Sounds like you should have stayed in New Mexico. 
Just kidding of course. Welcome to WA and the cold and windy island of Whidbey. Hold onto your hat! I've got no help for fulfilling your hunting desires. Shouldn't be be too hard to locate just what you're looking for on the East side. Good luck!
Haha! Unfortunately Uncle Sam wont let that happen.
Checkout the Mule Deer high hunt seasons in the Chelan areas. I believe they are in Sept and it will be as close to NM as you will get.
Any chance you lived around unit 53 in NM? I pulled a elk tag there this year.
Your style of hunting lends itself to Eastern WA and with just a little research you can easily get away from people especially since it sounds like you have no issues hiking in a few miles from a road.
I went to college in Albuquerque which is somewhat closer to 53 than where Im from. Im from unit 24. I can check around, Im sure I have some buddy's that have hunted there.
