Unit 10 Saddle Mtn
Astoria-to-Clatskanie coast-range timber and the Jewell elk country — Oregon's premier Roosevelt elk ground with a strong blacktail and bear undercurrent.
ODFW Northwest — North Coast Range · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,033
sq mi
Public land
25%
approx.
Elevation
0–3,290
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The Saddle Mountain Unit is a large (~1,033-square-mile) northwest-corner unit running from the mouth of the Columbia River south and east across the northern Coast Range to the Nehalem country, named for 3,290-foot Saddle Mountain, the high point of the northern Coast Range. This is classic Roosevelt elk country — it holds the state-run Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area, one of Oregon's best-known elk-viewing and management sites — and blacktail deer and black bear are widespread across the working-forest mosaic. At roughly 25 percent public land it carries more open ground than most northwest units, anchored by the Clatsop State Forest, but the majority is private industrial timber where access rules govern the hunt.
Terrain
Steep, folded northern Coast Range rising from tidewater on the Columbia and the Pacific to interior ridgelines, topping out at Saddle Mountain (3,290 ft). Most of the unit is mid-elevation working forest cut by the Nehalem and Nehalem-tributary drainages, with river bottoms, sloughs, and the coastal plain along the west edge.
Cover: Wet Douglas-fir and western hemlock industrial forest with Sitka spruce near the coast and red alder in the bottoms. A patchwork of clearcuts, replants, and older stands; young regen units choke with salmonberry, salal, huckleberry, elderberry, blackberry, sword fern and fireweed — prime blacktail browse and bear feed. Ground-level visibility is low between the harvest openings.
Landmarks: Saddle Mountain (3,290 ft, high point of the northern Coast Range) · Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area (Roosevelt elk) · Nehalem River and North Fork Nehalem River · Clatsop State Forest · Columbia River estuary (north boundary) · Nehalem Bay (southwest boundary) · US Hwy 26 / Sunset Highway corridor
Access
About 25 percent of the unit is public, most of it the Clatsop State Forest, which is generally open to walk-in and drive-in hunting with active timber-harvest traffic and gate/road closures that shift by season. The remainder is private industrial timberland — Weyerhaeuser and other companies manage entry through permit or walk-in gate programs that change year to year and tighten under industrial fire-danger classification. Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area itself is a managed area with its own access rules. Always confirm current company access policy and carry an ownership/access map, because the checkerboard of state forest and private timber is not obvious on the ground.
Managers: ODF Clatsop State Forest, Weyerhaeuser, Hancock/Manulife (Hampton and other industrial timber), Lewis & Clark Timberlands, ODFW Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area, Private farms/ranchland (river bottoms)
Access points: US Hwy 26 (Sunset Highway) corridor into the interior forest · State Hwy 47 / Timber-Vernonia Hwy on the east side · State Hwy 53 and the North Fork Nehalem corridor · Clatsop State Forest mainline road system · Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area (State Hwy 202)
Species notes
Roosevelt Elk
abundant qualityOne of Oregon's flagship Roosevelt elk units — this is the Jewell country, and the northern Coast Range holds strong, productive elk herds across the working forest. Bull hunting on the best tags is controlled (limited-entry), so premium bulls take draw odds; general opportunity exists but the biggest animals come from the managed hunts.
- →Locate herds in and around fresh clearcuts adjacent to heavy timber and creek bottoms; bulls hold in dark closed-canopy timber by day.
- →Glass big cut units at first and last light, then still-hunt or intercept between feed and bedding cover.
- →Scout the specific drainages holding cows well before the opener — elk shift with active logging and hunting pressure.
- →Learn the current access program on the timber ground you plan to hunt; the best elk cuts are often behind company gates.
Blacktail Deer
common qualityBlacktail are widespread across the clearcut-and-replant mosaic of the northern Coast Range. Numbers are solid and the working forest produces good bucks for hunters who get off the easy road-hunted cuts; expect mostly younger bucks with the occasional heavy 4-point earned out of the brush.
- →Hunt the edges and interiors of 3- to 10-year-old clearcuts and replants — the highest deer densities for both food and cover.
- →Glass cut units and landings at first and last light from across-canyon, then still-hunt the timber/clearcut edge to bedding.
- →Focus effort on the late-October to early-November rut when bucks move most.
- →Rattling and grunting can pull a rutting coast-range buck — an underused tactic on pressured blacktails.
Black Bear
common qualityThe wet, berry-rich north coast is strong black bear ground. Bears are common in the regen cuts but rarely seen in the thick coastal cover, so scouting and patient glassing carry the hunt.
- →Glass open clearcuts full of berry shrubs — salmonberry, huckleberry, elderberry, blackberry, salal — at dawn and dusk.
- →Hunt open ground so you can spot a bear at distance before it winds you; in dense cover a bear smells you first.
- →Find fresh sign on a berry-loaded cut, then sit long watches rather than covering ground.
- →Key on ripe berry feed in early fall before deer and elk pressure scatters the bears.
Cougar
common opportunityCougars occur throughout the unit and follow the deer and elk; most are taken opportunistically by big-game hunters. Predator calling is the most productive dedicated method on the north coast.
- →Carry the tag and treat cougar as an add-on while glassing cuts for deer, elk, and bear.
- →Use a predator call mimicking prey (fawn/rabbit distress); a partner watching cover is advised.
- →Hunt where prey concentrates — regen stands and river bottoms.
- →After a rare low-elevation snow, cut roads and landings for tracks.
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a Roosevelt elk unit first — the northern Coast Range and the Jewell country are among the best elk ground in the state.
- →Use the Clatsop State Forest as your public-land backbone, then layer in whatever timber-company access programs are open that year.
- →Focus on 3- to 10-year-old clearcuts for the highest concentrations of deer, elk sign, and bear feed.
- →Scout drainages before the opener — elk and deer shift constantly with active logging and pressure.
- →Get off the obvious road-hunted cuts; the easy access draws the crowds.
- →Carry a real ownership/access map; the state-forest/private checkerboard is not obvious on the ground.
Watch out for
- !Most of the unit is private industrial timber requiring company access permits or walk-in compliance — verify current policy before you go.
- !Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area has its own access and use rules; know the boundary.
- !Industrial fire-danger closures can lock timber and state-forest gates during warm early seasons — have a backup plan.
- !Active logging traffic on mainline roads — drive defensively and respect haul-road rules.
- !Trespass on posted timber ground can bring citation and a landowner ban; obey signs and gate colors.
- !The best bull elk are largely controlled (limited-entry) hunts — plan draw strategy accordingly.
Logistics
Base out of Astoria or Seaside on the coast, or Clatskanie and Vernonia on the east side, for motels, fuel, and groceries; Portland is roughly 1.5–2 hours for a larger resupply. The Clatsop State Forest offers dispersed and developed camping options for staying inside the unit, while private timber ground is largely gated and day-hunted. Confirm timber-company access programs and Clatsop State Forest road/gate status before arriving, and carry a current ownership map — the state-forest and private-timber checkerboard is easy to misjudge.
Nearest towns: Astoria, Seaside, Clatskanie, Vernonia, Jewell
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Oregon sources:
Research sources: ODFW Saddle Mountain Unit 10 — boundary, 25% public land, hunt series (buck deer, elk, antlerless deer, spring bear) · ODFW Roosevelt Elk species page — western Oregon Roosevelt elk habitat and tactics · ODFW Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area — northern Coast Range Roosevelt elk management/viewing
FAQ
- How big is Unit 10 in Oregon?
- Unit 10 (Saddle Mtn) covers about 1,033 square miles, ranging from roughly 0 to 3,290 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 10?
- Approximately 25% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: ODF Clatsop State Forest, Weyerhaeuser, Hancock/Manulife (Hampton and other industrial timber), Lewis & Clark Timberlands, ODFW Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area, Private farms/ranchland (river bottoms). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 10?
- Roosevelt Elk, Blacktail Deer, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Oregon agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 10 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.