Deer Area 1031 Parker Lake
A draw-only whitetail muzzleloader hunt inside the Air Force survival-school closure on the Colville National Forest.
Region 1 (Eastern) — District 1, Pend Oreille County west of Cusick · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
33
sq mi
Public land
100%
approx.
Elevation
2,100–5,474
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
Deer Area 1031 "Parker Lake" is the huntable face of the Parker Lake Closure — roughly 21,000 acres (about 33 square miles) of Colville National Forest in GMU 117 (49 Degrees North), lying south of Ruby Creek Road (USFS 2489), north of Tacoma Creek Road (USFS 2389), and west of the Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines. The entire block is closed to hunting year-round because it hosts the U.S. Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) school out of Fairchild AFB; the only ways in with a weapon are WDFW special permits — the deer opportunity is a late-season muzzleloader draw — or a slot in WDFW's Hunt By Reservation system. The payoff for the paperwork is real: forested Selkirk-foothill whitetail country that sees a fraction of the pressure of the surrounding national forest. Expect a thick-timber, low-visibility hunt, active military training in the drainages from roughly September through May, and years when permits are cut or canceled outright (2024 saw no permits in part of the program due to a major logging operation).
Terrain
Timbered foothill ridges climbing from the Tacoma Creek and Ruby Creek drainages to the crest at Timber Mountain (5,474 ft). WDFW describes it as very similar to the surrounding forest: a working blend of recent timber-harvest units, mature conifer stands, and regeneration/burn patches, salted with small ponds and swampy pockets. It hunts as classic northeast-Washington still-hunting country — short sight lines, benches and saddles, and cut-unit edges doing the work of openings.
Cover: Mixed conifer — Douglas-fir, western larch, lodgepole and ponderosa pine with cedar/hemlock in wet draws; brushy regen in cutover and burned units; sedge ponds and swampy openings scattered through the mid-elevations.
Landmarks: Parker Lake · Timber Mountain (5,474 ft) · Tacoma Creek / Tacoma Creek Road (USFS 2389, south boundary) · Ruby Creek / Ruby Creek Road (USFS 2489, north boundary) · Cusick Creek · BPA transmission lines (east boundary) · SR 20 (Colville–Tiger highway, north approach)
Access
All U.S. Forest Service land, but legally a year-round CLOSED AREA to hunting (WAC 220-413-180) protecting the USAF survival-training program — you may only hunt it with a WDFW special permit or a valid Hunt By Reservation permit, and reservation slots are limited. SERE training runs in the Tacoma, Cusick, or Ruby creek watersheds roughly September through May, typically around the clock Saturday through Thursday; deer and moose permit holders receive a map of the school's area of operations from the USAF Training Area Manager so they can plan around it. Perimeter access is via the Ruby Creek and Tacoma Creek roads off SR 20 and the Cusick side; active logging can close roads or wipe out the hunt in a given year.
Managers: Colville National Forest (USFS)
Access points: Ruby Creek Road (USFS 2489) off SR 20 between Colville and Tiger · Tacoma Creek Road (USFS 2389) west from the Cusick area · BPA powerline corridor (east edge orientation line)
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityWhite-tailed deer are the dominant deer of GMU 117 and northeast Washington generally, and the closure's light hunting pressure lets bucks carry age that general-season forest rarely allows. District-wide buck-only management (since 2019) plus a late-season draw window make this a genuine chance at a mature forest whitetail — earned through thick cover and short sight lines, not easy glassing.
- →Plan the hunt around the SERE operations map the Air Force provides — establish a pattern of avoidance and hunt the drainages the school isn't using that week.
- →The school conducts little activity above 3,500 feet; the upper benches and saddles toward Timber Mountain are both quieter and classic big-buck security cover.
- →Key on the edges of harvest units and regen patches where browse concentrates deer; still-hunt the downwind timber edge in the first and last hour.
- →A late window means rut-to-post-rut behavior and, usually, snow — track fresh sign and hunt slowly; snow is your biggest ally in this timber.
- →Small ponds and swampy openings act as terrain funnels in otherwise uniform forest; hang watches where trails pinch between them.
Moose
common qualityMoose are found throughout the Parker Lake Closure and northeast Washington holds the state's core moose population; opportunity here is by rare special permit only, and in some years (like 2024) permits were not offered due to logging activity. Lucky tag-holders find willow-and-swamp pockets and mid-elevation north slopes productive.
- →Work the small ponds and swampy areas WDFW highlights — moose feed and bed around them through the fall.
- →Northern slopes and eastern drainages between 3,000 feet and the Timber Mountain crest are the agency-suggested zone.
- →Seasonal timing dictates elevation — expect moose higher early and dropping with snow depth.
Pro tips
- →Contact the USAF Training Area Manager info that comes with your permit and actually use the SERE operations map — the quietest drainage each week is usually the best hunting.
- →Hunt above 3,500 feet when training is active below; the school rarely operates up high and mature bucks live there anyway.
- →If you don't draw, WDFW's Hunt By Reservation system is the other legal door into this lightly pressured ground — slots are limited, so book early.
- →Fresh snow turns this unit from a grind into a readable tracking hunt — if you can pick your days late in the window, pick storm-clearing mornings.
- →Treat the BPA powerline corridor as your eastern reference line; east of it you're back in general-season GMU 117 rules and other hunters.
Watch out for
- !This is a legally closed area — entering to hunt without a special permit or valid reservation is a criminal violation, not a gray area.
- !Active military survival training runs day and night in these drainages most of the hunting season; expect flares, personnel, and vehicles, and give exercises a wide berth.
- !Permits can be reduced or canceled in a given year (2024 saw none in part of the program due to extensive logging) — confirm the current year's offering before building plans.
- !No cell service; late-season snow can close the boundary roads behind you.
- !GMU 117's general whitetail management is buck-only and CWD sampling rules now apply across Region 1 — check the current pamphlet before the hunt.
Logistics
The area sits in the timbered triangle between SR 20 and the Pend Oreille River valley. Cusick and Usk (south/east) have gas and a cafe-and-tavern level of services; Newport (about 30–40 minutes south) and Colville (west over SR 20) carry the motels, groceries, and sporting-goods. Dispersed national-forest camping is plentiful outside the closure boundary along the Tacoma Creek and Ruby Creek corridors. Cell coverage inside the closure is effectively zero — carry offline maps (the BPA lines and the two boundary roads are your legal edges) and a satellite communicator. Winter-grade tires and chains are smart for the late window.
Nearest towns: Cusick, Usk, Ione, Colville, Newport
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WAC 220-413-180 — Parker Lake Closed Area (Ruby Creek Rd/Tacoma Creek Rd/BPA lines boundary; USAF survival-training purpose; special-permit and reservation exceptions) · WDFW 2024 District 1 Hunting Prospects — Parker Lake Closure (~21,000 acres, terrain, SERE schedule, moose, 2024 logging suspension) · WDFW 2025 District 1 Hunting Prospects — Deer Area 1031 (special permit draw, late muzzleloader; Hunt By Reservation; buck-only management) · WDFW Deer Area 1031 Parker Lake hunt map (Parker Lake, Tacoma/Ruby/Cusick creeks, BPA lines, GMU 117) · Washington State Register 25-04-096 — 2025 rulemaking touching Parker Lake area boundaries and Hunt By Reservation access · Lists of John — Timber Mountain, Pend Oreille County (5,474 ft)
FAQ
- How big is Deer Area 1031 in Washington?
- Deer Area 1031 (Parker Lake) covers about 33 square miles, ranging from roughly 2,100 to 5,474 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Deer Area 1031?
- Approximately 100% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Colville National Forest (USFS). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Deer Area 1031?
- Whitetail Deer, Moose. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Deer Area 1031 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.