GMU 382 - East Klickitat, Washington

Wide-open arid scabland and dryland farming dominate the unit floor at roughly 1,500-2,500 ft elevation. The northwestern quarter transitions into broken oak-ponderosa pine forest along ravines and draws. Lone Pine Butte (4,701 ft) marks the highest point in the northwest corner. The Columbia River (elev. ~160 ft) forms the southern boundary. Rock Creek is the primary watershed through the oak-pine and shrubsteppe belt in eastern Klickitat County and serves as a major mule deer wintering corridor. Total elevation range: ~400-4,700 ft.

Public land is approximately 9% of the unit (~47,000 acres) but is fragmented across the 821-square-mile GMU. The principal public parcel is the Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area (10,944 acres), accessed via Box Canyon Road off US-97 north of Goldendale (road is paved 3 miles then primitive; motorized access prohibited beyond the parking area at Box Spring Road). A Discover Pass is required. Additional scattered BLM parcels and East/Central Klickitat Conservation District lands adjoin the Simcoe Unit. Several private hunt clubs hold leases throughout the unit for deer and upland birds. Western Pacific Timber lands in Klickitat County closed to all hunting access as of September 1, 2023. Green Diamond Resource Company/TCT Columbia Holdings enrolls some parcels in WDFW Private Lands Access Program (non-motorized only); check the WDFW Private Lands Access map layer in OnX for current open parcels. The Yakama Nation Reservation borders the unit to the north.

Dominant vegetation is sagebrush-steppe with native bunchgrass, buckbrush, and non-native invasive grasses across the lower-elevation basin. Oregon white oak and ponderosa pine grow along drainages and in the Simcoe Mountains northwest corner. Riparian shrub corridors follow Rock Creek and other seasonal streams. The Columbia Hills south of the unit contain basalt rimrock and talus with sparse shrubsteppe. Vernal pools and steppe rangelands characterize the Simcoe Mountains Unit.

The Klickitat mule deer herd winters in the Columbia Hills and Rock Creek drainage along the Columbia River. Bucks disperse into higher shrubsteppe and oak-pine draws during summer and fall. Rut activity begins as early as late October and runs through late December, with bucks traveling into open habitat during peak rut. Aerial surveys in 2024-2025 indicated a slight population increase after years of decline following the severe 2016-17 winter. Nearly all antlerless permits have been removed to support continued recovery. Small nomadic elk herds occur in the unit; GMU 382 falls within the Eastern Washington elk tag area.

Three-point-or-greater antler restriction applies to all mule deer seasons in GMU 382. No general-season late buck rifle hunting in any Klickitat County GMU. No antlerless permits currently issued (recovery management). Eastern Washington elk tag required for elk hunting in this GMU. Discover Pass required at Simcoe Mountains Unit. Use OnX or WDFW Hunt Planner to identify current private lands access parcels. The 2024 general season produced the highest District 9 deer harvest since 2015; GMU 382 aerial surveys show population trending upward. Collective annual harvest for GMUs 578+388+382 runs approximately 1,000 three-point-or-greater bucks. GMU 382 alone recorded 267 general-season buck harvests in 2021. Anticipated district-wide hunter success rate 20-30%.