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500 series unit information
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WAC 232-28-335 Game management units (GMUs) boundary descriptions -- Region five.
GMU 501-LINCOLN (Lewis, Thurston, Pacific, and Grays Harbor counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 414) ( Elk - 78) ( Bear - 5) ( Cougar - 1) (Turkey - 10)
Doty Hills hold significant numbers of deer. Independence rd and Lincoln Creek rd will get you into the unit and up where there are deer. Bunker Creek rd (Mcdonald Tree Farm) will also get you into some nice clearcuts. Again, this area is heavily hunted, find roads that are gated or not well traveled. The majority of the deer will be in those areas. You can also get in to state land called the Harris Block which butts up against the South bank of the Chehalis. Access points to the block are from the east on Independence Creek or from the west up Harp Road. The roads have gates and they may or may not be locked.
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GMU 503-RANDLE (Lewis County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 69) ( Elk - 55) ( Bear - 3) ( Cougar - 1) (Turkey - 0)
Huffaker Mountain and the flats surrounding it hold good numbers of deer and elk. Look for 5 to 10 year old reprod and this is where you will find the deer and elk.
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GMU 504-STELLA (Cowlitz County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 65) ( Elk - 61) ( Bear - 3) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 0)
Hazel Dell road will get you into the unit. Lots of deer and elk for such a relatively small unit. Most of the area is private or private timber lands.
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GMU 505-MOSSYROCK (Lewis County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 325) ( Elk - 110) ( Bear - 10) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 0)
The Peterman Ridge Unit (6855 acre) rises above the north shore of Riffe Lake, south of the town of Morton. Overall the area is managed for black-tailed deer that benefits elk as well. The Kosmos Unit (520 acres) at the east end of Riffe Lake holds deer and some elk. The Kiona Creek Unit (415 acres) off of Savio Road west of Randle is managed for black-tailed deer forage and holds deer. The Spears Unit (418 acres) south of Randle is managed for black-tailed deer. The area also provides wintering habitat for area elk.
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GMU 506-WILLAPA HILLS (Wahkiakum, Pacific and Lewis counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 281) ( Elk - 219) ( Bear - 11) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 3)
Lots of gated roads in this unit of mostly Weyerhauser lands. Get up in the drainages of Elochoman River or Nelson Creek. Lots of Elk are to be had in this area. Little vehicle access is available, but is perfect for those with strong legs and heart. A great area to hunt is between the deep river and the Naselle river.
The WDFW reports that there is extensive timber harvest in this unit. The replanted seedlings are being damaged extensively by elk and deer and are subject to complaints by private timber companies. (2007 Game status and trend report)
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GMU 510-STORMKING (Lewis County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 159) ( Elk - 4) ( Bear - 3) ( Cougar - 2) (Turkey - 0)
The area between Round Top mountain and Storm King mountain hold deer and some elk. This area is located just east of Mineral. You will find numerous newly made clearcuts. _______________________________________________________________________
GMU 513-SOUTH RAINIER (Lewis County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 68) ( Elk - 27) ( Bear - 5) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 0)
Great Deer and Elk area as the weather rolls in, the animals move out of the Park and down into lower elevations. The 52 road offers a number of skid roads to hunt on. Look for clearcuts in the Skate Creek Drainage.
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GMU 516-PACKWOOD (Lewis and Skamania counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 279) ( Elk - 115) ( Bear - 11) ( Cougar - 4) (Turkey - 1)
Johnson Creek, Hagen Creek, and Lake Creek to the south of Packwood are productive areas. Lots of deer are taken out of these drainages. Forest roads 21, 23, 26, 27 and 28 will all get you up into some great areas. Remember to find yourself a gated road or clearcut and get out and walk. The other guys road hunting will push the deer and elk to you.
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GMU 520-WINSTON (Cowlitz, Lewis and Skamania counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 381) ( Elk - 390) ( Bear - 6) ( Cougar - 2) (Turkey - 7)
Winston Creek drainage is where most of the access will be found. Deer and Elk will be found in the clearcuts. Primarily off of the gated roads. Just like unit 524, this area is loaded with Elk and all by special permit. You will need to be very lucky pulling a successful Elk tag for this unit. Pretty much any clearcut south of Riffe Lake will hold significant numbers of elk and deer.
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GMU 522-LOO-WIT (Cowlitz and Skamania counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - Special Permit) ( Elk - Special Permit) ( Bear - 0) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 0)
Closed to hunting Mt St Helens National Monument. There is one hunt available in 2006 it was called the 5099 mudflow elk unit with 10 cow tags available for disabled hunters.
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GMU 524-MARGARET (Cowlitz, Skamania and Lewis counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 13) ( Elk - Special Permit) ( Bear - 0) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 0)
Arguably the finest Elk hunt in Washington State. In 2006 the WDFW allotted around 80 permits for this unit. This is a draw only permit area and the numbers of applicants make your draw success rate around 5%. However, if you do get lucky, go buy a Washington State lottery ticket as well because you have it the jackpot of Elk hunts in Washington. This unit butts up of the North side of Loo-Wit (Mt St Helens blast zone). The elk have come back with a vengeance in this country. The salvage loggers have made hundreds of clearcuts available to the hunter. Logging roads criss-cross all over the unit. You can access from many points along Hwy 504 (Coldwater Creek Rd) on the South side. You can come in along the Green River on the North or you can get in from the East side on Forest Road 25. There are some great open pockets available on the east side of the unit around Mt Venus. The Elk move in and out of this unit frequently and the populations and bull/cow ratios are high! There are some deer in this unit, but overwhelmingly, this is an elk unit.
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GMU 530-RYDERWOOD (Cowlitz, Lewis and Wahkiakum counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 444) ( Elk - 299) ( Bear - 17) ( Cougar - 1) (Turkey - 3)
Bebe mountains outside of Vader hold some elk and deer. Look for the clear cuts and get out of the truck. Wise Creek, Coal Creek and and Germany Creek will provide great access. There is quite a bit of pressure in here, but, if you can locate more secluded areas, the elk and deer will tend to gravitate to these locations.
The WDFW reports that there is extensive timber harvest in this unit. The replanted seedlings are being damaged extensively by elk and deer and are subject to complaints by private timber companies. (2007 Game status and trend report) _______________________________________________________________________
GMU 550-COWEEMAN (Cowlitz County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 378) ( Elk - 289) ( Bear - 11) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 10)
This unit has a ton of clearcuts, reprod, and second growth. Take the Headquarters Road of f of I-5. Get on to the 1600 road which can take you all the way to Cougar. All of these spur roads will feed into different ages of clear cuts.
East on the Rose Valley Road or the Kalama River road will also get you into the unit.
Get into any of the multitude of roads this unit has to offer. Especially the roads which are tank trapped or gated. Most of the hunters will be driving the roads. In late season, hunt the snow line.
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GMU 554-YALE (Cowlitz and Clark counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 36) ( Elk - 15) ( Bear - 1) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 3)
Weyerhauser property and will probably be gated hunt south of the 1600 line up Arnold Creek or Jack Creek. Lots of new clearcuts in the unit. This unit is primarily only hunted by early season bowhunters or muzzleloaders.
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GMU 556-TOUTLE (Cowlitz County):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 105) ( Elk - Special Permit) ( Bear - 1) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 1)
You can get into this unit by two main ways. You can either get in from I-5 through the Coweeman unit or if there is a ton of snow, you can get in from the South via Cougar. There are miles and miles of logging roads in this unit. Hunt the roads which are closed off and not accessible from the road hunters. Check out the areas around Butler Butte and Georges Peak (north of Camp Kalama) Permit only elk unit
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GMU 560-LEWIS RIVER (Cowlitz, Skamania, Klickitat, Yakima and Lewis counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 140) ( Elk - 322) ( Bear - 18) ( Cougar - 2) (Turkey - 3)
The areas just south of Mt Adams are well known for the berry fields. Lots of Bears in this unit. Just look for areas with huckleberries and little road intrusion (roads usually mean berry pickers in September and October) There are tons of roads in this unit and the key to finding deer is to get on a 5-10 year old clearcut, get out of the truck, and hunt the fringes. The amount of logging occurring on the Gifford Pinchot has been slowing down over the years and is allowing for prime deer habitat to become more grown over and less browse is available. But, still the amount of land and access in this unit should provide anyone wanting to get out and hike, quite a bit of opportunity to find deer.
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GMU 564-BATTLE GROUND (Clark, Skamania, and Cowlitz counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 339) ( Elk - 109) ( Bear - 5) ( Cougar - 0) (Turkey - 1)
Traditionally, this unit is a firearms restriction unit and nothing but shotguns, bows and smokepoles allowed. There is a lot of private land in this unit. As the Vancouver suburbs encroach, two things happen… Access becomes more difficult, but, deer densities increase. Look for Elk and deer around Spotted Deer Mountain and Elkhorn Mountain. You can also find great areas along the Dole Valley rd. You can get up in the Gifford Pinchot NF lands, but they become much more rugged, but, when the snow line starts dropping, look for the deer and elk to follow the line. The Yacolt area has been very productive for many years. Yacolt Burn State Forest has great areas off of the L1410 line and the L1000 line. There is also a trail system in this unit which is frequented by horsemen.
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GMU 568-WASHOUGAL (Clark and Skamania counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 412) ( Elk - 47) ( Bear - 21) ( Cougar - 3) (Turkey - 0)
You can find great areas along the Dole Valley rd. You can get up in the Gifford Pinchot NF lands, but they become much more rugged, but, when the snow line starts dropping, look for the deer and elk to follow the line.
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GMU 572-SIOUXON (Skamania and Clark counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 158) ( Elk - 96) ( Bear - 6) ( Cougar - 6) (Turkey - 0)
Check out the roads and clearcuts up around Trout lake. Horseshoe ridge and Bare mountain have great access and lots of areas for hunters to find deer and bear. Lemei peak, Soda Peak, and the North side of Red Mountain will hold good numbers of deer and bear. Lots of huckleberries means lots of turkeys and bear.
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GMU 574-WIND RIVER (Skamania and Klickitat counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 80) ( Elk - 102) ( Bear - 8) ( Cougar - 1) (Turkey - 15)
Oklahoma rd and South Prairie road all have great access There are numerous access points just south of the ice caves. Huckleberry mountain holds some elk. Lots of huckleberries means lots of bears and turkeys. There are good populations of deer in here, fairly open underbrush. Lots of hunters in this unit during the early season.
GMU 578-WEST KLICKITAT (Klickitat, Yakima, and Skamania counties):
2006 General Harvest = (Deer - 338) ( Elk - 194) ( Bear - 25) ( Cougar - 1) (Turkey - 176)
Try out Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Here is a great map and contact information. http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/CLNWRMap.htm