Washington Unit 113 Elk Hunting Guide

Washington Unit 113 (Selkirk) sits in the far northeastern corner of the state, a 470,487-acre unit defined by rugged timbered mountains, steep drainages, and a wide elevation swing from 1,730 feet up to 7,246 feet. For hunters researching Washington Unit 113 elk hunting, this is a general-season unit, not a draw-only proposition — antlered and either-sex elk opportunity exists on the general season, with limited-quota draw hunts layered on top for additional opportunity. With 78% public land and a modest 9% wilderness designation, Unit 113 offers real DIY access, but the terrain and herd density here demand realistic expectations.

This is classic Selkirk Mountains country — dense timber, broken ridgelines, and elk that live in small, scattered bands rather than concentrated herds visible from a distant glassing knob. Unlike the open-basin elk country found elsewhere in the West, this unit rewards hunters willing to still-hunt timber, work logging roads after snowfall, and grind through thick cover rather than relying on long-range optics work.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 113 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer, based on the harvest data HuntPilot has compiled for this unit, is that Unit 113 is a general-opportunity elk unit rather than a trophy destination. Success rates have held in a narrow band over the past five years: 6% in 2025, 7% in 2024, 6% in 2023, 6% in 2022, and 4% in 2021. These numbers are consistent — there's no wild swing suggesting a herd crash or a sudden improvement — but they're also low in absolute terms, reflecting the difficulty of hunting elk in dense, low-density northeastern Washington timber rather than open western elk country.

Hunter numbers have been gradually declining, from 965 hunters afield in 2021 down to 737 in 2025, while harvest has stayed roughly flat in the 39-to-51 range across those same years. That combination — fewer hunters, stable harvest, steady single-digit success — suggests a unit where the elk density is the limiting factor, not hunting pressure. Hunters who know the country and put in scouting time can find consistent, if modest, results; hunters expecting glass-and-stalk elk hunting akin to Rocky Mountain basin country will be disappointed by both the terrain and the numbers.

Unit 113 is best suited to hunters who want a general-season elk tag with legitimate public access and are willing to adapt their strategy to thick cover, rather than hunters chasing a high-odds trophy unit. Trophy data is not available for this unit, so no qualitative claim can be made about antler quality here — hunters should treat any produce-a-trophy expectations with caution and focus on this as an opportunity and experience-based hunt.

Herd Health & Context

While formal survey data wasn't part of the structured harvest figures provided, the five-year harvest trend offers a useful proxy for herd stability. The success rate has fluctuated only slightly — 4% to 7% — across five seasons, which points to a stable but sparse elk population rather than one undergoing significant growth or decline. Elk in this part of Washington are known to exist in small, scattered bands spread across large tracts of timber rather than concentrated in visible herds, which naturally caps both encounter rates and harvest success regardless of hunter effort. This is a structural characteristic of Selkirk-region elk hunting, not a sign of mismanagement, and hunters should plan their expectations accordingly.

Access & Terrain

Unit 113 offers 78% public land, which gives DIY hunters a strong base of accessible ground to hunt without needing to negotiate private land access. With 9% of the unit designated wilderness, the vast majority of the public acreage is accessible by road or trail rather than requiring deep wilderness pack-in logistics — though hunters targeting that 9% wilderness slice should be prepared for more remote, foot-and-pack-only travel.

The elevation range of 1,730 to 7,246 feet covers a lot of vertical and habitat diversity, from lower-elevation river drainages and timbered benches up through steep mountain terrain near the ridgetops. This is not open country — there are few large vista basins where elk can be glassed from a distance. Instead, the terrain is characterized by dense coniferous timber, broken ridgelines, and steep drainages that favor still-hunting, tracking, and road-based scouting over long-range glassing tactics. Hunters who've spent time in this unit describe hunting by looking for fresh sign — tracks, droppings, rubs — along logging roads and natural travel corridors, particularly after snowfall makes elk movement easier to detect. This kind of hunting rewards persistence and local knowledge over technology-driven spot-and-stalk approaches.

Given the terrain, hunters should use mapping tools to identify public land boundaries, logging road networks, and elevation bands where elk are likely to hold during different weather conditions — early-season elk tend to sit higher in the timber, while later snow pushes them toward lower drainages. HuntPilot's public land overlays and terrain layers can help hunters identify likely travel corridors and glassing-adjacent vantage points even in a unit this thickly timbered, though on-the-ground scouting remains essential here more than in open-country elk units.

Harvest Success Rates

The data tells a consistent story: Unit 113 is a low-success, general-opportunity elk unit. Over the five most recent seasons on record:

• 2025: 737 hunters, 43 harvested, 6% success
• 2024: 772 hunters, 51 harvested, 7% success
• 2023: 775 hunters, 46 harvested, 6% success
• 2022: 809 hunters, 48 harvested, 6% success
• 2021: 965 hunters, 39 harvested, 4% success

These are unit-total figures, meaning they combine all hunt types and weapon categories active in the unit rather than isolating any single hunt. The takeaway for hunters is straightforward: this is not a unit where the majority of hunters tag out. Success in the mid-single digits is the norm, and the slight uptick to 7% in 2024 should be read as normal year-to-year variance rather than a trend reversal — 2025's figures settled back to 6%, right in line with the multi-year average. Hunters should plan for a hunt measured in scouting effort and persistence rather than assume a quick, high-odds tag fill.

How to Apply

Washington Unit 113 operates with a general-season structure for elk, meaning resident and nonresident hunters alike can access antlered and either-sex elk opportunity through the general season without needing to draw a special permit. This makes Unit 113 meaningfully different from many western elk units where any shot at an antlered bull requires a successful draw — here, a general-season tag gets a hunter into the field.

Layered on top of the general season are limited-quota special permit hunts, which provide additional, more targeted opportunity in the unit. These draw hunts operate through Washington's special permit application system, and the structured data available doesn't specify which sex these particular limited-quota tags target, so hunters should verify the exact hunt details before applying.

For residents, Washington's general elk license covers participation in the general season, while special permit applications are a separate process layered on top. For nonresidents, the practical path to hunting Unit 113 typically starts with purchasing the appropriate elk license, which is also a prerequisite for applying to any special permit draw hunts in the state. Washington does not operate a traditional preference-point purchase system separate from the license — nonresidents considering this unit should understand that the special permit hunts are competitive and that simply holding points does not guarantee anything.

Application structures, license requirements, and any point systems change over time, and this article won't attempt to lock in deadlines or fees that will go stale. For current application windows, license costs, and draw odds specific to Unit 113's special permit hunts, hunters should check HuntPilot's Washington state page at /states/WA, which reflects the live, current-cycle numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Washington Unit 113 a draw-only unit for elk? No. Unit 113 has a general season for elk that includes antlered and either-sex opportunity, meaning hunters don't need to draw a special permit to hunt elk here. There are also limited-quota draw hunts available for additional opportunity, but the general season is the primary access point for most hunters.

What is harvest success like in Unit 113? Harvest success has run consistently low across recent seasons: 6% in 2025, 7% in 2024, 6% in 2023, 6% in 2022, and 4% in 2021. These unit-total figures indicate a unit where tagging an elk takes real effort and local knowledge — this is not a high-percentage unit, and hunters should plan accordingly.

What is the terrain like in Unit 113? The unit spans a large elevation range from 1,730 to 7,246 feet across 470,487 acres, with 78% public land and 9% designated wilderness. Terrain is characterized by dense timber, steep broken ridgelines, and few open vista basins, which makes long-range glassing difficult compared to more open western elk country. Hunters generally do better working logging roads, drainages, and timbered benches for fresh sign than trying to spot elk from a distance.

How big are the elk in Unit 113? Trophy data is not available for this unit. Hunters should not expect this to be a trophy-caliber destination based on the information at hand — Unit 113 is better understood as a general-opportunity unit where the primary draw is accessible public land and a legitimate general-season elk tag, not a documented history of exceptional antler quality.

Is Unit 113 worth applying for? For hunters wanting a general-season elk opportunity with strong public land access (78%) in a true mountain-timber setting, Unit 113 is a reasonable option, particularly for residents who already hold a general elk license and can hunt here without a competitive draw. The low, consistent success rates (4–7% over the last five years) mean this is an opportunity-and-experience unit rather than a high-odds or trophy-focused choice — hunters should go in with realistic expectations about elk density and terrain difficulty.