GMU 638 Quinault Ridge

One of District 17's premier mature-bull units. Part of the Olympic elk herd, and WDFW directs hunters seeking a large mature bull to 638 (Quinault Ridge), 618 (Matheny), and 615 (Clearwater) — all bordering Olympic National Park and reputed to grow very nice bulls. The best success on five-point-or-better bulls comes from September rifle permit hunters here or in 618. Big bulls exist but are not abundant, and general-season odds are lower than the Willapa units to the south.

• →Prioritize a September rifle permit if you want the real shot at a mature five-point-plus bull — that hunt produces the best big-bull success here.
• →Work the national-forest ridges and drainages up toward the Olympic National Park boundary, where the mature bulls hold.
• →Glass timber-harvest edges, benches, and forage openings at first and last light; expect bulls to retreat into heavy old-growth timber by day.
• →Learn the ownership puzzle in the Quinault Valley before hunting — productive private ground sits amid national forest and the Quinault reservation.
• →Scout hard: high-elevation ONF country means physical hunting and self-reliant elk location.

Blacktail are present throughout the unit though 638 is not among District 17's top-four deer producers (663, 648, 672, 660). Best densities follow 3- to 9-year-old timber harvests on the lower private ground; deer are more visible in cuts but visit them mostly at night, dawn, and dusk, holding cover through the day.

• →Hunt the 3- to 9-year regen cuts on the lower private ground for the highest deer density, then still-hunt the cover edges by day.
• →Glass openings at first and last light; deer expose themselves in cuts only at the margins of daylight.
• →Time the rut — the last week of October into early November — when bucks move most.
• →Verify you're on legal ground before hunting the productive Quinault Valley private parcels.
• →Rattling and grunting can work on rutting blacktails in the thick cover.

GMU 638 is one of the District 17 units WDFW specifically mentions for bear (with 618, 658, 660, 672, 681). Bears are common but seldom seen in the thick Olympic vegetation, so scouting is critical. Most are taken opportunistically during deer and elk seasons; district success runs roughly 4-8% but higher for dedicated bear hunters.

• →Glass open clearcuts and regen units with berry shrubs — huckleberry, salmonberry, blackberry, salal, elderberry, cascara — at dawn and dusk.
• →Hunt open terrain so you spot a bear before it winds you; in dense cover it smells you first and slips off.
• →Find fresh sign in a berry-rich cut, then sit it for extended watches rather than covering ground.
• →Target the national-forest cuts and forest-edge feed early in the fall before pressure scatters bears.

Cougars occur throughout the unit and are taken mostly opportunistically by deer and elk hunters. District 17 cougar seasons are cap-managed and can close mid-season once the removal cap is reached, so check the hotline before and during a hunt.

• →Carry a cougar tag as an opportunistic add-on while glassing cuts and ridges for deer, bear, and elk.
• →Hunt where deer concentrate; cougars follow the prey.
• →Cut roads and landings for fresh tracks after snow at the higher elevations.
• →Check the cap-managed hunt-area status regularly, as it can close on short notice.