GMU 254 - Saint Andrews, Washington

Flat to gently rolling shrub-steppe plateau at 1,550–2,750 ft elevation, dissected by Moses Coulee and the Upper Grand Coulee on the eastern edge. Coulees cut sharply through the plateau providing the main topographic relief and concentrating mule deer. Jameson and Grimes Lakes add wetland edges. The unit is characterized by channeled scablands, basalt outcrops, and irrigated agriculture at lower elevations blending into native bunchgrass and sagebrush on the drier benches.

Approximately 15–16% public land: ~5% BLM and ~9–10% state land (Washington DNR / WDFW). The two largest BLM blocks sit in the north and south portions of the unit, with state ground concentrated along Moses Coulee corridor and around Jameson and Grimes Lakes. The WDFW Private Lands Hunting Access (PLHA) program has enrolled 56,423 acres of private land open to hunting — hunters must check the PLHA portal for current enrolled parcels. Unit boundaries follow Hwy 2 (south), Road 172 (east), Road 17, and the Upper Grand Coulee near Coulee City. No tribal ceded territory issues noted for this unit.

Dominant vegetation: big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, bunchgrass (bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue), native shrub-steppe. Coulee walls feature basalt talus with scattered ponderosa pine at higher elevations. Agricultural land (dryland wheat, irrigated orchard) borders much of the unit and provides seasonal deer forage. Riparian corridors along the coulee floors support willow, cottonwood, and cheatgrass. Columbia sharp-tailed grouse are a notable secondary species in the shrub-steppe habitat.

Mule deer are resident year-round on the benches and in the coulees; significant rut activity from late October through late December concentrates bucks. Deer use the coulee systems as travel corridors between feeding areas in the agricultural fields and bedding on sagebrush benches. Whitetail numbers are low and localized to riparian corridors and wetter coulee bottoms. No established elk population — elk are effectively absent. Black bears are sparse given the basin habitat but present in the Columbia Basin management unit (BBMU 2).

Unit is 84–85% private land, making PLHA access or landowner permission essential for productive hunts. Limited-entry buck special permit (Hunt Code 1222) draws heavily — 633 applicants for 4 tags in 2024, averaging 13 points to draw. Antlerless permits (Hunt Codes 1719 and 1749) are available only to hunters with disabilities. General deer seasons require 3-point minimum antler restriction for mule deer. Elk are essentially absent from this unit. Black bear season runs August 1–November 15 under BBMU 2 regulations with a 2-bear bag limit. Road hunting pressure is noted; stationary hunting near travel corridors can be effective as hunter pressure pushes deer through the coulees.