GMU 510 Stormking
Steep, timbered Tilton River country north of Morton — half public, low harvest, an elbow-room grind.
WDFW Region 5 — Southwest Washington (District 10, Lewis County) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
205
sq mi
Public land
50%
approx.
Elevation
900–4,600
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 510 (Stormking) covers roughly 208 square miles north of State Route 12 and east of State Route 7, entirely within Lewis County. It's rugged mountain terrain built around the Tilton River, Stormking Mountain, and Kiona Peak, and unlike the small-parcel farm units nearby it is dominated by private industrial forestland, DNR land, and a slice of Gifford Pinchot National Forest. That gives it roughly 50% public access — high for District 10 — but WDFW is blunt that Stormking has low productivity for both black-tailed deer and elk, and success tends to be limited. This is a hunt for people willing to hike the steep timber for solitude rather than for a numbers unit.
Terrain
Rugged, steep mountain terrain rising from the Tilton River valley near Morton to a cluster of forested peaks — Stormking Mountain, Kiona Peak, Johnson Mountain, Watch Mountain, Kehoe, Griffin, and Roundtop. Deep drainages and hard-climbing roads define the interior; clearcuts open the southwest.
Cover: Thickly forested throughout except for clearcut openings, which concentrate in the southwestern private timberlands. Second-growth Douglas-fir and hemlock dominate, with brushy reprod, slash, and grass-forb greenup in the cuts. Wet west-Cascade climate keeps cover dense and off-road travel slow.
Landmarks: Tilton River · Stormking Mountain · Kiona Peak · Johnson Mountain · Watch Mountain · Kehoe Mountain · Griffin Mountain · Roundtop Mountain · Town of Morton (SR 12 / SR 7)
Access
About half the unit is public — DNR state forest, a portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and industrial timber that's generally open — so Stormking has better baseline access than most District 10 units. The trade-off is terrain: it's steep and roaded for logging, not recreation, and many gates limit vehicle travel. Manulife (formerly Hancock) and Sierra Pacific ground is typically open without a fee but subject to gates and August–October fire-season closures; any Weyerhaeuser or Muckleshoot-corporation parcels follow their own rules. Primary access is off SR 12 and SR 7 near Morton, then up USFS Road 47 and DNR Road 1 into the high country. WDFW frames this as a unit best suited to hunters willing to hike off the beaten path for elbow room.
Managers: Private industrial timber (Manulife/Hancock, Sierra Pacific), Washington DNR / state forestlands (Tahoma State Forest), USFS Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Small private parcels
Access points: SR 12 / SR 7 junction at Morton · USFS Road 47 into the Gifford Pinchot high country · DNR Road 1 (Tahoma State Forest) · Tilton River drainage roads · Gated mainlines walkable/bikeable into the interior
Species notes
Blacktail Deer
common lowBlacktails are present unit-wide, but WDFW rates Stormking as low-productivity for deer, and the harvest numbers bear it out — a five-year modern-firearm average of roughly 30 bucks at only about 12% success, well below the district's better units. The upside for the patient hunter: a comparatively high share of harvested bucks are three-point-or-better, reflecting light pressure and remote, mature-timber country. It's a solitude-and-effort deer hunt, not a high-odds one.
- →Hike well past the gates into the steep interior timber where pressure is lowest — that's where the mature bucks are
- →Glass the southwest clearcuts and their greenup edges at first and last light
- →Still-hunt benches and timbered saddles between the peaks on wet, quiet mornings
- →Work the transition between cuts and standing timber, and old skid roads that deer travel
- →Late-season snow at the higher peaks pushes deer downslope — follow the snow line
Roosevelt Elk
limited lowStormking sits in the Mount St. Helens elk herd area, which remains below objective after hard winters and hoof disease, and WDFW rates the unit low for elk with limited success. Expect scattered animals in the big timber and cuts, not a herd hunt — but the elbow room and public access make it worth a look for the hunter willing to grind.
- →Cut roads and cuts for fresh sign, then commit on foot to the drainage holding the herd
- →Hunt the timbered benches and creek bottoms where elk bed off the openings
- →Glass the southwestern clearcuts at dawn/dusk where elk feed on grass and seedlings
- →Inspect harvested elk for TAHD hoof deformities and leave affected hooves in the field per WDFW guidance
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bear are common in this wet, brushy timber-and-clearcut country. The berry and greenup crop supports solid densities, making Stormking a reasonable opportunity bear unit, especially for hunters already working the high cuts.
- →Glass clearcuts and reprod for bears feeding on grass, forbs, and ripening berries
- →Watch sunny cut faces morning and evening, then stalk carefully
- →Cover the road network to spot feeding bears, then move in on foot
- →Submit the required black bear premolar tooth to WDFW after a fall harvest
Cougar
common opportunityCougars range through the unit's deep timber following deer and elk. Encounters are incidental for most hunters; dedicated cougar hunting is opportunistic and capped seasonally.
- →Hunt cougars alongside deer/elk seasons where prey concentrates
- →Cut for tracks on muddy and snow-dusted roads after weather — the higher peaks hold snow that aids tracking
- →Verify the cougar area is still open before hunting late in the season
Pro tips
- →This is an elbow-room unit — WDFW itself says it rewards hunters willing to hike off the beaten path, so plan to walk or bike behind gates into the steep interior.
- →Manage expectations: low overall productivity means you're trading odds for solitude and a shot at a lightly pressured, better-caliber blacktail buck.
- →Use the ~50% public land (DNR, Gifford Pinchot, open industrial timber) to hunt without the permission grind of the farm units next door.
- →Glass the southwestern clearcuts for both deer and elk, then still-hunt the big timber where animals bed.
- →Late season, chase the snow line down off Stormking and Kiona and cut tracks on wet roads.
Watch out for
- !Steep, rugged terrain and dense timber make travel and pack-outs slow and physically demanding — plan conservatively.
- !Heavily gated logging-road network: expect to leave the truck and go on foot or by bike, and confirm behind-gate access is allowed.
- !Industrial timber (Manulife, Sierra Pacific) may close for fire danger in late summer/early fall; any Weyerhaeuser or Muckleshoot parcels have their own rules.
- !Low harvest odds — don't count on a quick hunt; the Mount St. Helens elk herd is below objective with reduced antlerless opportunity.
- !TAHD (elk hoof disease) is present in District 10 elk; follow WDFW reporting and hoof-disposal guidance.
- !No cell service in the interior — carry navigation and emergency gear and tell someone your plan.
Logistics
Morton is the natural base — fuel, groceries, and lodging at the SR 12/SR 7 junction — with Mossyrock and Randle as secondary stops and Chehalis/Centralia on I-5 for a full resupply. Dispersed camping is available on the Gifford Pinchot and DNR ground. Because the country is steep and heavily gated, plan on hiking or biking behind gates, and carry offline maps with land-ownership and gate layers. Cell coverage is essentially nonexistent in the interior — leave a plan.
Nearest towns: Morton, Mossyrock, Randle, Mineral, Packwood, Chehalis
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW — 2025 District 10 Hunting Prospects (Region 5) · WDFW — Game Management Units (GMUs) · WDFW — Elk Hoof Disease (TAHD) · GoHunt — Washington Unit 510 (Stormking) Profile
FAQ
- How big is GMU 510 in Washington?
- GMU 510 (Stormking) covers about 205 square miles, ranging from roughly 900 to 4,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 510?
- Approximately 50% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Private industrial timber (Manulife/Hancock, Sierra Pacific), Washington DNR / state forestlands (Tahoma State Forest), USFS Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Small private parcels. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 510?
- 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.
Put GMU 510 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.