Washington Unit 352 Elk Hunting Guide

Washington Unit 352 is a 71,758-acre elk unit carrying one of the more approachable access profiles in the state, with 95% of the acreage open to public hunting and 21% falling inside designated wilderness. Elevations in the unit range from 1,922 to 7,002 feet, offering everything from low-elevation river bottoms and timbered foothills up into subalpine basins and ridgelines. For hunters researching Unit 352, the core question is whether this is a unit worth building a season around — and the data gives a mixed but informative answer.

This is a general-season elk unit, not a draw-only unit. General-season hunts here include antlered and either-sex opportunity, meaning most hunters chasing a bull in Unit 352 do so without needing to draw a special permit at all. Layered on top of the general season is a slate of limited-quota special permit hunts (identified in Washington's system by SP- hunt codes), which provide additional, more controlled opportunity. Understanding how these two paths differ — and which one actually gets a hunter into the field — is the first thing to sort out before planning a season here.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 352 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer depends on what a hunter is after. If the goal is simply to hunt elk in Washington with a general tag and accept modest odds of success, Unit 352 delivers on access: with 95% public land, this is about as open a unit as hunters will find anywhere in the state, and the acreage is large enough to spread out and avoid crowding on opening weekend if hunters are willing to get away from easy access points.

If the goal is a true trophy bull, the picture is more tempered. Harvest success in Unit 352 has run in the single digits for four of the last five years on record, and the counties overlapping this unit carry a moderate trophy history rather than an exceptional one. That doesn't mean mature bulls aren't present — it means this is a unit where trophy animals are taken occasionally rather than consistently, and hunters should set expectations accordingly.

Where Unit 352 becomes more interesting is on the special permit side. Several of the limited-quota hunts in this unit have seen real quota growth heading into 2026 — SP-2808 jumped from 5 tags in 2025 to 41 in 2026, SP-2060 went from 2 to 18, and SP-2084 grew from 1 to 6. These are not small percentage bumps; they represent meaningfully more opportunity funneled into specific special hunts than hunters have seen in recent cycles. For a hunter tracking this unit over multiple seasons, that quota expansion is the single most actionable data point here — it suggests Washington wildlife managers see room to issue more tags in at least some of these hunt categories.

Taken as a whole, Unit 352 is best viewed as a solid general-opportunity unit with improving special-permit access, rather than a marquee trophy destination. HuntPilot's data shows this is a unit for hunters who value acreage, public access, and genuine year-to-year tag growth over hunters chasing a wall-hanger on a short window.

Harvest Success Rates

Harvest data for Unit 352 covers five recent seasons and shows a unit where success is real but not easy:

• 2025: 778 hunters, 68 harvested — 9% success
• 2024: 806 hunters, 43 harvested — 5% success
• 2023: 725 hunters, 34 harvested — 5% success
• 2022: 720 hunters, 34 harvested — 5% success
• 2021: 156 hunters, 12 harvested — 8% success

Two things stand out. First, hunter numbers jumped sharply from 156 in 2021 to the 700-800 range in 2022 through 2025, indicating a substantial increase in pressure on this unit over the past several seasons. Second, despite that increase in hunters, success rates have held in a fairly narrow band between 5% and 9%, with 2025 posting the best season of the group at 9% success and 68 total elk harvested — the highest harvest total in the five-year window.

That 2025 uptick is worth watching. Whether it reflects better conditions, herd movement, or simply more hunters in the field finding more opportunities, it's the strongest recent data point in favor of this unit's current trajectory. Still, hunters should plan around mid-single-digit-to-high-single-digit success rates as the realistic baseline, not the 9% outlier.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 352 points to a moderate trophy history. This is not a unit with a thin or absent trophy record, but it's also not among the state's elite producers. Hunters should interpret this as meaning that mature, trophy-class bulls are taken from this area periodically rather than with regularity, and that the bulk of harvested elk in Unit 352 are solid, representative animals rather than record-book-caliber trophies.

For hunters whose primary goal is a trophy bull, Unit 352 should be approached with realistic expectations: it is possible, but the unit's broader data profile — moderate trophy history combined with single-digit general-season success — suggests this is not a unit to bank a trophy hunt on. Hunters prioritizing trophy potential above all else may want to weigh Unit 352 against units with a stronger documented trophy pedigree before committing points or planning a long-distance trip.

Access & Terrain

Access is one of Unit 352's clearest strengths. With 95% of the unit's 71,758 acres open to public hunting, this is a unit where DIY hunters can genuinely spread out and find room to hunt without relying heavily on private land access or landowner permission. That public land figure is well above what many Western elk units offer, and it puts Unit 352 firmly in DIY-friendly territory.

The elevation range — 1,922 to 7,002 feet — gives hunters a wide band of terrain to work with depending on time of year and weather. Lower elevations likely hold timber and river-bottom cover that can concentrate elk during pressure or early-season heat, while the upper end of the range climbs into higher basins and ridge country that can hold elk through the warmer parts of the season before animals push down with weather changes.

The 21% wilderness designation within the unit is also significant for trip planning. Unlike Wyoming, Washington does not require nonresidents to hire a licensed guide to hunt wilderness areas, so hunters are free to plan a self-guided trip into the wilderness portion of Unit 352 if they're equipped for more remote, foot-and-pack-in conditions. That wilderness acreage represents a meaningful chunk of the unit where hunting pressure is likely to be lower simply due to the physical effort required to access it, which can be a real advantage for hunters willing to go deeper than the road-accessible country that draws the bulk of general-season pressure.

How to Apply

Unit 352 operates on two separate access structures, and it's important for hunters to understand which one they're actually using.

General season tags are the primary way most hunters access elk in Unit 352. Because general-season hunts here include antlered and either-sex opportunity, residents and nonresidents alike can typically purchase a general elk tag without needing to go through a special drawing. This is the most straightforward path into the unit and accounts for the bulk of the hunter numbers reflected in the harvest data above.

Special permit hunts (the SP- coded hunts referenced in the quota data) operate as limited-quota draws layered on top of the general season. These hunts have their own application process, separate from the general tag purchase, and quotas vary significantly by specific hunt — some, like SP-2808 and SP-2060, have seen large increases in tags issued heading into 2026, while others like SP-2257 and SP-2507 have held steady. Washington's special permit system requires hunters to already hold a valid general elk tag in order to apply for most special hunts, so budgeting for both the base tag and the permit application is part of the process.

Residents and nonresidents should expect different application requirements and separate considerations for license costs, but the structural mechanics of applying — general tag plus optional special permit application — are the same regardless of residency. Washington's draw system for special permits does not use a preference-point-guarantee structure the way some Western states do; hunters should check HuntPilot's Washington state page for the current mechanics of how applications are weighted.

Application dates, fees, and current-year quota numbers change every cycle. For the most up-to-date deadlines, costs, and application details, see HuntPilot's Washington page at /states/WA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Washington Unit 352 worth applying for? It depends on the goal. For hunters who want general elk opportunity with strong public land access (95% of the unit), Unit 352 is a reasonable option, especially with 2025's improved 9% success rate and several special permit hunts seeing substantial quota increases heading into 2026. For hunters focused purely on trophy potential, the moderate trophy history in the surrounding counties suggests this unit is more about opportunity than guaranteed trophy quality.

What is harvest success like in Unit 352? Recent harvest data shows success rates between 5% and 9% over the last five recorded seasons, with 2025 posting the strongest result at 9% success (68 elk harvested from 778 hunters). Most seasons in this window land closer to 5%, so hunters should plan for a challenging but not impossible hunt.

What is the terrain like in Unit 352? The unit spans a wide elevation range from 1,922 to 7,002 feet, covering lower river-bottom and timbered terrain up through higher basin and ridge country, with 21% of the unit inside designated wilderness. This variety allows hunters to adjust strategy based on season timing and weather, and the wilderness portion offers lower-pressure terrain for hunters willing to hike or pack in.

How big are the elk in Unit 352? Trophy records from the counties overlapping this unit point to a moderate trophy history — mature bulls are taken here, but not with the frequency seen in the state's top trophy-producing areas. Most hunters should expect representative, solid bulls rather than counting on a record-book animal.

Do I need to draw a tag to hunt elk in Unit 352? Not necessarily. Unit 352 has a general season that includes antlered and either-sex elk opportunity, so most hunters can access the unit with a general tag rather than drawing a special permit. Limited-quota special permit hunts (SP- coded) exist as an additional, separate draw opportunity for hunters who want to apply for them, but they are not required to hunt the unit during the general season.