I am READY! How do i get started?

[asaid]

Hi everyone! I am new to hunting & just got my license and tags    I am unsure how to proceed so i wanted to bounce a couple of ideas off of your collective wisdom.

Background: I  live in the Seattle area (fine..Kirkland to be more precise)  and as you would expect none of my friends hunt at all nor have an interest in doing so.Until i find someone to hunt with i intend to go hunting with my dog so my questions more have to do with the first hunt and precisely how to harvest the meat. I intend to hunt Deer & Elk with modern firearms (most probably in in eastern WA)

Here is where i am at:
1)Hire an outfitter or someone for my first hunt, i assume they can walk me through the harvesting part. How easy will it be to find an outfitter that has available spots for Deer or Elk hunting in WA? Should i expect them to be all booked solid? Yes i am will to pay but not a fortune!

2) I have spent enough weekends watching youtube videos on field dressing as well as the gutless method to disturb my girlfriend . Should i just try and hit public lands on my own and use the gutless method?

One way or the other i am going hunting!   But i also don't want to shoot an animal and not be able to harvest properly . What do you folks think? are there other options i am not considering.

And yes i know that i am assuming that i'll get something on my first hunt 

-Cheers!

[DoubleJ]

First off, DO NOT hunt with your dog.  That is illegal

[Stein]

If you can hire a guide, I would.

I bought the Outdoor Edge videos for processing and just did it.  First one went better than expected and now it is second nature.  It is much easier than most people think.  If you can get it back to the truck or near a tree and hoist it after gutting it will make life much easier I found out this year.

Make a good shot, get it quartered and on ice asap and you really can't screw it up.  Worst case scenario is you have a bunch of burger and stew meat, but, again it isn't rocket science.

[Fl0und3rz]

on dog.

Welcome to hunt-wa. 

Pick up regs, and read all the general info, pick a GMU you want to hunt, read the specific GMU and species info, then buy/review topo maps and review google earth for where you want to hunt for roads, features, etc.

I recommend a national forest area, for starters, to eliminate the whole private/state land ownership issue.

Good luck, get out there, and start learning about sign, habitat, and your gear. Rain gear for west side, if you do not have already.

[asaid]

Thanks for the feedback folks 

DoubleJ: the dog is for company not a hunting aid

[LDennis24]

Let me just say that bringing your dog even for a companion is a bad idea. For many reason's. If it chases even one deer or wildlife in general you will be in trouble. Also the deer will be able to smell your dog from a mile away and may spook before you ever see them. It's never a good idea to bring your dog unless it will be staying in your vehicle while you are out. Which is also not a good idea IMO. Give me a PM about where you are planning on going and I will give you what pointers I can. Good Luck!!!

[jagermiester]

Cold weather is your friend when you're new to the game.  If it's warm out get the meat hanging in the shade with the hide off. Separate the quarters. Big game hunting is a labor of love but make no mistake it's work. When done right you will cherish every cut of meat you eat that year. When done wrong you will disrespect the animal whose life you took. You're going to have the time of your life. Good luck.

[asaid]

Well i am glad i posted here first, i didn't know bringing my dog along would have been an issue! 

Thanks!

[Huntboy]

Here's another option, pm Bearpaw. Dale is the owner of this site and has a guide service. He also has a fee for a map with areas marked, where they have seen deer that could be helpful. I work with a gentleman who used one of his services last year, and said they had a great season.

[fishnfur]

   I second that motion.  Dale's hunts look like they'd be a lot of fun and I believe he's got access to some quality spots too. 

[WaltAlpine]

I second what all of these guys said.

I am relatively new to hunting and would also recommend reading the regs over and over.
Also I was turned on to this site before I ever went hunting and read through the deer and turkey sections and learned a huge amounts of very valuable information, and continue to get lots of great advice.

I have friends who have bought Bearpaws maps and had successful hunts.

My son shot a deer on our second day of hunting and we used the gutless method due to our location and it went great.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Billy74]

glad to see im not the only one in the "first time adult hunting" group.  Im just finishing my hunters ed and won't likely get out till next season so just hopeing to scout this year and maybe find someone I can tag along for a day or two to get some time in the field. 
I look forward to hearing how your first year goes.  Good Luck!

[Duckslayer89]

First off, DO NOT hunt with your dog.  That is illegal

That's all you have to say to someone asking for help? You can bring your dog just leave him in the truck man! Go find an area with lots of public national forest land to get your feet wet that's where I started

[fishnfur]

......and wear hunter orange even if you're not hunting.

[vandeman17]

Most my big game hunting this year will be done out of state. If yourself, or any other newbies, want to make a trek east of the bump for a weekend, I would be happy to take you out in the woods. Can't guarantee anything other than hopefully some knowledge acquired, a few good laughs and some good memories.

[Lincoln4]

Be patient.  I was also an adult beginning hunter.  I found people to hunt with with some minimal experience, but it took 4 years or so before we really started having consistent success.  Nowadays we generally go 3 or 4 for 4 every season.  Pay attention and learn.  Most importantly just enjoy being in the woods and it'll start happening...  Good luck!