GMU 244 - Clark, Washington

Glacier Peak Wilderness and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Chelan County. Elevation range approximately 1,200–10,500 ft. Glacier Peak (10,541 ft) anchors the unit with multiple glaciers, deep-cut canyons, and numerous alpine lakes. No roads exist within the unit boundaries — wilderness designation prohibits all mechanized use including bicycles. The unit follows drainages and ridgelines in a complex, dissected pattern through the North Cascades. Terrain is steep, rugged, and densely forested at mid-elevations with open alpine basins and rocky ridgelines above treeline. Snows arrive earlier than in neighboring Chelan County GMUs, which concentrates deer movement earlier in the season relative to lower-elevation units.

100% public land (USFS Glacier Peak Wilderness and NPS Lake Chelan National Recreation Area). No road network — access is entirely by trail, on foot, or via pack stock. The Lake Chelan NRA portion can also be accessed via boat or floatplane to Stehekin. No motorized or mechanized vehicles permitted for any purpose. Trailheads are located on the periphery of the unit. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest administers the USFS portion. No WDFW Wildlife Areas or BLM lands within the unit boundaries. Private land within the unit is approximately 0 acres.

High alpine tundra, subalpine fir and mountain hemlock parkland, dense old-growth forest of Engelmann spruce and silver fir at mid-elevations, avalanche chutes with brushy regeneration providing forage. Huckleberry and serviceberry patches at mid-to-high elevations provide key black bear summer/fall forage. Mule deer here share black-tailed deer genetic influence common along the Cascade crest. No significant old-growth logging or road network — the wilderness designation has preserved largely intact old-growth stands.

Approximately 85% of Chelan County mule deer are migratory. Deer summer throughout the high alpine basins and ridgelines of Clark and begin descending in mid-September as forage quality changes. Because Clark is high-elevation summer and transitional range, deer are present during the early archery and high buck hunts but migrate out to lower winter range (Entiat breaks, Columbia River foothills) by late October–November. Early-season hunters catching the first snows here have higher encounter rates than in lower units. Bucks favor north-facing slopes with dense cover. The grizzly bear recovery zone overlaps this GMU — hunters should be bear-aware.

GMU 244 Clark is designated Wilderness — one of only two units in District 7 (along with 249 Alpine) with this status. Hunting requires full backcountry self-sufficiency. The Pomas Fire ignited June 13, 2025 on the eastern edge of Clark within the Glacier Peak Wilderness (3,480+ acres as of July 15, 2025) — check USFS access restrictions before hunting. Starting in 2025, bear hunters in GMU 244 must pass the WDFW Bear Identification Test (score 80%+) and carry proof. Elk harvest in GMU 244 was zero in 2024; elk presence is negligible — the Colockum elk herd is centered to the south in GMUs 250–251. No white-tailed deer of significance — District 7 harvest is almost entirely mule deer. Mountain goat hunting opportunities exist in two areas bordering Lake Chelan. California bighorn sheep herds (Manson herd) are adjacent in GMU 243 but not present in 244.