blacktails are tough. this side of the state the woods are incredibly thick, rain-forest like. they are real tough to find. you can buy bull elk tags 3 pt minimum over the counter for western wa, but it's so thick even they are tough to find. 3-4 hour drive one way will get you almost to all 4 corners of the state. be prepared for very hot temp's in august in eastern wa. it is very arid and desert-like in most areas. columbia basin, winthrop, twisp areas are all good for sightseeing and hunting. do some sight-seeing and decide what you think. you will probably like it.
oh yeah, by the way, there are still lots of seatlleites out hiking, etc in october. you can't go wrong with the fishing though, either...flyfisherman by chance??