LATE-SEASON HUNTING ACCESS
The general rule of thumb that most public land in the Northwest, especially Forest Service holdings, is in the high country, and most private land is in the valleys is basically true. However, the WDFW and Washington Department of Natural Resources do have abundant mid- to low-elevation holdings in central and eastern Washington, and it is relatively easy to find a place to hunt in November and December.

For example, the Okanogan's Wannacut, Sinlahekin and Pogue units drop from ridges to foothills to the Sinlahekin and Similkamean river bottoms. The WDFW's Sinlahekin Wildlife Area encompasses more than 14,000 acres of low-elevation winter range, and it is one of Region 2's most popular and productive areas. Similarly, the Methow WA, which is near Twisp, contains more than 20,000 acres of mid- to low-elevation land that is open to hunting.

If you are lucky enough to draw a Desert Unit tag, you won't have a problem finding a place to hunt, because much of it lies within the Desert WA. Similarly, the highly sought Entiat and Swakane units' late permit hunt areas both contain extensive, more-or-less adjacent areas of state land. The 11,000-acre Swakane WA is bounded roughly by the west bank of the Columbia River, and Swakane Creek on the south and Entiat River on the north. The Entiat WA's 9,000 acres begin on the north side of the Entiat River and extends into the foothills and north to Navarre Coulee, just south of Lake Chelan. Both of these areas are favored winter range for mule deer, and in recent years they have become very popular during the late season. Many long-time hunters, in fact, believe they are too popular.

Farther east, the late-season units in the Blue Mountains foothills and lowlands contain less public land. However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a number of areas that are open to hunting under its Lower Snake River fish and wildlife compensation plan. Some are located along the Snake River and are only accessible by boat, but others can be reached via automobile. Modern firearms may be used in the larger, more remote areas, but some are restricted to bow and shotgun hunting. The WDFW also operates wildlife areas in the Blue Mountains such as the 11,000-acre W.T. Wooten WA, as well as areas such as the Hartstock Unit, which sprawls over several thousand acres along the Tucannon River, that are included within the Snake River compensation holdings.

Good low-elevation, late-season access is also available in Region 3. The L.T Murray and Oak Creek WAs account for more than a quarter-million acres of public land. Large portions of these WAs are managed as WDFW Cooperative Road Management Areas. Oak Creek's Bethel and L.T. Murray's Taneum and Manastash are "green dot" areas. This means that certain "mainline" roads remain open to provide vehicle access but all spurs and secondary roads are blocked. In the northern portions of Region 3, the Quilomene WA contains more than 50,000 acres that extend from the Columbia River up through dry gulches and hogbacks to the timbered fringes of the eastern Cascades foothills. The Quilomene's Naneum and Whiskey Dick CRMSs are year-round areas, as is Region 2's Mission Unit, which contains areas within the Naneum WA.

Information on WDFW Wildlife Areas can be obtained at (360) 902-2200 or online at http://wdfw.wa.gov. Okanogan National Forest travel plan maps are available at (509) 826-3275. The Army Corps of Engineers has excellent maps of its Snake River habitat areas; call (509) 543-3200 or visit www.nww.usace.army.mil.