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WAElkUnit 368November 2026

Washington Unit 368 Elk Hunting Guide

Washington Unit 368 is a general-season elk unit that also offers a handful of limited-quota draw opportunities, giving hunters two distinct paths into the same 225,826-acre block of country. For hunters researching Unit 368 specifically, the unit blends accessible general hunting with a supplemental draw structure that has been expanding its tag numbers in recent cycles — a combination worth understanding before deciding where to spend a season.

Spanning an elevation range of 942 to 6,982 feet, Unit 368 covers everything from low-elevation river bottoms to higher timbered ridgelines, giving elk a wide range of seasonal habitat within a single unit. With 42% of the acreage in public ownership and no designated wilderness, this is a unit where access is realistic for DIY hunters but where more than half the ground is in private hands — a detail that shapes how hunters need to plan their approach.

This article breaks down what the data actually shows for Unit 368: harvest trends over the past five seasons, how the general and limited-quota structures work together, what trophy records suggest about quality, and how to think about applying.

Hunt Structure: General Season Plus Limited-Quota Draws

Unit 368 is not a draw-only unit. General season hunts exist here, including opportunities at antlered and either-sex elk, which means hunters do not need to win a lottery just to get a tag in this unit. This is the most important structural fact for anyone comparing Unit 368 to strictly limited-entry units elsewhere in the state.

Layered on top of the general season is a set of limited-quota draw hunts. The structured data does not specify the sex restrictions on these draw tags, so hunters should not assume they mirror the general season's either-sex opportunity — treat the draw hunts as a supplemental, more selective option rather than the primary route into the unit. Hunters chasing an antlered bull should plan around the general season as the backbone of their strategy here, with the draw hunts as a bonus option to apply for alongside it.

Tag Quota Trends Across Draw Hunt Types

The limited-quota side of Unit 368 is made up of several independent hunt types, each with its own quota history. None of these should be compared against each other or assumed to follow the same trend — each is managed separately:

  • SP-2025: held at 2 tags in both 2024 and 2025, increasing to 3 tags in 2026 (a 50% increase)
  • SP-2063: jumped from 2 tags in 2025 to 15 tags in 2026 (a 650% increase)
  • SP-2087: increased from 2 tags in 2025 to 17 tags in 2026 (a 750% increase)
  • SP-2229: the largest of the group, holding steady at 80 tags in both 2024 and 2025 before rising to 105 tags in 2026 (a 31% increase)
  • SP-2286: increased from 60 tags in 2024 and 2025 to 80 tags in 2026 (a 33% increase)
  • SP-2508: stable at 5 tags in both 2024 and 2025
  • SP-2511: increased from 10 tags in 2024 and 2025 to 15 tags in 2026 (a 50% increase)
  • SP-2811: grew modestly from 5 tags in 2024 to 6 in 2025, then jumped sharply to 27 tags in 2026 (a 350% increase)

The overall pattern across nearly every hunt type here is growth heading into 2026. Several of these draws — SP-2063, SP-2087, and SP-2811 in particular — are expanding from very small quotas to meaningfully larger ones, which should open up more draw opportunity for applicants who have been watching these hunts. SP-2229 remains the largest and most stable quota in the unit, suggesting it's the primary limited-quota vehicle here. Hunters should treat these as independent signals rather than a unit-wide trend and check HuntPilot's Unit 368 page for the most current numbers before applying.

Harvest Success Rates

Washington's harvest data for Unit 368 covers the 2021 through 2025 seasons and shows a unit-wide success rate that has moved in a narrow band over that period:

  • 2025: 1,689 hunters, 192 harvested, 11% success
  • 2024: 1,642 hunters, 161 harvested, 10% success
  • 2023: 1,622 hunters, 212 harvested, 13% success
  • 2022: 1,598 hunters, 150 harvested, 9% success
  • 2021: 1,545 hunters, 124 harvested, 8% success

These are unit-total figures covering all hunt types combined, not broken out by general season versus draw hunt. Success has ranged from a low of 8% in 2021 to a high of 13% in 2023, with the two most recent seasons (10% and 11%) landing right around the five-year average. Hunter numbers have also crept upward every year in this window, climbing from 1,545 in 2021 to 1,689 in 2025 — an increase of roughly 9% in pressure over five seasons, even as harvest numbers have fluctuated without a clear directional trend.

What this tells hunters is straightforward: Unit 368 is a moderate-success general unit. Success in the 8-13% range is typical of a general-season elk unit with real hunting pressure, not a wide-open opportunity zone. Hunters should come in expecting a unit where putting in the scouting time and understanding elk movement across the public-private checkerboard matters more than simply having a tag in pocket.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records data available for the counties overlapping Unit 368 point to a moderate history of trophy-class elk production. This is not a unit with an exceptional, headline trophy pedigree, but it also isn't a unit devoid of quality animals — the record history suggests some trophy-class bulls have come from this general area over time, without the depth or consistency that would mark it as an elite trophy destination.

As with all county-level trophy data, these records are shared across every unit overlapping the same counties, not attributed specifically to Unit 368's boundaries. A bull entered into the records from this area could have been taken in a neighboring unit. Hunters should treat the moderate trophy history as a general indicator of the area's genetic potential and habitat quality, not a guarantee of what any individual hunter will encounter in Unit 368 itself.

Given the general-season structure and the harvest success rates in the single-digit-to-low-teens range, most hunters entering Unit 368 should expect a representative, solid elk rather than planning a hunt specifically around record-book potential. Hunters most focused on trophy quality may want to pay particular attention to the limited-quota draw hunts, since reduced hunter density on those tags can translate into more mature animals surviving to older age classes — though the data doesn't break out trophy outcomes by hunt type.

Access & Terrain

Unit 368 covers a wide elevation band — from 942 feet up to 6,982 feet — which means elk habitat here ranges from low-elevation river and valley terrain up into higher timbered country. That kind of vertical range typically pushes elk through several habitat types across a season, and hunters who understand how elk use lower winter range versus higher summer and early-fall habitat will have an advantage in a unit this large.

Public land makes up 42% of the unit's 225,826 acres. That means the majority of the ground — 58% — is privately held. This is a critical planning point: Unit 368 is not a unit where DIY hunters can expect to freely roam open public ground in every direction. Successful hunters here need to identify exactly where the public parcels lie relative to elk movement corridors, and many will need to build relationships with private landowners or focus scouting efforts tightly on the public blocks that do exist. Hunters relying purely on public access should expect competition for those more limited public parcels, particularly given the general-season hunter numbers approaching 1,700 in recent years.

There is no designated wilderness in Unit 368 (0%), so there are no wilderness-specific access restrictions to account for, and the terrain — while still demanding at the upper elevations — doesn't carry the remote, pack-in characteristics of wilderness-designated country elsewhere in the West. This makes the unit more approachable from a logistics standpoint, though the private land checkerboard remains the defining access challenge.

Hunters planning a trip to Unit 368 should use mapping tools to identify public-private boundaries precisely before the season — HuntPilot's public land overlay is built for exactly this kind of unit, where knowing the line between accessible and inaccessible ground block by block makes the difference between a productive hunt and a frustrating one.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 368 Worth Applying For?

Unit 368 is a reasonable option for hunters who want a general-season elk tag without waiting through a multi-year draw process, paired with the flexibility to also apply for supplemental limited-quota hunts that are, in several cases, growing their tag numbers heading into 2026. That combination — guaranteed general-season opportunity plus an improving draw supplement — is the unit's strongest selling point.

The data shows a unit with moderate, consistent harvest success (8-13% over the past five years) and growing hunter pressure, which means this is not an easy-limit unit but also not a lottery-only proposition. The trophy history is moderate rather than exceptional, so hunters chasing a wall-hanger should calibrate expectations accordingly — Unit 368 is better framed as a solid opportunity unit than a trophy destination.

The access picture is the clearest caution flag: with 58% of the unit in private ownership, hunters need a real access plan before setting foot in the field. Those who scout public parcels carefully, understand the elevation-driven habitat shifts across the unit's nearly 6,000 feet of vertical relief, and apply for the growing limited-quota draws alongside their general tag will get the most out of what Unit 368 offers. For hunters willing to do that homework, this is a worthwhile unit to add to an application strategy — not because it's exceptional, but because it offers dependable opportunity with some upside through the expanding draw hunts.

How to Apply

Washington's elk hunting in Unit 368 runs through two separate tracks, and hunters should understand both before deciding how to apply.

General season tags do not require winning a draw — hunters purchase the appropriate elk license and tag to participate in the general hunts available in Unit 368, which include antlered and either-sex opportunity. This is the most accessible way into the unit for both residents and nonresidents.

Limited-quota hunts (the SP-prefixed hunt types referenced above) require a separate draw application. Washington's draw system allocates these limited permits through an application process open to residents and nonresidents alike, with nonresidents typically needing to purchase a qualifying elk tag before applying for special permit drawings. Because quotas vary independently by hunt type — and several are changing significantly year to year, as shown above — hunters should check current quota numbers for the specific hunt type they're interested in before applying.

Application dates, fees, and current draw odds change every cycle. For the most current deadlines, license costs, and draw statistics for Unit 368, see HuntPilot's Washington state page and the Unit 368 unit page directly, where current-year numbers are maintained.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Washington Unit 368 a draw-only unit for elk? No. Unit 368 has a general season that includes antlered and either-sex elk hunting opportunity, meaning hunters can participate without needing to draw a tag. There are also limited-quota draw hunts layered on top of the general season for hunters seeking additional or more selective opportunity.

What is harvest success like in Unit 368? Over the past five seasons (2021-2025), unit-wide harvest success has ranged from 8% to 13%, with 1,545 to 1,689 hunters afield each year. The two most recent seasons came in at 10% (2024) and 11% (2025), both close to the five-year average — indicating a moderately productive but not easy unit.

How big are the elk in Unit 368? Trophy records for the counties overlapping Unit 368 show a moderate history of trophy-class production — some quality bulls have come from the broader area, but it is not a unit with an exceptional or elite trophy pedigree. Most hunters should expect a representative general-season bull rather than planning specifically around trophy potential, keeping in mind that these records reflect county-wide history shared with neighboring units.

What is the terrain like in Unit 368? The unit spans a wide elevation range from 942 to 6,982 feet across 225,826 acres, with no designated wilderness. This elevation spread suggests elk use varying habitat from lower valley terrain to higher timbered ridges across the season. Public land makes up 42% of the unit, meaning access planning around the public-private boundary is essential.

Is Unit 368 worth applying for? It depends on the goal. For hunters wanting guaranteed general-season elk opportunity with moderate, consistent success rates and the option to add limited-quota draw applications — several of which have significantly increased tag numbers heading into 2026 — Unit 368 is a solid, defensible choice. Hunters specifically chasing trophy-class bulls should temper expectations given the area's moderate trophy history, and all hunters should plan carefully around the unit's majority-private land base before committing to a DIY approach.

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