GMU 510 - Stormking, Washington

Rugged, steep mountain terrain rising from approximately 1,000 ft to 5,197 ft elevation. Key peaks include Stormking Mountain, Kiona Peak, Johnson Mountain, Watch Mountain, Kehoe Mountain, Griffin Mountain, and Roundtop Mountain. The Tilton River drains the unit. Vegetation is dense Douglas-fir and western red cedar old-growth and second-growth timber, with clearcuts concentrated on the southwestern private lands. The unit sits in WDFW Region 5 (Southwest Washington Cascades), adjacent to the Mount St. Helens blast zone recovery area to the south.

Primary access via State Routes 3 and 12, U.S. Forest Service Road 47, and DNR Road 1. Approximately 50% public land (USFS Gifford Pinchot National Forest and DNR/state forestlands) and ~45% private industrial forestland (Hancock Forest Management, Sierra Pacific). Private industrial lands are generally open to non-motorized public hunting without access fees, but motorized vehicle access may be restricted, especially in fire danger months of August-October. No Weyerhaeuser land in GMU 510 (Weyerhaeuser's Saint Helens Tree Farm is in adjacent GMUs 550, 520, 524, 556). Green Diamond requires a paid permit for access.

Dense Douglas-fir, western red cedar, and western hemlock forest dominating the mid-to-upper elevations. Private clearcuts provide early-successional browse habitat (blackberry, vine maple, red alder) concentrated in the southwestern portion of the unit. Ruffed and sooty grouse are rated good; waterfowl rated poor. No significant wetland or riparian open areas within the unit boundaries.

Black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk move seasonally between lower-elevation clearcut browse areas and higher ridgeline timber. Elk in this area belong to the Mount St. Helens Elk Herd (MSH), which has remained below management objectives following population declines from liberal antlerless seasons and harsh winters (notably 2016-17). Limited general season elk opportunity; bulls are extremely challenging to locate in the dense timber. Deer utilize clearcut edges and south-facing slopes during early archery season, retreating to heavier timber during rifle pressure.

WDFW officially rates GMU 510 as low productivity for both black-tailed deer and elk, with hunting success among the more limited in District 10. The 5-year average (2020-2024) modern firearm deer harvest is 30 bucks from 267 hunters (11.8% success); elk averages 8 animals from 132 hunters (6.4% success, 0.68 of harvest comprised of 5-point-or-larger bulls). Unit is entirely within Lewis County. A special limited-entry elk permit (Hunt 2029, South Rainier) covers GMUs 510 and 513 jointly -- 3 permits awarded, women's firearm, late September. The elk herd is managed under the Mount St. Helens Elk Herd Plan and populations remain below historical highs as of 2025. Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) is monitored in District 10 elk; hunters are asked to report limping elk.