Quick Tips
- Apply for the quality deer permit for best hunt dates
- Glass the thick buckbrush on south slopes at sunrise and sunset
| species | general Size | trophy potential |
|---|---|---|
| Mule Deer | 110"-130" | 140"+ |
| Whitetail Deer | 100"-110" | 120"+ |
| Elk | 230"-260" | 260"+ |
On The Ground
The Wenatchee, Columbia and Entiat Rivers form three of the four sides of this diamond-shaped GMU, with the northwestern border twisting along Van Creek and Mosquito Ridge. Although the unit has over 90,000-acres of public land, it is heavily broken up, checkerboarded and divided into small private land holdings, especially along the rivers. The majority of public land is Wenatchee National Forest, with pieces of Chelan Wildlife Areas, BLM, and state ground as well. Many large fires have burned significant pieces of land, mainly in the southern half. Since the 2004 burn, significant portions along Derby Canyon Rd and Blag Mountain have had timber thinned. There are a handful of major drainages in the unit, including Eagle Creek, Mills Canyon, and the Roaring Creek. With its rolling country, this unit makes for good spot and stalk hunting for mule deer, especially on the south side in the think buckbrush. Aside from few resident deer, this is a late season migratory mule deer hunt needing heavy snows in bordering units to push the deer in. Deer here cause some human wildlife conflicts in the apple orchards and keying in on public land along the orchard where the deer go to bed can pay dividends, however, you will need to know your boundaries, not only for hunting but game retrieval. Upland game birds are common and include chukar, ruffed grouse, partridge, California quail, and blue grouse.
This unit has a great November mule deer hunt, if you can get a permit.
Terrain
This unit consists of rolling hills with just a handful of major drainages. While this unit is lightly forested, it is fairly open due to multiple burns and timber cuts. Nutritious browse on south facing slopes and draws offer excellent winter range cover. The browse slowly fades and transitions into arid rangeland, lightly cut with buckbrush choked draws, used mainly for grazing livestock. At 4,531-ft, Eagle Rock stands tall over the rangeland in the southern tip along the forest and wildlife boundary. Just under 10,000-acres are reported as agriculture, and are mainly orchards along the river valleys.
Roughly 219 square miles
65% public land
Elevations range from 800– 4,600 feet
Vegetation
Roughly half of the GMU consists of conifer forests and woodlands in various stages of regrowth with the thickest stands of timber on the north facing slopes in the north and northwest regions. South facing slopes are more open with thick patches of buck brush. Warm and cool season bunch grass is located in the high desert prairie, along with scattered sage. Non-native vegetation like cheatgrass is competing and doing well, unfortunately. The wet drainages have taller, thicker varieties of reed grass, needle and thread, wildflowers and shrubs. Large, flat areas of this wet low ground have been carved into a variety of agriculture fields, mainly fruit orchards, along with a few varieties of grain.
Access
All the main drainages have a decent road system allowing access. However, these roads can close without notice close, mainly due to fires and erosion issues. A GPS is extremely important as there are a number of private land pieces landlocked inside the public -knowing your exact boundaries is crucial. For hunters willing to do a bit of scouting and studying topo maps, there is plenty of public hunting.
GPS is critical when hunting broken public/private ground
Pay attention to possible road closures
Camping and Lodging
Primitive camping in the National Forest is allowed for the majority of the year, but various fire bans and forest road closures may happen, so double check any restrictions or permits necessary prior to your trip. If you are more interested in a bed and a shower, and being closer to gas stations, restaurants, and a grocery store, your best options will be Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and Cashmere.
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