GMU 407 - North Sound, Washington

Long and narrow unit running from the US-Canadian border (Whatcom County) south through Skagit and Snohomish counties to US-2 near Monroe. Elevations range from sea level on Puget Sound tideflats to roughly 3,200 ft in the Cascade foothills. The unit is split down its length by I-5, with the western half composed of Puget Sound lowlands, river deltas (Skagit, Nooksack, Stillaguamish), and Samish Bay shoreline. The eastern half rises into dense second-growth and working timber forests in the Cascade foothills. Terrain is 'high and broken' with steep draws; approximately 80% of slopes are 24 degrees or less. Dense Pacific temperate rainforest vegetation — sword fern, red alder, bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir, western red cedar — creates extremely thick cover throughout.

Public land is severely limited at approximately 12.3% of the unit, fragmented among multiple jurisdictions: Washington DNR State Forest parcels in the Cascade foothills, WDFW Wildlife Areas, county parks, and tribal reservation lands. The unit includes no major National Forest blocks — Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF begins east of the unit boundary. Primary road corridors are SR 542 (Mount Baker Hwy) along the northern boundary, SR 9 (Valley Hwy) through the central spine, SR 20 (North Cascades Hwy) near Sedro-Woolley, Mountain Loop Highway, and US-2 at the southern end. Ferry access is not required for this mainland unit. Access is heavily complicated by private timber holdings and residential/agricultural development. Snohomish County has shotgun-only and no-shooting ordinance areas that hunters must verify before season.

Western Cascade temperate rainforest: dominant overstory of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, Sitka spruce in wetter lowlands. Deciduous component of red alder, bigleaf maple, and black cottonwood along river corridors. Extensive clear-cuts and young managed plantations (5–25 years post-harvest) in DNR and private timber lands provide critical black-tail browse habitat — fireweed, blackberry, vine maple. Older second-growth (40–80 years) creates dense overhead canopy with limited understory. River-valley bottomlands include Skagit and Nooksack floodplain meadows, wetlands, and agricultural fields (hay, corn silage) that attract deer and elk at dawn and dusk.

Black-tailed deer are resident year-round, moving between river-bottom agriculture and dense forested slopes. Rutting activity peaks late October through December, with bucks becoming visible on field edges and clear-cuts. Elk movement is highly nomadic — small bachelor groups and mixed herds move unpredictably along the Skagit and Nooksack river valleys, using working forests and riparian corridors. Elk can be present in good numbers one week and entirely absent the next. The North Cascades Elk Herd (2023 estimate: 1,621 animals; objective 1,700–2,000) occupies the broader Skagit-Whatcom corridor; GMU 407 holds a peripheral portion of this herd. Black bear are active from spring green-up through October, using logged hillsides, berry patches, and salmon-stream corridors. Cougar follow deer throughout the forested eastern portions.

GMU 407 is a challenging, low-success unit for resident hunters who know the land. The scarcity of public land (12.3%) means most hunting occurs through access agreements, WDFW permit areas, or hunting pressure on the limited DNR parcels. Deer success rates are characteristically low due to thick cover, hunter pressure near urban centers (Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Marysville, Everett), and restricted public access. The 'high broken landscape' rewards patient hunters who work cover edges and clear-cut margins early in the season before pressure pushes deer deep. Elk are a bonus opportunity — OTC bull tags are available specifically because the North Cascades herd is below its population objective (1,621 vs. 1,700–2,000 goal per 2023 survey), and elk are few and far between inside 407. Late archery and late muzzleloader seasons overlap (Nov 25–Dec 15), extending opportunity for bowhunters. Snohomish County ordinances restrict firearms in portions of the unit; verify shotgun-only and no-shoot zones before hunting. Black bear season runs August 1–November 15 on OTC tags with a two-bear limit. Cougar hunting is OTC throughout District 14.