Washington has nearly 3,000 mountain goats in the state. They manage their mountain goat population more conservatively than any other state. They do not allow hunting until a herd has at least 100 goats. Once a hunt is created, harvest may not exceed 4% of the stable adult population, and no more than 30% of the harvest can be adult nannies. Although permit hunters are allowed to harvest any goat with horns 4” or longer, hunters are encouraged to target male goats (billies) in all units. An online identification course is required before permits can be distributed. There were only seven goats harvested on the draw units in 2025. Three of the goats were female, which WDFW takes as cause for concern.
Due to Washington’s conservative goat management, more goats die of old age than are harvested. That is a recipe for giant goats. There is Boone and Crockett potential in every goat unit available. Washington only has seven goat tags available in five different units for 2026. The standout units with true giants are Mount Margaret and Mount St. Helens, as both have robust goat populations. Many goat areas overlap with popular hiking and recreational areas. Hiking and camping permits may be necessary for permit holders to obtain before heading off into the backcountry.
Mountain goat units Bumping River, Chowder Ridge, Lincoln Peak, Avalanche Gorge, and both areas on Lake Chelan are all closed. The Mount Baker subunits were closed last year due to low population counts and the high number of female goats that have been harvested there over the years. Hopefully these populations will rebound, and these units will once again be available in the future.
Washington has some of the roughest mountain goat country in all the West. If you are lucky enough to draw a tag, you can expect a very physical hunt on most of the units that are available. This is probably the reason hunters are harvesting nannies: hunters backpack into this rough country and shoot the first goat they have the opportunity to harvest.
Goats are also very difficult to judge, so if you happen to draw a tag, you’ll want to hire a guide or make sure you or someone in your group knows how to judge goats. If you draw a Washington goat tag, please do not kill a nanny. The harvest of female goats is a recipe for getting the remaining mountain goat units shut down.
