GMU 136 - Harrington, Washington

Columbia Plateau scablands at 1,900–2,600 ft elevation. Roughly half the unit is dryland and irrigated agriculture (wheat, cereal grains, hay, canola, barley, grass seed). A diagonal swath of natural shrub-steppe and riparian wetlands crosses the unit, featuring numerous pothole lakes, rimrock lakes, and channels typical of the channeled scablands. Upland plateaus transition to riparian corridors along Crab Creek and associated drainages. Terrain is gently rolling to flat — well-suited for glass-and-stalk hunting and long-range firearms.

Only approximately 11% of the unit is publicly accessible. Primary public land anchor is Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area (~20,900 acres, WDFW-managed), located about 10 miles south of Creston in Lincoln County, accessed via Seven Springs Road/Swanson Lake Road or Schuster Road off Highway 2. The unit also contains scattered BLM parcels (approx. 6% of unit) in central Lincoln County. State DNR leased land (~1,280 acres within Swanson Lakes) also open to hunting. A free Vehicle Access Pass (included with hunting/fishing license) or Discover Pass is required on WDFW and BLM lands. Motorized vehicle access within Swanson Lakes is restricted to the mile-long entry road only. The remaining ~89% of land is private agricultural; written landowner permission is required.

Dominant cover types: (1) dryland wheat and grain agriculture covering roughly half the unit; (2) shrub-steppe (sagebrush, bitterbrush, rabbitbrush) on natural benches and scabland breaks; (3) riparian corridors with sedge meadows, cattail marshes, and pothole lakes along upper Crab Creek watershed. Old CRP fields and restored native grasslands provide additional cover and forage, particularly within Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse habitat is actively managed within Swanson Lakes.

Mule deer use shrub-steppe and CRP/grassland edges adjacent to cropfields, concentrating in the Swanson Lakes riparian corridor in winter. Elk numbers are low unit-wide; what elk exist move along Crab Creek drainages and seek out unharvested grain fields, particularly on private land in fall. White-tailed deer are present but populations are depressed in WDFW District 2; best whitetail hunting is in GMUs 124/127 rather than 136. Mule deer offer the best big game prospects in GMU 136.

GMU 136 lies south of Highway 2; GMU 133 covers the area north of Highway 2 in the same region. Unit spans Lincoln, Grant, and Adams counties. Region 1 carcass transport rules apply: whole deer/elk/moose carcasses cannot be transported out of Region 1 (100-series GMUs) — only deboned meat, clean skull plates, finished taxidermy, and specified parts allowed. Archery success is generally low across the unit due to open terrain. Black bear harvest is described as nearly nonexistent. Upland bird hunting (gray partridge, pheasant) in and around agricultural fields is consistently strong. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is a state threatened species — take is prohibited within Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area.