New to deer hunting

[Stape]

   Hey all, pretty new to the area and to deer hunting in general.  I have hunted my whole life, but all small game, varmint hunting and waterfowl.  Want to deer hunt and I have all the equipment for modern or muzzle-loader, but the areas are pretty vague.  When I look into the big-game pamplet for areas, what is free to hunt and what isn't?  Case in point, I head out to a GMU, and once out there, of course lots of woods, but how do I know what is legal or not?   I moved here from Texas, and there, you get a public land book that specifies and has maps that put you pin-point on where to go, but up here it seems like they kinda just point you in a very broad area and let you figure it out on your own.   I have a buddy that I duck hunt with, and he heads over to easter Wa every year to get his deer.  I am invited and theres so many deer where he goes it's almost a no-brainer, but it's 6hrs away.  I know theres got to be some good hunting over on the western side, but I don't know too many folks who deer hunt.  I shoot muzzle loader as a hobby, and reload for everything I shoot and do so quite often.  I'm not worried about my skills, but just getting in an area I can scout out.  Any ideas or advice is appreciated.  Take care.

[saylean]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm

(Big Game Hunting Rules, on the left hand side of the page)

That should get you started in the right direction. It is a bit difficult at times to figure out what is what, just read it carefully and if all else fails, ask about it on here, perhaps we can offer more exact answers for specific GMU's. Best of luck in your hunt.

Saylean~

[Antlershed]

The pamphlet just gives you a general boundary description of the GMU and then it is up to you to figure out where you can go. In Washington it is up to you (the hunter) to know whether you are on public or private land. You may cross onto some private property and not know it (no fences), and you would still be at fault. Do you know a general area or GMU you would like to hunt?

[Stape]

  I am in Bremerton and have drivin allot of 633 and 627, kitsap and mason counties.  I'm not after a trophy, but one of the reasons I have never really persued deer hunting is that the majority of times I have been on public land waterfowling or varminting, the areas were packed with deer hunters out beating the brush or leaving trash behind, so I'd like to get as far away from that as possible.  Some of the logging roads I drive in mason county have fresh clear-cuts, been out and seen allot of deer traffic and scat, but I'm not sure how hunting goes on the timber companies land.

[ZEN]

Same rules apply to Timber land in terms of it being our responsibility to know where we're at and whether the company participates in a public access program.  Even if they do you gotta figure out specifically if that stretch of land is accessible.  So, you get on the horn   No big deal.  Have a short list.  Read it and ask yourself if the CS representative is gonna say, "that information is on the website."  Be ready for a concise conversation.  Road closures change every year too.  A lot of county websites have census data that can provide at least last years property outlines and no shooting areas.  Call the Sherrif.  Call the DNR and get a recreational map set.  It's like $25 for 10 maps.  Quadragle maps subdivide the counties.  They illustrate all the boundry lines within very precisely.  But they cover a smaller area for the same price as a larger map. Then you work backwards.  Total land minus no-shooting - residential +/- permission access only - State Parks - camp and recreational areas = Still equals A LOT of land in our state.  You just gotta be willing to scour the resources.  Between the Quads and the Rec. Set you shouldn't need much else.  They'll answer a lot of your questions and your follow ups will be worthy of an easy phone call.  I use a Delorme Atlas, a Road & Rec Atlas with topo shading, A Rec Set, HuntingWashington.comof course, and the champion as well...I mean to say that after you get maps you get Google Earth and start plotting your areas.  Make a route, shift the camera angle and experience your trip in 3D topo-full color.  Helps prepare you see what your getting into. 

[edmondshunter]

When you finally pick a gmu to hunt, stop at the local ranger station and the county clerks office.  Both of these resources can really help.  The clerk can tell you of easements between private land parcels that can provide legal access to public land. Ive had good luck with that tactic in the Skagit area were all/most the Pub. land is surrounded by private land. 

And if the hunting regs. specify a gmu as any elk or any deer,  you might have a hard time hunting that area.  "Any elk", usually means, if you can find one you can shoot it cause it will be that hard to find. 

Hope this helps