GMU 346 - Little Naches, Washington

Mid-altitude rolling mountains covered in old-growth conifer forest laced with creeks and riparian corridors. Elevations range 2,200–6,600 ft. Borders follow ridgelines from Blowout Mountain south past Naches Pass, Arch Rock, and Yakima Peak along Mount Rainier National Park, then along the American, Bumping, and Naches Rivers. Significant roadless area exists around Crow Creek Lake, Little Crow Basin, Lake Basin, and Fifes Peak. Much of this roadless zone was burned in the 2017 Norse Peak Wildfire (~50,000 acres), creating regenerating browse habitat now attractive to elk and deer. The 2016 Rock Creek Fire in the eastern section also opens terrain. Slopes are generally 30 degrees or steeper in the roadless core, demanding physical conditioning for backcountry access.

Unit is approximately 89% public land: ~88% USFS (Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest), ~7% state (DNR), with roughly 5% private land concentrated in the north near Timothy Meadow and between select meadow drainages. No significant BLM or L.T. Murray Wildlife Area acreage falls within unit boundaries (L.T. Murray covers adjacent lower-elevation GMUs 340/342 to the north). SR-410 (Chinook Pass Highway) and US-12 provide primary paved access corridors on the unit's northern and southern edges. USFS Road 1900-series (Naches Ranger District) provides interior access. Green Dot road system applies to motorized off-road travel — only roads marked with green reflectors are open to motor vehicles; all others are closed to OHVs. The Yakima Ranger District contact is the primary USFS resource for current road conditions.

Primary cover is old-growth conifer forest (Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, western larch at elevation). Riparian corridors along the American, Bumping, and Naches Rivers provide dense willow/alder understory. Post-fire areas (Norse Peak 2017, Rock Creek 2016) feature dense fireweed, ceanothus, and regenerating brush — prime elk and deer forage. High-elevation basins include open meadows and talus fields used by mountain goats. Lower elevations transition toward shrub-steppe and ponderosa pine on sun-exposed slopes near the Naches River drainage.

Elk and deer are widely scattered throughout the unit and can be found anywhere, but migrate downslope toward lower drainages and adjacent shrub-steppe as high-country snowpack deepens (typically November–December). Late-season snowfall drives the best hunting opportunities by concentrating animals at the snow line. Elk rut activity begins as early as the first week of September and runs approximately one month, making early September the optimal window for calling bulls. The Norse Peak burn zone is a significant post-fire attractor for deer and elk browsing on fireweed, ceanothus, and young conifers. Mountain goats occupy the high-elevation rugged terrain portions of the unit.

The Yakama Nation retains treaty hunting rights (1855 Yakama Treaty) across their 12-million-acre ceded territory in eastern Washington, which encompasses this region. Enrolled Yakama members may hunt on unclaimed (federal, state, other government) lands within the ceded area under tribal regulations separate from WDFW rules. Non-tribal hunters should be aware of this shared-landscape context but are unaffected in terms of their own WDFW licensing requirements. Winter wildlife sanctuaries within the ceded area restrict hunting Dec. 15–March 31 (feeding areas) or Dec. 31–March 31 (sanctuaries). The Norse Peak Wildfire of 2017 substantially altered habitat in the eastern roadless core; burned areas near Fifes Peak and Crow Creek Lake now offer excellent early- to mid-season hunting as browse regenerates. Late-season hunting after first significant snowfall historically produces the best results unit-wide.