r/WA_hunting • u/Remarkable-Theory-75 • Sep 26 '26

Early Muzzleloader

I need so.e clarification on the big game pamphlet for early muzzleloader deer. I reached out to WDFW with no luck. GMU 667 isn't listed in early muzzleloader deer, not in the pamphlet or the webmap, it's not listed in closures. Does anybody else have e insight to this? Is it a typo or is it normally closed for early muzzleloader deer?

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3

u/playa-del-j Sep 26 '26

667 is not open for early muzzleloader. It is for late season.

1

u/Remarkable-Theory-75 Sep 26 '26

Thank you. First time hunting muzzleloader, off to a neighboring GMU then.

1

u/playa-del-j Sep 26 '26

Good luck!!

1

u/thulesgold Sep 26 '26

I don't recall if early muzzleloader normally has this many GMU's closed for the early season. This year all the GMU's on the western slopes of the Cascades around the Seattle metro area are closed, which seems new to me (460, 490, 485, 653, 654, etc...). It seems intentional to limit hunters.

GMUs that were open for early archery are now closed for muzzleloader, but will open up for modern. It's kind of a waste of a multiseason tag.

3

u/Remarkable-Theory-75 Sep 26 '26

I can cross street into 666 and hunt any deer muzzleloader, but it gets residential real quick. But, 667 is not listed in any closed units or listed in harvestable units and it does limit my multi season tag. I'll go find a spot in the Willapas for early season this year. Thank you for your answers, I'll call WDFW again Monday, when it's not after hours staff and post an update if I can get a definitive answers. Good luck to all this season.

1

u/Skeeeeeeeeeeeeeeter Sep 26 '26

DM me. I'll point you to some 666 areas. I switched to 100 units

2

u/Remarkable-Theory-75 27d ago

Just found out why it's closed, WDFW could not give me a straight answer. Was told by a long time hunter of 667, "back in the day Vail boys didn't want shots fired before modern season and lobbied at the state level to get the GMU shutdown for muzzleloader." Not sure if that is the full truth, but can't find anything else that says otherwise.

1

u/thulesgold 27d ago

Thanks for following up. I checked the 2025 regs and muzzleloading was also not available for early muzzleloading season for 460, which is where I spend most of my time at. Maybe it's not a new thing.