How big is GMU 506 in Washington?

GMU 506 (Willapa Hills) covers about 379 square miles, ranging from roughly 200 to 2,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.

What species does the catalog list for GMU 506?

Blacktail Deer, Roosevelt Elk, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.

GMU 506 Willapa Hills

Wet, brushy SW Washington coast range — Roosevelt elk and blacktails on a timber-company patchwork.

Region 5 — Southwest WA coast range · Last reviewed 2026-06-03

Hunter with a mule deer buck in dry grass

Area

379

sq mi

Public land

11%

approx.

Elevation

200–2,600

feet

Motorized

moderate

access

Overview

GMU 506 covers 378 square miles of the Willapa Hills in WDFW Region 5 (District 10), spanning parts of Wahkiakum, Pacific, and Lewis counties on the north bank of the Columbia River. It is low, wet, heavily logged coast-range country — a mosaic of clearcuts in every age class, replanted seedlings, second-growth conifer, and brushy reprod, drained by the Elochoman River, Salmon Creek, Skamokawa Creek, and the Deep River along its western edge. The unit is dominated by industrial timberland (Weyerhaeuser and others) with only about 11% public land, so success here is largely a function of solving access and navigating a checkerboard of permit-required and open ground. It carries good blacktail numbers and a stable Roosevelt elk herd, but it is firmly an opportunity unit, not a trophy destination.

Terrain

Low, steep, rolling coast-range forest cut by countless creek drainages and logging clearcuts. Elevations run from roughly 200 ft along the Columbia and Pe Ell up to a little over 2,600 ft on the higher northern ridges, dropping back toward 400 ft near the SR 6 northern boundary at Pe Ell. Topography is mostly rolling with pockets of steep, brushy, rugged ground; terrain flattens into farms and rural homesites near the Columbia River and the southern corners.

Cover: Industrial timber mosaic: fresh clearcuts, replanted seedlings, dense brushy reprod, and second-growth Douglas-fir/hemlock in all age classes, with grass-and-forb regrowth in cuts and along roads. Wet maritime climate keeps everything green and thick; blowdown and slash make off-road travel slow.

Landmarks: Elochoman River · Salmon Creek · Skamokawa Creek · Deep River (western boundary) · Town of Pe Ell (NE corner, SR 6) · SR 4 (Ocean Beach Hwy) corridor · SR 407 / Elochoman Valley Rd corridor · Columbia River (southern boundary) · Cathlamet / Julia Butler Hansen area (SW)

Access

This is roughly 89% private, overwhelmingly industrial timberland, so access is the central challenge. Much of the Weyerhaeuser ground (e.g., Pe Ell tree farm) requires a paid recreation access permit during fall — motorized permits historically run several hundred dollars and walk-in permits are cheaper; permit season typically runs late summer into winter. Some acreage is enrolled in WDFW's Private Lands Access (Feel Free to Hunt / Register to Hunt) program and is open without a company permit, and there are a couple of sizeable state/public tracts. Gates, seasonal road closures, and active logging are common; always check posted signs and the company's online permit map before relying on a road. Cell coverage is essentially nonexistent across most of the unit — carry GPS/offline maps.

Managers: Weyerhaeuser (industrial timberland, permit-access program), Other private industrial timber companies, Washington DNR / state forestland, WDFW (small access parcels, Private Lands Access enrollments), Private farms and rural homesites (Columbia River fringe, Skamokawa, southern corners)

Access points: SR 6 from Pe Ell along the northern edge · Elochoman Valley Rd (SR 407) corridor into the interior · SR 4 (Ocean Beach Hwy) along the south, with spur and mainline logging roads · Deep River / Salmon Creek Rd access on the west · Skamokawa and Columbia River frontage in the SW

Species notes

Blacktail Deer

common opportunity

Columbian blacktails are the bread-and-butter quarry here and occur in good numbers throughout the unit. It is a high-opportunity, hard-to-trophy deer hunt typical of wet SW Washington timberland — plenty of deer, but mature bucks are scarce and dense cover makes them tough to pattern. Note that a small population of endangered Columbian white-tailed deer occupies low ground near the Columbia and is fully protected — identify your target.

→Hunt the edges: glass fresh-to-mid-age clearcuts and reprod cuts at first and last light when bucks feed on the new growth before slipping back into timber
→Get away from open mainline roads — pressure spikes on opening weekend and drops off fast for anyone willing to walk into back cuts and gated ground
→Still-hunt slowly through second-growth timber and brush stringers on damp, quiet mornings; the wet duff lets you move silently
→Watch transition lines between cuts and standing timber, and pinch points along creek drainages
→Late season after rains and the rut can concentrate bucks chasing does on south-facing greenup

Roosevelt Elk

common opportunity

GMU 506 holds one of the stronger, more stable Roosevelt elk populations in District 10 and historically posts among the higher general-season elk harvests in the district. Elk are abundant enough to cause crop/seedling nuisance complaints to timber companies. Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) first emerged in the Willapa Hills herd and remains highly prevalent here, so a meaningful share of harvested elk show deformed hooves (though hunter surveys have found the disease most prevalent in the neighboring Mount St. Helens herd).

→Locate herds in and around clearcuts and replanted units where elk feed heavily on grass and seedlings; sign (tracks, droppings, rub lines) builds fast in active feeding cuts
→Glass big cuts and meadow openings at dawn/dusk, then still-hunt the timbered benches and creek bottoms where herds bed during the day
→Cover ground via the road network to find fresh sign, then move in on foot — elk shift between drainages with pressure
→Expect herd behavior: find the cows and the bulls follow, especially during the rut
→Inspect harvested animals' hooves and report TAHD-affected elk to WDFW; leave deformed hooves in the field per agency guidance

Black Bear

common opportunity

Black bear are common throughout this productive, brushy coast-range habitat, which sits within the dedicated Willapa Hills Bear Management Unit. The wet climate and abundant berry-and-greenup cover support solid densities, making 506 a reasonable opportunity bear unit.

→Glass clearcuts and reprod for bears feeding on grass and forbs in spring/early fall, and on berries (salmonberry, huckleberry, blackberry) as they ripen
→Watch sunny cut faces and edges in morning and evening
→Cover roads to spot feeding bears in openings, then make a careful stalk
→Look along creek bottoms and skid roads where forage and travel concentrate

Cougar

common opportunity

Cougars are present unit-wide, following the strong deer and elk prey base through the dense timber. Encounters are incidental for most hunters; dedicated cougar hunting is low-density and opportunistic, and the unit's Cougar Hunt Management Unit operates under a seasonal harvest cap.

→Hunt in conjunction with deer/elk seasons — cougars hold where prey concentrates
→Cut for tracks on muddy and snow-dusted logging roads after weather
→Focus on rugged, brushy drainages and timbered cover near deer wintering areas
→Most harvest is opportunistic; fresh snow at the higher north end improves track-cutting odds
→Verify the CHMU is still open before hunting — cougar areas close once the harvest cap is reached

Pro tips

→Solve access first: confirm whether the ground you want is on a paid Weyerhaeuser permit, enrolled in WDFW Private Lands Access (open), or hard-closed before you ever leave home.
→Pressure collapses after opening weekend — hike past the gates and into back cuts that the road-hunting crowd skips.
→Treat fresh and mid-age clearcuts as your primary glassing terrain for both deer and elk at first and last light.
→Carry offline maps with land-ownership and permit-boundary layers; there is effectively no cell coverage in the interior.
→For elk, run roads to cut fresh sign, then commit on foot to the drainage holding the herd rather than waiting on any single cut.

Watch out for

!Special closure: the Cathlamet area within GMUs 506 and 530 is closed to all deer and elk hunting except by special permit, to protect endangered Columbian white-tailed deer — know exactly where that boundary is, and remember Columbian white-tailed deer have no open season anywhere in these counties.
!Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) is highly prevalent in Willapa Hills elk (where it first emerged); follow WDFW guidance on reporting and on leaving affected hooves in the field.
!Most of the unit is private industrial timber — trespass, locked gates, and seasonal/fire closures are real; a company permit does not grant access to every road.
!Active logging operations and log-truck traffic on mainline gravel roads; drive defensively.
!No cell service across most of the unit — tell someone your plan and carry navigation and emergency gear.
!Thick reprod, slash, blowdown, and wet ground make off-trail travel slow and disorienting; budget extra time and pack out heavy in the rain.

Logistics

Base out of Pe Ell to work the northern/interior ground or Cathlamet/Skamokawa for the southern and Columbia-side country; Longview and Chehalis offer fuel, lodging, and supplies on the I-5 corridor. Buy the relevant timber-company access permit (Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell or adjacent tree farms) well before the season and download its road/gate map. Because roughly 89% of the unit is private and cell service is nonexistent across most of it, carry GPS or offline mapping with land-ownership layers, fuel up before heading in, and plan for slow gravel-road travel. Expect mud — high-clearance and good tires matter, and active logging traffic is common on mainlines.

Nearest towns: Pe Ell, Cathlamet, Skamokawa, Naselle, Longview, Chehalis

Nearby units

Elk Area 6010 · Mallis GMU 672 · Fall River GMU 673 · Williams Creek GMU 530 · Ryderwood

Seasons & regulations

This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:

Research sources: WDFW — Game Management Units (GMUs) · WDFW — 2025 District 10 Hunting Prospects (Region 5) · WDFW — 2023 District 10 Hunting Prospects · GoHunt — Washington Unit 506 Willapa Hills Profile · WDFW — Elk Hoof Disease (TAHD) · WDFW — Elk hoof disease overview and update (GMAC briefing) · Weyerhaeuser Recreation — Permits

FAQ

How big is GMU 506 in Washington?: GMU 506 (Willapa Hills) covers about 379 square miles, ranging from roughly 200 to 2,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
How much public land is in GMU 506?: Approximately 11% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Weyerhaeuser (industrial timberland, permit-access program), Other private industrial timber companies, Washington DNR / state forestland, WDFW (small access parcels, Private Lands Access enrollments), Private farms and rural homesites (Columbia River fringe, Skamokawa, southern corners). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
What species does the catalog list for GMU 506?: Blacktail Deer, Roosevelt Elk, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.

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Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.

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