Being originally from Pennsylvania, I must admit I struggled mightily trying to find worthwhile public hunting land and deer in eastern WA. If we had a deer here for every "POSTED" or "NO HUNTING" sign we'd have a 80% success rate! Anyways, I learned some valuable lessons over a course of 5 years while hunting public land, some of which are incredibly obvious. If possible, SCOUT, SCOUT, SCOUT during the off-season. The most important thing is to get as far off the beaten path as possible. Avoid dirt roads and old logging trails like the plague (especially if there's a lot of vehicle traffic or foot traffic) and get into the thickets and and heavy cover between these roads/trails. Let other hunters move the deer to you and don't freak if you have a hunter move through. I've killed 2 bucks within 15 minutes after a hunter moved through (one of which came from the direction the hunter headed). Head uphill and onto the "flats" and locate the bedding areas, usually in the thickest, hardest to reach areas, then locate their feeding areas and position yourself accordingly. Avoid hunting the same area day after day, you could very well contaminate the area despite your best efforts. Don't expect too much during the warm early season (I use it primarily for scouting), but hunt hard during the late season when the rut is on and it's colder. This one is a bit tougher but, if possible, avoid weekend hunts and hunt during the week.