More elk hunters would have access to the Margaret game unit in the upper Toutle River Valley under a proposal the Fish and Wildlife Commission will hear Friday.
Department of Fish and Wildlife staff are suggesting that the Margaret unit (No. 524) be managed as a general bull elk season area with a 3-point minimum, similar to most parts of Western Washington.
The Margaret unit extends from Kid Valley on the west to Forest Road 26 to the east. It includes the land north of Spirit Lake Memorial Highway and south of the Green River.
For years, the Margaret has been open for bull elk hunting only under special permits, which limited the number of hunters but greatly increased the success rate of those lucky enough to draw permits. For instance, in 2013, only 73 hunters out of 2,648 applicants got Margaret bull tags for one hunt. Of those with permits, 59 percent got an elk, mostly 5-point or better. The success rate in general season units is usually around 10 percent.
State wildlife biologist Eric Holman wrote in an email that he expects the bull harvest would increase for a year or two under the proposed change.
The agency’s proposal would:
o Change Margaret to general bull elk season for modern firearm, archery and muzzleloader hunters with a 3-point antler restriction.
o All antlerless elk hunting would still be on a permit-only basis, which can be adjusted every year.
o An Elk Area (Norway Pass) would be created in the easternmost portion of the Margaret game unit, which is mostly in the Mount St. Helens Monument. General season hunting would not be allowed in this part of the unit. Instead, permit-only elk hunts for both bull and antlerless elk for all user groups would be offered in this area.
o A boundary change along the border between the Loowit game unit (522) and Margaret also is in the works. This would remove about 4 square miles from the Margaret and add it to the Loowit, where limited hunting is allowed by permit only. The area in question surrounds the Forest Service Coldwater Ridge visitor center, Coldwater Lake and Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. These areas already are closed to all hunting and firearms discharge by Forest Service rule.
One reason for the proposed changes is that 80 percent of the Margaret unit is private land (largely Weyerhaeuser) and WDFW can’t assure access to those who draw permits, according to Holman. Last year, Weyerhaeuser started charging for access to most of its land during hunting season, and the company has said it plans to continue with its fee system.
The remaining part of Margaret is in the federal volcanic monument with steep slopes and few trails, so access is difficult.
In past years, WDFW has surveyed hunters and found that about half wanted the Margaret to stay permit-only.
However, during the 2015-17 season-setting effort, about 60 percent of those surveyed favored the change to a general bull elk season structure for Margaret, Holman said.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider all of the proposed hunting season rules during its Friday-Saturday meeting in Moses Lake, Wash.
