GMU 340 - Manastash, Washington

170,732 acres spanning eastern Cascades transition in Kittitas and Yakima counties. Northwestern corner anchored by Quartz Mountain (6,296 ft) with dense old-growth conifer forest, transitioning southeast through Manastash Ridge into rolling hills, wide meadows, and canyons descending to the Yakima River near Selah. Elevation range roughly 1,200 ft (Yakima River canyon) to 6,300 ft. Western third: Wenatchee NF timbered drainages and subalpine parkland. Middle: scabland benches and open conifer parkland on Manastash Ridge. Eastern third: shrub-steppe grassland and Ponderosa pine parkland. Terrain is classified as very steep in timber zones (80% of public land at slopes ≤22°). Numerous creek drainages (Manastash Creek, Taneum Creek tributaries) provide riparian corridors. The Black Canyon Fire (2024) burned >10,000 acres in GMUs 340 and 342 within the Wenas Wildlife Area, creating post-fire forage areas that will attract deer and elk as vegetation recovers.

~74% public land. Key public land blocks: L.T. Murray Wildlife Area (48,553 acres, 15 miles west of Ellensburg, covers much of GMU 340 core); Washington DNR lands interspersed throughout; BLM Spokane District parcels on eastern shrub-steppe fringe; Wenatchee National Forest in northwestern high-country drainages. Access governed by the Green Dot Road Management System — motorized vehicles restricted to designated Green Dot roads (marked with round green reflectors); maps available at WDFW Yakima regional office (1701 S. 24th Ave, Yakima) and DNR Southeast Regional office (713 Bowers Rd, Ellensburg). L.T. Murray WA closes areas surrounding elk feeding sites to all public entry early December through May 1. Yakama Nation ceded territory boundaries lie to the south and east; hunters should verify jurisdictional boundary before hunting near Yakima Canyon. Discover Pass required for WDFW wildlife area access. No Yakama Nation tribal permit required for state-land hunting within GMU 340 itself.

Three primary vegetation zones: (1) Lower shrub-steppe — sagebrush, bunchgrass, rabbitbrush, Ponderosa pine parkland from Yakima River up to ~2,500 ft; (2) Mid-elevation transition — Ponderosa pine, Oregon white oak, antelope bitterbrush, serviceberry, canyon walls and rock scabland from 2,500–4,500 ft; (3) Upper conifer zone — Douglas-fir, grand fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce near Quartz Mountain summit above 4,500 ft. Riparian corridors along Manastash Creek support cottonwood, alder, and willow. Post-fire (Black Canyon Fire 2024) areas in Wenas WA portion provide emerging forb and shrub forage attractive to deer, elk, and bear.

Elk belong to the Yakima elk herd (>10,000 animals across 900,000 acres of public land), one of the largest herds in Washington. Early season elk concentrate at higher elevations in timbered drainages away from roads; as hunting pressure builds during modern firearm season they push toward dense forest cover and near private land edges. Deer (predominantly mule deer with some mule-black-tailed hybrids and black-tailed deer at lower elevations) move between high-elevation summer range in Wenatchee NF and lower shrub-steppe winter range along Yakima canyon slopes. Rut activity for deer begins late October through late December. Elk rut starts as early as first week of September running approximately one month. Cougars follow deer and elk migrations, concentrating at lower elevations in timbered stringers by mid-November. Black bears follow huckleberry and berry crop progression upslope in fall, retreating from post-fire areas in 2024-2025 as habitat recovers.

GMU 340 is among the highest-pressure units in District 8 alongside GMUs 335, 328, and 342. Opening weekend of modern firearm elk season is particularly crowded; biologists recommend hunting the final 2–3 days of modern firearm or during archery/muzzleloader seasons for a higher-quality experience. The Green Dot system is essential for navigation — non-Green-Dot roads are off-limits to motor vehicles. CWD testing is NOT required for harvests in District 8 GMUs for the 2025–2026 license year. Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) has been confirmed in District 8 but remains uncommon. Bighorn sheep (Selah/Umtanum and Cleman Mountain populations) may be encountered — no harvest opportunity in Umtanum/Selah Butte currently; Cleman Mountain is ram-only. YTC (GMU 371) closed to public recreation as of June 2025, which may shift some hunter pressure into adjacent GMUs including 340. Wildfires in 2024 burned >10,000 acres in GMU 340/342 (Black Canyon Fire) in the Wenas WA; access and forage conditions may be altered through 2025–2026.