douglas A Early, 8005 Selkirk 113, 8006/8007 49 Degrees North, Antlerless examples: 8014 Douglas 108 B, 8017 Huckleberry B

Units: GMUs 101/105/204, GMU 108, GMU 111, GMU 113, GMU 117, GMU 121

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Apply April 20-midnight May 20, 2026 • kind: text; text: If drawn, buy special hunt moose license/tag by WDFW deadline (15-day minimum; application instructions mention July 31 each year).

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident special permit application: $152.30 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Special Hunt Moose License and Tag: $2,279.00

Open map layer

Bighorn sheep

Bighorn sheep special permits

high

draw

nonresident

needs map link

Hunt codes: Any Ram: 5000 Selah Butte, 5001 Cleman Mountain, 5002 Lincoln Cliffs, 5003 Quilomene, 5004 Swakane, 5005/5006 Chelan Butte, Adult Ewe: 5007 Lincoln Cliffs Whitestone, 5008 Swakane, Youth/Disabled examples: 5010-5013

Units: Sheep Unit 4, Sheep Unit 7, Sheep Unit 12, Sheep Unit 13, Sheep Unit 14, Sheep Unit 18

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Apply April 20-midnight May 20, 2026 • kind: text; text: If drawn, buy special hunt sheep license/tag by WDFW deadline (15-day minimum).

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident special permit application: $152.30 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Special Hunt Sheep License and Tag: $2,279.00

Mountain goat

Mountain goat special permits

high

draw

nonresident

needs map link

Hunt codes: 6000 Naches Pass (3-6), 6001 Goat Rocks West (5-4), 6002 Goat Rocks East (5-5), 6003 Mt. Margaret Backcountry (5-6)

Units: Mountain goat hunt areas 3-6, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6, 5-7

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Apply April 20-midnight May 20, 2026 • kind: text; text: If drawn, complete mountain goat gender-ID training and buy special hunt goat license/tag by WDFW deadline (15-day minimum).

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident special permit application: $152.30 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Special Hunt Goat License and Tag: $2,279.00

Turkey

Fall turkey special permit

high

draw

nonresident

map: gmu

Hunt codes: 3001 Teanaway

Units: GMU 335

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Apply April 20-midnight May 20, 2026 • kind: text; text: Season Nov. 15-Dec. 15 for 3001 Teanaway.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident special permit application: $152.30 • kind: text; text: Small game hunting license and valid turkey tag required; exact nonresident small-game/turkey-tag fee should be captured from current fee table in follow-up.

Open map layer

Black bear

General black bear license/tag and second bear tag

high

otc

nonresident

map: gmu

Units: BBMU 1-14 with GMU lists, closed GMUs 157, 410-417, 419-424, 490, 522, 655, GMU 485 requires special deer/elk permit to hunt bear

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Most BBMUs: Aug. 1-Nov. 15, 2026; Okanogan and Willapa Hills examples open Aug. 15-Nov. 15; verify by BBMU annually.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident Bear License: $306.10 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Bear License w/ discounted Small Game: $439.68

Open map layer

Cougar

General cougar license/tag subject to hunt-area caps

high

otc

nonresident

map: gmu

Units: Cougar Hunt Areas, GMU 485 requires special deer/elk permit to hunt cougar

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Sept. 1, 2026-March 31, 2027 or until the hunt-area cap is reached; hunters must check hotline/website before hunting.

Fees: kind: text; text: Nonresident Cougar License: $306.10 • kind: text; text: Nonresident Cougar License w/ discounted Small Game: $439.68

Open map layer

Deer / Elk

Multi-season deer and elk tag drawings

medium

draw

nonresident

map: gmu

Units: statewide/unit-specific general seasons as allowed by deer/elk regulations

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Consult current multi-season page/PDF annually; 2026-2027 multi-season permit PDF is linked from eRegulations.

Fees: kind: text; text: Multi-Season Deer Tag: $191.77 • kind: text; text: Multi-Season Elk Tag: $250.97

Open map layer

Deer / Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep

Landowner and conservation-group raffle permits

medium

other

nonresident

map: gmu

Units: Buckrun, GMUs 113, 172, 186, 181 portion for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep raffle

Deadlines: kind: text; text: Raffle-specific sales/deadlines not captured; 2026 eRegulations lists seasons Oct. 25-Dec. 31 for deer raffle and Sept. 1-Dec. 31 for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep raffle.

Fees: kind: text; text: Raffle ticket/permit cost not captured from official table; obtain from selling organization/landowner.

Open map layer

Prerequisites

• kind: text; text: Create/use a WDFW WILD/FishHunt account at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/login or use the MyWDFW app, phone line, or license vendor.
• kind: text; text: License year is April 1-March 31. Persons age 15+ must provide Social Security Number to obtain a license.
• kind: text; text: Hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972 generally need hunter education to buy a Washington hunting license; hunter-ed deferral holders may not apply for deer or elk special permits in 2026.
• kind: text; text: For deer and elk special permits, buy the hunting license and select the matching transport tag/hunt method/location before submitting hunt choices.
• kind: text; text: For turkey special permits, buy a valid small game hunting license before the application can be purchased; a turkey tag is required to hunt.
• kind: text; text: For mountain goat, moose, and bighorn sheep, no license is required before applying; successful applicants must buy the special hunt license/tag by WDFW deadline or the permit is void/alternate offered.
• kind: text; text: Nonresident adult special permit application fee listed by WDFW/MyWDFW for 2026 is $152.30 per application/category; youth under 16 special permit applications are $5.05.
• kind: text; text: Selected goat hunters must complete WDFW mountain goat gender identification training before purchasing the license.

Map gaps

• kind: text; text: Boondoggle WA has only the WDFW Game Management Units layer slug gmu. Deer Areas, Elk Areas, Moose Areas, Sheep Units, Mountain Goat Hunt Areas, Black Bear Management Units, Cougar Hunt Areas, wilderness High Buck areas, Buckrun/private ranch boundaries, and some special permit private-land boundaries need additional official GIS layers or digitized official PDFs.
• kind: text; text: Special permit tables frequently use named areas that are not simple GMUs (e.g., Deer Area 1008/1009, Elk Area 1008/1009/1015, Moose Areas 1/2, Sheep Unit 20 Whitestone, Mountain Goat area numbers). These should not be force-matched to gmu unless the official table gives GMUs.

Blockers / follow-up

• kind: text; text: Full exhaustive 2026 special permit tables are long HTML/PDF-style tables. This first pass records categories and representative official hunt choices, not every hunt choice row.
• kind: text; text: Official WDFW draw-stat tables beyond eRegulations' permits and Apps/Avg Points fields were not located in a machine-readable source during this pass.
• kind: text; text: Public harvest/success/pressure data by hunt choice/GMU was not captured; WDFW mandatory reports exist, but a current extract/API needs follow-up.
• kind: text; text: Nonresident small game/turkey-tag fees should be pulled from the complete fee table/PDF in a follow-up because the fetched excerpt did not include the full small-game section.
• kind: text; text: Additional map layers are needed for non-GMU opportunity boundaries.

Jeremiah guide notes

Can a nonresident apply for Washington special permits?

Yes. Washington's official special-permit pages describe who may apply by license/category and list one nonresident application fee. I found no official nonresident quota/cap; treat nonresidents as applying in the same weighted-point draw unless WDFW publishes a species-specific restriction.

What should I buy before applying?

For deer and elk, buy the needed license and select the transport tag that matches the special hunt before submitting choices. For turkey, buy a small-game hunting license before buying the application and have a turkey tag to hunt. For moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat, apply first; if drawn, buy the expensive special hunt license/tag by WDFW's deadline.

How do points work?

Each submitted special-permit application earns a point in that species/category. If you are not drawn, points accumulate for that category. If you draw, points for that category reset to zero. If you buy but do not submit choices before the deadline, you get a point but are not in that year's draw.

What is the deadline?

For 2026 special permits, WDFW lists April 20 through midnight May 20. Use Pacific time and verify exact portal cutoff each year. Draw results post in WILD in June.

How do I pick units?

Most general hunts and many special deer/elk/moose hunts map cleanly to Washington GMUs. Special areas like Deer Areas, Elk Areas, Sheep Units, Moose Areas, Goat Hunt Areas, and Cougar Hunt Areas need separate map layers, so Jeremiah should warn users when the app can show the parent GMU but not the exact special boundary yet.

What are the main gotchas?

Nonresident costs are high, quality deer/elk only allow two hunt choices, access to private timber/lands may require advance permission or fees, hunter-ed deferral holders cannot apply for deer/elk special permits, cougar areas can close when caps are reached, and reporting is mandatory even if you do not hunt.

Official sources

Washington Special Permit Application Instructions

Special permit application window, weighted-point process, hunt choice limits, license/tag prerequisites, group applications, permit return rule, WILD/FishHunt portal.

WDFW / MyWDFW Multi-season tags & special hunt permits

Plain-English WDFW explanation of special hunts, nonresident application fee, portal steps, results timing, multi-season context.

Washington License, Tags & Permit Fees

Nonresident license/tag/application costs and big-game special hunt license/tag fees.

Washington License Information & Requirements

License year, purchase channels, SSN requirement, youth definition, refund/exchange rules.

Washington Deer Special Permits

Deer special hunt categories, application cap, hunter-ed deferral exclusion, sample quotas and 2025 applications/average points.

Washington Elk Special Permits