Tired of WA tag soup

[RadSav]

We have some of the best public land Whitetail hunting in the U.S.

A buddy of mine on the east coast called wanting advise on hunting whitetail out west.  He is a complete whitetail fanatic.  I sent him to Montana where he got on a three year waiting list to hunt some private property with fine deer in good numbers.  And the wait was worth it as he harvested a real good buck. Then he gets home and starts looking at the "2013 Bucks - Post them here" thread on H-W.  He calls me up flipping me grief for not having him hunt Washington!  He lives in whitetail central and is now dreaming of coming to Washington to hunt big western bucks.  Guess no matter where you live a guys going to want to jump state lines to find something better.  Nothing wrong with that...even if your destination ends up being Washington state and you can only get one tag!

[DBHAWTHORNE]

The units in Washington that have decent success rates for deer are 99% private land. Other states like Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming have the same success rates in units that are almost all public land.

Washington doesn't even come close to having good public land hunting like other states have, in my opinion.

..unless you are after Whitetail.. We have some of the best public land Whitetail hunting in the U.S.

Yes, I won't argue with that. I guess I was mostly thinking of blacktail, since that's what I hunt when I hunt from home, and mule deer, because that's what I hunt when I go east.

Hear that everyone? If you want to kill a deer, go to the NE for whitetails! (It's easy)   

NE is ok but SE is much better. 

[DBHAWTHORNE]

We have some of the best public land Whitetail hunting in the U.S.

A buddy of mine on the east coast called wanting advise on hunting whitetail out west.  He is a complete whitetail fanatic.  I sent him to Montana where he got on a three year waiting list to hunt some private property with fine deer in good numbers.  And the wait was worth it as he harvested a real good buck. Then he gets home and starts looking at the "2013 Bucks - Post them here" thread on H-W.  He calls me up flipping me grief for not having him hunt Washington!  He lives in whitetail central and is now dreaming of coming to Washington to hunt big western bucks.  Guess no matter where you live a guys going to want to jump state lines to find something better.  Nothing wrong with that...even if your destination ends up being Washington state and you can only get one tag!

 ... Between WA and ID there are certainly some great OTC public land whitetail opportunities.

[boneaddict]

Anywhere you can hunt and there are probable world record bucks around, you are in good shape.

[Killmore]

The pasture is always greener on the other side, I say Montana or Wyoming, I always say if more people would go out of state hunting they would realize how bad Washington is. Yes Washington has some OK places to hunt but over all it does not come pair to most western states. It has a lot to do with people numbers verses animals numbers. Look up hunter days in washingtons harvest reports and that will tell you a lot. The one that blows me away is gmu 340 for elk harvest. If memory serves me its like 347 days per kill, If a person hunts everyday of the season (9 days) that's close to 40 years to kill a elk!!! That means a lot of people will never harvest a bull..and  by going out of state there is also the adventure to exploring and site seeing our western states.

[MTMule]

Success rate in W. Washington is pretty horrid for those of you making it sounds like its easy. Id like to know how many spikes you have killed in the last 5 years if you get one ever year.

[RadSav]

Success rate in W. Washington is pretty horrid for those of you making it sounds like its easy. Id like to know how many spikes you have killed in the last 5 years if you get one ever year.

We spread our deer around the state so western Washington success is not each year.  We both love muledeer hunting so Westside deer are our backup plan in most years.  But to answer your question I think the last spike we killed was 2001.  That year we both took spikes on the same day late in the season.  Probably another five years back to find the next one.  There have been a few does between then and now too.

[buckhorn2]

I like to hunt about anywhere I can afford to go but to keep saying scout it is;nt possible to do so easily out of state. We go to eastern mt. and there are a lot more deer to see standing in fields and open hill sides but I still like to hunt Washington. When you say scout a lot of people think that means look for animals. I don't see many where I hunt but I do see rubs;trails piles of elk poop things that let me know where things live and use. I watch the road for elk tracks probley more than I glass but when I find a place they are using it's where I will look when I am hunting. Just saying I think if a person spent as much time looking for trails and sign when the time is right you will see deer.

[Button Nubbs]

I like to hunt about anywhere I can afford to go but to keep saying scout it is;nt possible to do so easily out of state. We go to eastern mt. and there are a lot more deer to see standing in fields and open hill sides but I still like to hunt Washington. When you say scout a lot of people think that means look for animals. I don't see many where I hunt but I do see rubs;trails piles of elk poop things that let me know where things live and use. I watch the road for elk tracks probley more than I glass but when I find a place they are using it's where I will look when I am hunting. Just saying I think if a person spent as much time looking for trails and sign when the time is right you will see deer.

Very good post. I rarley see animals in the areas I scout, but I'm typically not looking for them. I'm looking for sign or areas I can tell they have been using.

[bowhuntersd]

To be honest with you, deer are really simple to kill in this state.

I'm sorry but I have a problem with this statement. It is a very AREGENT thing to say. 
I hunt, and hunt hard and I'm eating both tags elk and as you say SIMPLE DEER.

[buglebuster]

To be honest with you, deer are really simple to kill in this state.

I'm sorry but I have a problem with this statement. It is a very AREGENT thing to say. 
I hunt, and hunt hard and I'm eating both tags elk and as you say SIMPLE DEER.

Sorry if my opinion offends you, oh wait no i'm not. I wasnt the only one who agreed with that statement either 

[Jonathan_S]

To be honest with you, deer are really simple to kill in this state.

I'm sorry but I have a problem with this statement. It is a very AREGENT thing to say. 
I hunt, and hunt hard and I'm eating both tags elk and as you say SIMPLE DEER.

Is it AREGENT?  It might be a bit arrogant but I can tell you it's basically true.  You can hunt hard all you want but if you're not hunting right, you'll continue to eat tag soup.  I could stomp around in the NE woods all I wanted after a mature whitetail buck but would receive 100x more opportunities if I sat in a tree or groundblind.

The only difference with some states is that there are different seasons and more deer.  How many deer do you need to choose from and how many weeks do you need if you understand the deer?  Less than you think.  Washington is an incredible state to hunt in several ways.

[xXLojackXx]

Somebody put together a book of RadSav's comments. I want the first copy  so entertaining to read.

[RadSav]

Somebody put together a book of RadSav's comments. I want the first copy  so entertaining to read.

Not sure if that is a compliment or I should be insulted

[Jonathan_S]

Somebody put together a book of RadSav's comments. I want the first copy  so entertaining to read.

Not sure if that is a compliment or I should be insulted

I would take it as a compliment!  Many on here could have their posts compiled for a study by psychologists