best early archery antlerless deer gmu's, eastern WA

[tself9]

so, let's start with all necessary caveats...
1. i'm not asking for your honey hole, and i suspect many of you hunt bucks only anyway.
2. i know, i need to get out and scout, and i will, and have, but the state is 45+ million acres large, and i (sadly) have to work for a living, and i have a wife who likes me (and vice versa).

that said, here's the deal:
due to reg changes and a recent wildfire destroying all cover, my partner and i are looking for a new gmu for early archery. some things to note:
1. we are a few years into hunting and we need all the help we can get, so the antlerless option is a must. taking a buck would be great, but the goal for us is to fill the tags.
2. we like a good mix of timber and meadows so we can actually see animals if the density is good.  this pretty much rules out western WA.
3. we like big pieces of public land because we are more than willing to hike farther than everyone else to get away from high-pressure areas. backcountry camping is definitely on the table so long as we know there is water for us to filter.

so,the question is...these factors in mind, what is the best gmu for spot-and-stalk antlerless deer opportunity in eastern, WA?
there's the alpine lakes, but the density there is not great i hear...the animals are just really spread out.
then there's chelan area, but there's no water in september and it's more of a winter range area save the few resident deer there.

any advice?

[Special T]

Your not gonna like it but...

Find an read  Byod Iversons Blacktail Trophy Tactics 2, or 1 and learn to hunt west side...

Why? The open and timbered combos  you you  desire are great for wolves, cats and bears... not to mention other hunters. Combine predators and blue tongue for whitetails and that means your chance of success is low and even lower folks are gonna tell you much.

You didn't mention weapon type. I archery hunt blacktails and we mostly have long seasons. It's spot and stalk but not like you think. If you can sneak up to 30 yards and poke a deer you've earned. While u haven't killed a nice buck I've often put meat in the freezer.

[tself9]

Your not gonna like it but...

Find an read  Byod Iversons Blacktail Trophy Tactics 2, or 1 and learn to hunt west side...

Why? The open and timbered combos  you you  desire are great for wolves, cats and bears... not to mention other hunters. Combine predators and blue tongue for whitetails and that means your chance of success is low and even lower folks are gonna tell you much.

You didn't mention weapon type. I archery hunt blacktails and we mostly have long seasons. It's spot and stalk but not like you think. If you can sneak up to 30 yards and poke a deer you've earned. While u haven't killed a nice buck I've often put meat in the freezer.

thanks Special T. all great points. i've done one proper trip and a decent amount of day-hunts in western washington and any hunting is better than not hunting, but great regs aside, the thick stuff in western washington just isn't my preference. with a bow, it just feels like tree-stand hunting, but on the ground.  i'm moving to northeastern washington this fall, which is kind of the best of both worlds, some openings but still plenty of cover.  unfortunately though, blue tongue virus has wiped out the white tail herds, so regs are still bucks only.  anyway, i'll keep searching, but i sure do very much appreciate the reply. take care.

[Bone collector 13]

272 is a good unit to start in

[cem3434]

If you're just looking to fill tags, I would focus on hunting whitetails in the eastern part of the state. The herds are recovering from blue tongue, but there are still way more whitetail than muley if you're just looking opportunities to fill the freezer.

[Jimmy33]

I would go to the unit Closest to where you are moving in eastern Washington and start hunting it.

[MeepDog]

I would go to the unit Closest to where you are moving in eastern Washington and start hunting it.

[Rainier10]

@tself9  I merged your two topics and kept this one in deer hunting where it will get the most views.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

I would go to the unit Closest to where you are moving in eastern Washington and start hunting it.

This is solid advice.  Spend time nearby your new home, scouting and getting ready for the next season.  I've been doin archery for a few years now and I used to try to set up these awesome, distant hunts in the backcountry etc.  Those hunts were great memories but tags were typically left un-notched.

  I've killed more deer and elk within 25 minutes of home.  Just gotta get in the local woods and figure a few things out.  Good luck!

[tself9]

I would go to the unit Closest to where you are moving in eastern Washington and start hunting it.

more great advice. thanks.

i'm moving to gmu 121. i guess the huge blue tongue die-off in past years (especially last year), and the lack of antlerless opportunity, has me doubting the likelihood of success there.  if i take a trip to another gmu and i fail to tag out, i'll most certainly be doing lots of hunting out my back door there any time i can get away.  as i learn the area more, i'm sure it will become my hunting grounds of choice.  in many ways, regs aside, the country you know is the country to hunt. 

thanks again.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I would go to the unit Closest to where you are moving in eastern Washington and start hunting it.

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  x100
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If you learn an area, your success rate goes up.
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Scouting covers a lot of ground, hunting concentrates on areas you have seen them.
If you are moving there, learn the area and it will all fall into place.
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I kill most of my deer while elk hunting or picking mushrooms and berries.
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Or looking for cool rocks...
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The closer to home, the more time you can spend there.
When you see critters in certain areas you see patterns.
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Taking your bow for a hike is different than hiking to a favorite stump to sit on.
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As Fred Bear said many years ago, "if you want to see deer, take a walk in the woods, if you want to kill deer, sit down."
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[haftard]

anywhere that allows antlerless deer hunting during archery season is going to have deer. pick a unit and start puting in the time. like others have said the closer the better .