Turkey Hunting in Washington
Merriam's country in the northeast and Blue Mountains — units ranked by turkey habitat.
Wild turkey hunting in Washington is concentrated in the northeast corner and the Blue Mountains, where Merriam's turkeys thrive in the open ponderosa and mixed-conifer forest, along with pockets of other subspecies. It's an underrated public-land opportunity in the same country as the state's whitetail and elk hunting.
Washington runs a spring gobbler season and a general fall season, with a generous bag in the northeast; the tag is cheap and largely over-the-counter. Confirm current seasons and area bag limits with WDFW. The unit list below ranks graded GMUs by turkey-specific habitat — the forest-and-opening edges toms favor.
Best public-land turkey units on HuntVantage
Published game units ranked by turkey-specific habitat rating (re-weighted from cover, water, food, pressure, and diversity). The overall grade is shown for context — a unit can grade average overall and still rate highly for turkey.
| # | Unit | Overall | Turkey rating | Public |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GMU 290 Desert | B | ★★★☆☆ 54 | 44% |
| 2 | GMU 501 Lincoln | B | ★★★☆☆ 54 | 22% |
| 3 | GMU 663 Capitol Peak | B | ★★★☆☆ 52 | 71% |
| 4 | GMU 117 49 Degrees North | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 51 | 42% |
| 5 | GMU 245 Chiwawa | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 51 | 89% |
| 6 | GMU 251 Mission | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 51 | 61% |
| 7 | GMU 524 Margaret | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 51 | 26% |
| 8 | GMU 568 Washougal | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 51 | 60% |
| 9 | GMU 101 Sherman | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 50 | 73% |
| 10 | GMU 162 Dayton | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 50 | 26% |
| 11 | GMU 169 Wenaha | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 50 | 100% |
| 12 | GMU 328 Naneum | C+ | ★★★☆☆ 50 | 70% |