A quick Google search had some interesting results.
1. Google Maps claims the area is "Permanently Closed." I have no idea why it says that.
2. The DNR website has something called North Bay Natural Area Preserve MANAGEMENT PLAN, which was produced in June 2025.
https://dnr.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/amp_na_north_bay_plan.pdfOn page 39-40, the DNR plan says the following:
Hunting and Trapping – Hunting and trapping are not approved uses for Washington’s
NAPs. DNR does not allow hunting or trapping on NAPs unless it is necessary for
management purposes. As mentioned above, the guiding principle for managing the NAP is
to permit natural ecological and physical processes to predominate. The ecological
relationships between predator and prey, or grazers and vegetation are dynamic and naturally fluctuate to a degree. While humans are a part of this dynamic in natural systems,
the level of interest in hunting within this small NAP is high. The pressure applied by
opening this small NAP to hunting would exceed limits of acceptable change and put at risk
those features the site was designated to protect. Additionally, hunting can negatively impact
ecological research by violating assumptions about the influence of natural process on study
results, introduce variation to the analyses, and potentially damage or eliminate monitored
populations or plots from the sample.
Exceptions may occur when a primary feature would be jeopardized without active
intervention. Should the need to use hunting as a management tool arise, the DNR natural
areas manager will consult with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to define
the parameters under which animal control methods would be allowed.
