Let's talk about hunting....

[mud]

My basic advice is get Sayleans book about bears, buy a tag, get out and hunt. Look on Google Earth, maps, a begain to learn an area . Chances are it will hold bear, deer, yotes, possibly cougar. Boots on the ground and bear seasons get you out in good weather.

Funny, I'm in the middle of Ralph Flowers' book now.  We've been on some sites, but I haven't located an easy/efficient way to find/view public lands.  The rules about fed vs state vs DNR vs Nat forest rules are different for each and easily confused by a newcomer that can't ID the difference. I like to think I'm not the only one, anyways!

Since time is a factor, find the closest unit that has doe tags and put them in for it, it may take two years to draw. Also I would put them in as a group so they both draw if the other does. 

I was thinking this as well.  The group thing I'd never heard of.  I'll be looking into it, Thanks!

Gear. Do you have packs, knives, game bags, cams etc.?

We have the basics, but lack proper packs/cold weather gear for sure.  Will need to buy rifles, but that's another thread.  They're both 5' and 90 lbs, so my .308 may be too much.

I think there are tons of resources out there for new guys now. There are some awesome podcasts and youtube channels that have tons of info if you prefer those over reading.

Podcasts:
Gritty bowmen, randy newberg,  meateater, shootin the bull

interested in waterfowl? Thats a good way to get your feet wet and get outside with washingtons long season

Nice!  I found Meat Eater through the folks here.  Been awesome to watch, and keeps the kids interested as well.  Will have to do some research on the rest...

My advice is to take advantage of youth hunts to get your kids hooked on the outdoors!

There are special youth seasons that are very good for turkey, deer, and bird hunting. I also agree that going bear hunting in areas open in August is a great idea. There are youth doe hunts in October, you could hunt bucks while your boys hunt doe or buck. One of the most important things for youth hunters is that you wet their appetite with some success!

You can enter your boys in our contest for a free youth guided turkey hunt including all kinds of free gear here: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,199364.0.html

Exactly what I was thinking, I'm just not sure of all the opportunities that exist for kids-seems like they're out there if one knows where to look.  Saw your post in the youth forum, that's awesome of you guys! 

Ran out of time, will have to reply to the rest later.  Thanks all for taking the time to respond!

[garrett89]

My basic advice is get Sayleans book about bears, buy a tag, get out and hunt. Look on Google Earth, maps, a begain to learn an area . Chances are it will hold bear, deer, yotes, possibly cougar. Boots on the ground and bear seasons get you out in good weather.

Funny, I'm in the middle of Ralph Flowers' book now.  We've been on some sites, but I haven't located an easy/efficient way to find/view public lands.  The rules about fed vs state vs DNR vs Nat forest rules are different for each and easily confused by a newcomer that can't ID the difference. I like to think I'm not the only one, anyways!

Since time is a factor, find the closest unit that has doe tags and put them in for it, it may take two years to draw. Also I would put them in as a group so they both draw if the other does. 

I was thinking this as well.  The group thing I'd never heard of.  I'll be looking into it, Thanks!

Gear. Do you have packs, knives, game bags, cams etc.?

We have the basics, but lack proper packs/cold weather gear for sure.  Will need to buy rifles, but that's another thread.  They're both 5' and 90 lbs, so my .308 may be too much.

I think there are tons of resources out there for new guys now. There are some awesome podcasts and youtube channels that have tons of info if you prefer those over reading.

Podcasts:
Gritty bowmen, randy newberg,  meateater, shootin the bull

interested in waterfowl? Thats a good way to get your feet wet and get outside with washingtons long season

Nice!  I found Meat Eater through the folks here.  Been awesome to watch, and keeps the kids interested as well.  Will have to do some research on the rest...

My advice is to take advantage of youth hunts to get your kids hooked on the outdoors!

There are special youth seasons that are very good for turkey, deer, and bird hunting. I also agree that going bear hunting in areas open in August is a great idea. There are youth doe hunts in October, you could hunt bucks while your boys hunt doe or buck. One of the most important things for youth hunters is that you wet their appetite with some success!

You can enter your boys in our contest for a free youth guided turkey hunt including all kinds of free gear here: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,199364.0.html

Exactly what I was thinking, I'm just not sure of all the opportunities that exist for kids-seems like they're out there if one knows where to look.  Saw your post in the youth forum, that's awesome of you guys! 

Ran out of time, will have to reply to the rest later.  Thanks all for taking the time to respond!

I would suggest try to find a local outdoors guy in your area for tips and tricks. Remember minimum big game caliber is .24.

[Duckgtr]

Get in contact with me closer to duck season and I may be able to take you guys out

[WSU]

I'd take a long weekend for rifle deer on the east side.  There are places where the chances for success are high and deer camp is fun whether you are successful or not.  I'm sure someone can point you to a public land spot that fits the bill.

[Dhoey07]

Find some national forest on either google maps or a handheld map and start driving.  Find some water and do some hiking.  Look for trails and deer sign, and either mentally mark them or gps them.  It's about exploring.  Have fun 

[Eric M]

I don't know what shotguns you have but that isn't necessarily a limitation on the west side. A lot of mammals get killed every year with them (in addition to waterfowl and turkey). Have you looked at the harvest reports on the fish and game website? They also do an outlook thing that is like a biologists summary of an area. Once your seeing some numbers you like, get the GMU map and pick some areas to scout. For blacktail I suggest reading the books by Boyd Iverson and Scott Haugen. Saylean's book is the one for bears. (Douglas Boze). Maybe fool around with google earth. Go drive to the end of a road. Walk around then come home and google earth it. You'll start getting an idea of how to scout on google earth, knowing what an area looks like in person and then how it looks online. If an area is good, mark it with their pin feature. The best way to learn an area is to spend time there. You don't need a lot of expensive gear to spend quality time with the boys. I do suggest a GPS for the wandering. I don't think I've ever spent a day in the woods without seeing something interesting. Take pictures. Have fun. Good luck.