GMU 556 - Toutle, Washington

Mountainous Cascade foothills entirely within Cowlitz County. Elevation ranges from valley floors near I-5 (~300 ft) to Big Bull Mountain (4,108 ft) and Lakeview Peak, with O'Neil Peak at 3,038 ft. Terrain is steep with dense draws and drainages cut by the Coweeman, Kalama, and South Fork Toutle rivers. The entire unit has been heavily logged, creating a patchwork of regenerating clearcuts in 4-15 year age classes interspersed with older second-growth Douglas fir and western red cedar. The 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption mudflow reshaped the North Fork Toutle corridor, producing uniquely open, alder-dominated riparian zones that attract elk.

Approximately 65% of the unit is private industrial forestland dominated by Weyerhaeuser (Saint Helens Tree Farm). Weyerhaeuser requires a paid access permit: motorized $250-$400/season, non-motorized $75-$125/season. Some Weyerhaeuser parcels enrolled in WDFW Private Lands Access Program allow free public hunting access — check the WDFW Hunt Planner for current enrolled parcels. The remaining ~35% is DNR state land, open to free public access. Primary access roads: State Routes 503 and 504; DNR roads 4200 and 4250; Weyerhaeuser roads 4950, 5500, 7200, 1400, and 6600; Rock Creek Road. Road gates are common on private lands; non-motorized scouting by foot or bike is feasible pre-season on most timberlands before fire danger closures (Aug-Oct).

Dominated by industrial and DNR second-growth Douglas fir, western hemlock, and red alder. Recent clearcuts (4-6 year regrowth) provide the best deer browse — salal, vine maple, blackberry, and fireweed thickets. Riparian corridors along the South Fork Toutle, Kalama, and Coweeman hold dense alder, which elk favor in fall. Older stands offer thermal cover. Huckleberry and cascara are important black bear food sources. The recovering post-eruption landscape near the unit northern edge supports unusual open-canopy shrub fields.

Roosevelt elk in GMU 556 belong to the Mount St. Helens (MSH) elk herd, estimated at approximately 1,250 adult females following a spring 2024 survey — recovering from a low near 1,000 females (2017-2022) driven by severe winters and TAHD. Population remains below historic mid-2000s highs. Elk use clearcut regrowth and riparian alder heavily in fall and are most active at dawn and dusk. Black-tailed deer occupy small home ranges in dense brush and second-growth, with populations trending upward district-wide through 2024. Deer rut peaks late October through late December.

All elk hunting in GMU 556 is by special permit only — closed to general elk seasons (WAC 220-415-050). Draw pressure is extreme: quality bull permits averaged 811-889 applications for 2-28 tags in 2025, requiring ~11-14 preference points. TAHD is prevalent in the MSH herd; hunters harvesting limping elk and submitting hooves are entered into a bonus permit drawing. Fire danger closures on private lands restrict access Aug-Oct. The 2021 boundary adjustment moved the southern edge to Lewis River Road. Deer season in GMU 556 has no modern firearm general season — limited to archery and muzzleloader general tags. Black bear season falls under the Mt. St. Helens BBMU: Aug. 1 - Nov. 15, statewide two-bear bag limit.