GMU 663 - Capitol Peak, Washington

Low to moderate elevation unit centered on the Black Hills of western Washington. Elevation ranges from approximately 100 feet along the perimeter lowlands to 2,589 feet at Capitol Peak. The core is the Black Hills uplift — a rounded, eroded range of hills rising above the surrounding Chehalis River lowlands and South Puget Sound basin. Slopes are generally moderate; roughly 80% of the unit has slope equal to or less than 22 degrees. The perimeter follows major roads (US-101 corridor, I-5, SR-8) and grades into farmland, rural properties, dairy farms, and tree farms. Terrain is navigable on foot or mountain bike throughout most of the DNR road network.

DNR (Washington State Department of Natural Resources) owns and manages more than 80% of GMU 663 as Capitol State Forest — approximately 110,000 acres in the Black Hills of Grays Harbor and Thurston counties. WDFW District 17 access rating: Excellent. Most DNR roads are open to motorized access during the modern firearm deer season. The forest includes a dense network of maintained gravel logging roads plus designated ORV trails. Key access nodes: Fall Creek Campground (8 sites), Porter Creek Campground (16 sites), Middle Waddell Campground (24 ORV-oriented sites), Margaret McKenny Campground (24 equestrian sites), Mima Falls Trailhead, Rock Candy Trailhead. Discover Pass required. Fire season closures (typically July-October) can shut all motorized access — check DNR before hunting late summer/early fall. No private timber company permit required, unlike most other District 17 GMUs. Overall unit is 70% public (68% state, 2% other) and 30% private.

Dominated by intensively managed industrial second- and third-growth conifer forest: Douglas fir and western hemlock are the primary species, with red alder in riparian corridors and wetter sites. Capitol State Forest is actively harvested for timber, creating a patchwork of clear-cuts in various stages of regeneration. Clear-cuts 5-15 years post-harvest provide the highest-quality deer and bear forage, with abundant berry-producing shrubs including salmonberry, elderberry, huckleberry, blackberries, salal, and cascara. Closed-canopy stands 20-40 years post-harvest are least productive for wildlife viewing but still hold deer. Older mature stands and riparian corridors provide thermal cover and bedding habitat. The forest transitions to agricultural and wetland edges near the Chehalis River to the south.

Black-tailed deer in Capitol State Forest have been GPS-collar studied by WDFW. Home ranges are extremely small: average 0.14 sq mi (86 acres), maximum 0.38 sq mi (243 acres), with some deer using as little as 45 acres year-round. Deer do not migrate — they are year-round forest residents. Rut peaks last week of October through first week of November; buck movements increase significantly during this period. Roosevelt elk belong to the Willapa Hills herd (northern sub-herd, GMUs 658, 660, 663, 672). 2025 WDFW survey: North Willapa bull/cow ratio 13:100, calf/cow 26:100 — below the 15:100 management objective. Elk numbers in GMU 663 are lower than in core Willapa Hills GMUs. Black bears move heavily in timber harvest openings tracking seasonal berry crops; late summer elderberry and salmonberry flushes concentrate bears.

GMU 663 is in WDFW Region 6, District 17 (Pacific and Grays Harbor counties). Roosevelt elk subspecies only — no Rocky Mountain elk or hybrids in District 17. Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) confirmed in District 17; hunters harvesting limping elk encouraged to submit hooves to WDFW collection sites. CWD confirmed in eastern Washington 2024 but not detected in western Washington as of summer 2025. Bear season: fall general Aug. 15-Nov. 15, bag limit one bear (Willapa Hills BBMU); no spring bear season in Washington; hounds and bait prohibited statewide; mandatory premolar tooth submission required. Mountain bikes with trailers are a popular method for accessing behind locked DNR gates where motorized access is restricted but non-motorized access is allowed.