GMU 524 Margaret Hunting, Washington
GMU 524 (Margaret): 26% public land, habitat grade C+, elk ★★★★☆, 93 mi².
Tap anywhere on the map to move the pin, then hit Analyze to open that exact spot in HuntVantage for a live 0–100 score with per-species ratings.
HuntVantage habitat grade
Grade distribution of the habitat cells inside the unit — higher-scoring cells are the pockets worth scouting first. HuntVantage weighs cover, water, food, hunting pressure, and habitat diversity from public land-cover and land-ownership data.
Per-species ratings
Overall grade measures general habitat; these species ratings re-weight the same factors for each animal’s needs — the number that matters for a species-specific hunt.
Public land & access
26% of GMU 524 is public land; 25% is public and open-access.
Only about a quarter public — a Gifford Pinchot National Forest core with the rest private industrial timber (much of it Weyerhaeuser); a permit or access agreement may be needed off the national forest.
Ownership from PAD-US; a cell is one ~0.46 km habitat hexagon. Verify boundaries and access on the ground — inholdings and seasonal closures aren’t shown here.
Hunting prospects
General + draw permits
GMU 524 (Margaret) sits north of Mount St. Helens around the Mount Margaret country — a national-forest core ringed by private timberland. Elk use the cut-and-timber mosaic; hunt the national-forest edges and any accessible timber-company ground under its permit system. Verify seasons and access before hunting.
Scout the best spots in this unit
The highest-scoring public open-access habitat cells in GMU 524. Open any one in HuntVantage to see its live score and per-species breakdown.
Nearby units & guides
Sources: wdfw.wa.gov · wdfw.wa.gov · geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov. HuntVantage habitat grades are independent of WDFW.