Hello all,
I’m a new hunter and looking for advice to tag out my first buck. I’ve hunted the west side and also GMU 124, going to school at WSU makes hunting the east side a great option. With all the private land over here in the Palouse I decided to look north at some good hunting grounds. After much research I found that IEP land was the way to go. Looking at the access charts for the IEP land I saw two access points, one by the ski park, and also by Thompson creek. I went further north toward the ski park. On my hunt I saw 3 cow moose up high and very little deer sign so I moved lower in hopes of finding deer. I set up shop at a good looking clear cut and didn’t see anything other than some squirrels. In the middle of the day I searched for a better looking clear-cut, waited until dark and saw nothing again. Very dense country up there. After hours of more research Thompson creek looked like a better area to tag my first deer. However most of my searches have came up fruitless for deer, and very useful for moose. With the end of the season near, I am focusing on late buck. My question is, should I focus my efforts around Thompson creek? Secondly, how would you hunt this area? Glassing clear cuts, get hiking, etc. Im not afraid to hike, and prefer not to road hunt. I want to earn my first buck. Any Info Is much appreciated. Thanks for the help!
-RW
