GMU 530 - Ryderwood, Washington

Steep to rolling mountainous terrain in the Willapa Hills, reaching roughly 3,000 ft at Boistfort Peak. The unit is extensively logged, creating a patchwork of mature second-growth Douglas-fir/western hemlock forest interspersed with clear-cuts in every stage of regrowth. Valley floors along the Columbia and Chehalis rivers and their tributaries hold floodplain agricultural land and rural residences. Puget Island (Wahkiakum County) sits in the Columbia River at the unit's southwestern corner. Elevation range is roughly sea level to ~3,100 ft. The low-elevation coastal influence means mild, wet winters — severe winter kill is rare here compared to Cascade units.

Approximately 20% public land — DNR state forests scattered across all three counties, with the largest tracts in the southwestern portion of the unit and broken parcels near Vader on the east side. No National Forest land falls within GMU 530 (Gifford Pinchot NF is east of I-5 in adjacent units). Roughly 70% is private industrial timber: Sierra Pacific is the largest single holder and generally allows public hunting without a fee though vehicle access can close due to fire danger; Weyerhaeuser requires a paid permit (motorized $250–$400, non-motorized $75–$125); Green Diamond charges a permit fee. Access to all industrial lands may be restricted Aug–Oct due to fire danger. The Julia Butler Hansen NWR and Puget Island contain non-huntable Columbian white-tailed deer — hunters must be alert to this protected subspecies at low elevations near the Columbia.

Lower slopes and valley floors dominated by red alder, big-leaf maple, and cottonwood riparian corridors. Mid-elevation slopes carry dense second-growth Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar with abundant sword fern and salal understory. Active clear-cuts and early-succession regeneration units (1–15 years post-harvest) provide the primary forage zones for deer and elk: ceanothus, fireweed, blackberry, and young conifer browse. Ruffed grouse habitat is rated good throughout; huckleberry patches and cascara trees are key black bear attractants in summer and fall.

Deer and elk follow classic Pacific Coast black-tail and Roosevelt patterns: upper-elevation summer range in old clear-cuts and ridgetop browse fields, gradual migration to mid-slope and valley-edge transition zones by October as rut pressure and rain push animals downhill. Elk herds in GMUs 506 and 530 are part of the Willapa Hills elk population, which is distinct from the Mount St. Helens herd and is surveyed to be stable and increasing as of spring 2025. Elk west of I-5 are pure Roosevelt subspecies. TAHD (Treponeme-Associated Hoof Disease) is present in District 10 elk but less impactful here than in the MSH herd. Rut for black-tailed deer peaks mid-to-late November, coinciding with the late general buck season — the best opportunity for mature bucks. Bears are most visible glassing clear-cuts at dawn and dusk May–September and in berry/mast areas September–October.

Columbian white-tailed deer (federally threatened) inhabit low-elevation floodplains near the Julia Butler Hansen NWR and Puget Island — there is NO open season for these deer and hunters must positively identify any deer before shooting at low elevation near the Columbia River. TAHD is present in the elk herd; report limping elk to WDFW and clean footwear/tires when leaving the area. The 2025 District 10 Hunting Prospects report (Sept 2025) confirms elk populations in GMU 530 are increasing. Deer populations are also on an upward trend through 2024. Late general buck season (mid-November) is widely considered the best window for mature bucks as rut activity peaks. Logging road access can close with no notice — always check company hotlines. No Weyerhaeuser Saint Helens Tree Farm lands fall in GMU 530 (those are in GMUs 550, 520, 524, 556), but individual Weyerhaeuser parcels may still require permits.