GMU 336 - Taneum, Washington

GMU 336 covers 218 square miles (139,327 acres) in Kittitas County, straddling the eastern Cascade slopes. Elevation ranges roughly 2,000 ft in a single mile; high points include Mount Clifty at 6,004 ft along the southern border and Cole Butte at 5,358 ft near the center. The landscape is a twisting maze of valleys, cuts, and drainages pointing in every direction. Upper elevations support old-growth and mature conifer forest (Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce); mid-elevations feature mixed timber with clear-cut regeneration zones and riparian draws; lower portions transition to shrub-steppe. Taneum Creek is the primary drainage running west to east toward Cle Elum and the Kittitas Valley.

Public land totals approximately 59% of the unit: 48% USFS (Wenatchee National Forest), 9% state (WDFW wildlife area and DNR), ~1% BLM, ~1% NPS; 41% is private. The L.T. Murray Wildlife Area (118,300 acres total across five units including Teanaway Valley) borders or overlaps the unit's northwestern edge. Road access throughout Yakima and Kittitas counties is managed under the WDFW/DNR/private-landowner Green Dot system — motor vehicles are restricted to marked Green Dot routes. Green Dot maps are available at the WDFW Yakima regional office (1701 S. 24th Ave, Yakima) and DNR southeast regional office (713 Bowers Rd, Ellensburg). A GPS is strongly recommended due to the broken, interlocking private-public patchwork. The Taneum Creek Road (W Taneum Road) is the primary entry corridor into the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area portion of the unit from the east. No Yakama Nation ceded territory hunting rights apply within this GMU boundary itself, though adjacent private and tribal lands to the south warrant attention for hunters scouting edges.

Upper drainages: old-growth Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, mountain hemlock. Mid-elevation: ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, mixed conifer with patches of regenerating clear-cuts that provide high-quality browse and edge habitat. Lower slopes and canyon breaks: shrub-steppe with bitterbrush, sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and bunchgrass — critical winter range protected by L.T. Murray Wildlife Area management. Riparian corridors along Taneum Creek and tributaries provide willow, alder, and cottonwood. The diversity of vegetative zones from shrub-steppe to subalpine makes this unit productive for multiple species across a wide elevation gradient.

Elk and deer follow classic elevational migration: animals disperse to high-elevation conifer and alpine zones in summer, then concentrate in mid- and lower-elevation winter range on the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area and surrounding shrub-steppe as snow accumulates above 4,000 ft. The Yakima elk herd (>10,000 animals across 900,000 acres of public land) uses GMU 336 as part of its broader range. Elk are widely dispersed until heavy snowfall at higher elevations pushes them down — early-season hunters must penetrate deeper drainages well away from roads. The unit sits within the Naches Mule Deer Management Zone (MDMZ), which also includes GMUs 340, 342, 346, 352, 356, 360, 364, and 368. Deer populations have rebounded modestly after district-wide lows in 2017-2018; recent back-to-back harsh winters did not appear to increase mortality of radio-collared individuals per WDFW 2025 District 8 report. Black bears are present at lower abundance than western and northern District 8 units; they follow berry and mast crops upslope in fall (huckleberries, other shrubs). Cougars are present throughout and track deer and elk movement into lower-elevation stringers in late fall and winter.

All District 8 GMUs are managed under mule deer regulations even though the area contains a mix of mule deer, mule-black-tailed hybrids, and black-tailed deer at different elevations. Deer tag type: 3-point minimum antler restriction applies to archery seasons. Elk general seasons are spike-bull only for modern firearm and muzzleloader; antlerless elk are available by special permit (Hunts 2221, 2250, 2251, 2280 — see special permits). CWD testing is NOT required in District 8 GMUs for 2025-2026 per WDFW biologist report. Green Dot roads require a Discover Pass (or Vehicle Access Pass included with hunting license) on WDFW lands. Opening weekend of modern firearm elk season is heavily crowded; the final 2-3 days and archery/muzzleloader seasons see significantly lower pressure. Hunters willing to move 2+ miles from road corridors and into high-cover drainages report substantially better success. Elk Area 3911 covers lower portions of adjacent GMU 335 (Teanaway) and may affect boundary hunters re: hunter orange requirements during overlap periods.