GMU 127 / Mica Peak

[Bean Counter]

Hi Gang,

I'm pretty new here but have learned a lot already. Thank you for the thoughtful posts.  I want you to know I did do some prior post searches before posting this 

I drew a second deer (antlerless whitetail) for Mica Peak (GMU 127).  It seems a number of elk come out of the unit each year as well. Ideally, I'd like to get my first and second deer there and possibly an elk.  I know, a pipe dream perhaps, but maybe worth dreaming for.  I have at least one hunting buddy and possibly another 1 or 2.

I count three options and I would like to hear your thoughts (or criticisms) of any:
1. Pay Inland Empire Paper Company the $40 per person tresspass fee. $40 is cheap to get an animal, but are they overcrowded? Do they close a few roads so I can hike in and earn my animal?  Are there elk in there? Is that the only place in the GMU you'll find 'em?
2. Head over in August/September and knock on doors.  "Hello, I'm city boy xxxxx, may my buddy and I hunt your land?"  Suggestions on the best time of the week to go? Best month (Aug, Sept, Oct)?
3. Call the WDFW and get a list of landowners seeking hunters.  I know they had a list last year for some GMUs for 2nd deer permit holders, but I'm not sure if this is one of them. Ideally, I'd get connected with a landowner that would let me take a buck and a doe (maybe even an elk?) on his property.  Is that possible or will most of those landowners tell you to just take the doe and then get the heck off their land?

Thanks to any input you can provide.

Sincerely,
the Bean Counter.

[TeacherMan]

Really close to Spokane, and all private, sounds like good whitetail country. You can try pounding on some doors, I've always been told no for permission out there. I think your best bet would the inland paper. The elk that I know of out there are close to Newman lake and into Post Falls.

[Bean Counter]

Teacherman,
I'll check those out. Thanks for the info very much.

[SHANE(WA)]

There isnt much terrain up there that is private that holds elk,well inland is private, but huntable and lots of it to hunt, the foothills around Mica peak hold elk, all private owners and so broken up that is impossible to hunt elk on 40 acres you know. Some guys get permission to hunt deer on small chunks and elk happen to come buy and get lucky.The back side does have elk and lot of terrain to cover, and some really big whitetails, to me this is the best unit hands down to shoot a hawg whitetail and alot od people around here that bow hunt will tell you the same thing.

[Bean Counter]

There isnt much terrain up there that is private that holds elk,well inland is private, but huntable and lots of it to hunt, the foothills around Mica peak hold elk, all private owners and so broken up that is impossible to hunt elk on 40 acres you know. Some guys get permission to hunt deer on small chunks and elk happen to come buy and get lucky.The back side does have elk and lot of terrain to cover, and some really big whitetails, to me this is the best unit hands down to shoot a hawg whitetail and alot od people around here that bow hunt will tell you the same thing.

Thanks Shane. When you say the "back side" do you mean the area closest to the Idaho border?  Do you know if they close some roads to allow deer and elk escapement?  I dont' think I want to hunt an area where every single road is opened.. lots of fat lazy people who simply zoom around in their rigs all day and keep the animals hunkered down. 

[Machias]

Lots of bears and some fairly large cats up in that area as well.  I have seen some really nice whitetails feeding in the fields up there in Aug.  A few years ago I had an Idaho non-resident hound permit.  I cut a really nice lion track on the Idaho side and was going to let the dogs run it, but it was a little late in the afternoon so I declined.  When I got home I got to thinking about what would have happend had the dogs ran him over into WA.  I was about 2 miles from the WA border so there would have had a good chance of that happening.  I called WDFW and said hey, if I released my dogs on the ID side, have a ID hunting lic, permit and tag but the dogs trailed him across the line, would I be able to go in, snap them on their leads and walk away, back over to ID.  Nope I would have been arrested if I was caught.  I never ran closer then 15 miles from the border after that.

[Bean Counter]

Okay, looks like I was a bit off with the Inland Empire Paper Company.  I guess they own land up in 124, but not down in 127.  So now I'm perplexed with who owns the Mica Peak area. Anybody?  I searched the county parcel site and I found info for a RWD, LLC.  Does anybody know who they are? Grant hunting access?

Also, the WDFW doesn't have any phone numbers of landowners. They  may get some later, but the lady told me not to bug them until close to hunting season. 

[Curly]

We went over there a couple years ago and my dad shot a cow moose.....he had the Hangman permit.  We paid $40 each to access the Inland Empire Paper Company land that surrounds Mica Peak.  We saw lots of whitetails and when we were scouting there was an archery hunter that killed an elk.  The road up to the peak is gated and people do unload their atv's by the gate and ride up in there and hunt from ATV's.