help w/ hunting colville nf land

[stringtown]

i'm planning on coming up to visit a friend in seattle this spring.  decided since my wife could only come for half a week and it was turkey season there that i would fly up a little early and do some hunting.  did some research and found that the NE part of WA held a good population of turkeys.  decided to fly into spokane and come hunt the colville area's public land.  have booked my flights, rental suv, and hotel room as well as bought license and a tag.  was hoping some of you guys could help me out w/ any advice or tips on areas to start.  don't want your honey holes just somewhere to start and i'll chase them from there.  a member on a bowhunting forum i frequent recommended this site. 

i appreciate any help in advance and thank you.

[yelp]

I suggest if you want to be successful is to first get some maps, go to county state DNR websites and get your self acquainted with the area.  That way you know what people are talking about.  I would also suggest that if you are already going to spend that much dough to come up to hunt what is a few more dollars and hire a local guide.  Bearpaw outfitters, Sherman Creek outfitters and others are on the web and could hook you up!  They also have leased properties where you do the hunting, semi -guided I believe..Just a suggestion.  There is a lot of areas to walk and hear birds gobble, but it is tough figuring out where the public starts and private ends..Good luck to you..It is a great area and there are plenty of birds. Welcome to the site!

[stringtown]

thanks for the advice.  the money i have spent is close to my limits so i think local guides are not an option.  actually looked into it from the beginning but just didn't think i could afford it.  did a good bit of leg work including talking to colville director who gave me a contact in colville.  he is local nwtf pres and was very helpful in the fall when i was planning the trip.  haven't been able to get a hold of him the past two weeks but since i'm staying at his hotel i'm sure i'll be able to find him once i arrive.  also spoke to nwtf tri-state biologist who is going to send me some tips a little closer to time.  plan on ordering a map but it like many other nation forests is pretty large.  basically just looking for an area to start and can make it from there.  thanks for the help and any other info would be appreciated.  have a good weekend and nice site. 

[yelp]

Good Luck to ya!

[stringtown]

emailed bearpaw outfitters and basically told them my story and asked how much to hunt some land or obtain some tips on public land.  guess we'll see and thanks again.

[jackelope]

bearpaw offers an information type deal on his site for turkey hunting...

Turkey Info $275
Marked Map and Hunting Details Shows you where to hunt. Will help assure your success and saves you hundreds in time and fuel trying to learn the hunt area.

got that off of his site.

[TurkeyHntr]

I would suggest that you go to:

http://www.mapmet.com/game/tractsmap.html

This will show you some really good areas that you can load into your gps and drive right too.  Andy Hydorn is a good resource, as is Dale Denny.  You might get lost a time or two, but you will find good access.  Do some door knocking, save your money. People in that part of the state can be a little touchy, so if it does not look like a friendly environment, don't bother.  You will run across all types from bunny huggers to anti-hunters to hunting advocates, so good luck.

[stringtown]

bearpaw offers an information type deal on his site for turkey hunting...

Turkey Info $275
Marked Map and Hunting Details Shows you where to hunt. Will help assure your success and saves you hundreds in time and fuel trying to learn the hunt area.

got that off of his site.

thanks.  called myself looking at their site but it is pretty busy.  only saw the unguided hunt cost.  thanks. 

[stringtown]

I would suggest that you go to:

http://www.mapmet.com/game/tractsmap.html

This will show you some really good areas that you can load into your gps and drive right too.  Andy Hydorn is a good resource, as is Dale Denny.  You might get lost a time or two, but you will find good access.  Do some door knocking, save your money. People in that part of the state can be a little touchy, so if it does not look like a friendly environment, don't bother.  You will run across all types from bunny huggers to anti-hunters to hunting advocates, so good luck.

great map and thanks.  what website is that from or did you make it?  either way thanks and i hope to get a hold of andy soon for a little reassurance.  hate to spend money i don't have but also hate to wonder around for 4 days.  also, what is blm land on there? 

thanks again.

[TurkeyHntr]

bureau of land management.  You can get that map off of the WDFW website.  Try the areas around horseshoe lake, which is a little lower.  Good luck.

[bearpaw]

The map on that website shows DNR (state) ownership. The Colville National Forest and various timberlands which are open to public hunting are not shown, so there are many more hunting areas, however with your limited amount of time, that map should give you plenty of options.

Our chapter (with the Colville Chamber of Commerce) has a booth at the Bighorn Show this week, plus we were meeting with Chris Fortune NWTF Regional Director yesterday, thus your inability to reach Andy.

Turkeys are far more spread out than most springs, and you can go much higher into the mountains than usual, so be prepared to cover ground. I would recommend renting a small SUV if you are flying in. GOOD LUCK

[high country]

put some time in on gohunt and it will also give you some good area. drop in to the colville office of forrest capitol.....take a camera, they have maps on the wall.....lots of them. be aware that we are in spring melt, so if it looks like the road is soft....IT IS! good luck

[sneakyjake]

I second the Bearpaw thing.  If I remember correctly, for the price per day, you get a place to stay, a good breakfast and dinner, a place to go chase birds, and people to bs with about it.   A jump off point is a public land map, there will be birds on all of the properties.  They move around a lot though, and it takes years to figure out the different pieces of the jigsaw puzzle over there. 

Hi Al and Dale.  Looking forward to the hunt as usual.  Hoping to get my wife and kids back out again this year.  I have been burning up my vacation though, my wife came down with cancer five months ago and I have been busy taking care of her and the kids.  Probably the only thing I would give up my turkey season for. 

Jeff

[Phantom Gobbler]

SneakyJake, Glad to see you again on Hunting Washington.com  Hope your wife is doing well.  My wife has been in remission (without any further treatment) for over 10 years.  Quite the scare and life change.

Let us know how your turkey hunts go this spring.

I agree that the mountain tom's in the NE can be hard to pattern and every year is unique.  3 years ago one property we hunt had 3 main breeding flocks and lots of satellite tom's.  Last year, on the same property we only called in one gobbler on opering day and missed em at 20 yards!  Amazing what one vertical branch can do to a pattern.

Phantom

[turkeydancer]

Sneaky - Was sorry to hear about "Her Sereness" - hope all is well.  Will be good to see you at the fairgrounds again this year.