New Guy here coming in from Alaska

[Spruce_Stalker]

I'm looking forward to what appears to be decent squirrel hunting down in Clallam county. I've been pegging them and spruce grouse in my area up in Alaska with a .25cal airgun for years now-but it appears my airgun presently will only be legal for the tree rats. anyway Hi nice to meet you guys. One curiosity-do any of you get involved in pest or nuisance animal control in WA?  I'm going to be in a bit different of a world compared to the regs I'm accustomed to. Thanks.

[Gringo31]

Welcome to the site!

I wish I had more info to give you to your question but ......... I'd reach out to some of the trappers as they may have more insight.

 

[Jerry malbeck]

I was a NWCO for WA state for several years, They imposed so many regs on us that i opted out. No leg hold or body gripping traps without special permits and a ton of paper work. I doubt you will be interested. Also no dogs allowed for coyote control. Best of luck to you.
 

[Spruce_Stalker]

I was a NWCO for WA state for several years, They imposed so many regs on us that i opted out. No leg hold or body gripping traps without special permits and a ton of paper work. I doubt you will be interested. Also no dogs allowed for coyote control. Best of luck to you.

I'll be honest; when I first went hunting for squirrel in AK, which was actually well into my lifelong time here, I came back emptyhanded and talked to a fantastic State Park Ranger when he asked me what I was hunting I said squirrels, and under hunting there was no open season whereas the rest of the state was no closed no limit. After dodging a bullet by not being in possession, he discovered some obscure point in the law that I was unaware of-he asked me if I had a trapping license on me, which incidentally for the first in 20+ years I held a trapping license, I did. Ultimately he said I was able to hunt squirrel under a trapping license because the "means and methods' specifically for the purpose of humane dispatch, includes a rifle...point being, that alone gives me a headache thinking about how convoluted a process it is for me just to say that what I'm doing in the woods, with an airgun, to squirrels specifically, is legal in the state of Alaska, where I am moving from. My father has griped since his move from AK to WA a few years ago, about the regs being a good deal more complex.  I suppose you're right man, I doubt I would be interested in giving fingernail clippings and my undeerpants size to use a conibair in the wild.

Too many housecats running around the wilds of WA eh? It's ok Alaska has it's drawbacks too-places I used to hunt as a child I now see a thousand child-minded doing stupid things I won't repeat, while jostling for positions in the field with regard to the animals, with some outright aggressive behavior toward other hunters.

[optic2]

I'm looking forward to what appears to be decent squirrel hunting down in Clallam county. I've been pegging them and spruce grouse in my area up in Alaska with a .25cal airgun for years now-but it appears my airgun presently will only be legal for the tree rats. anyway Hi nice to meet you guys. One curiosity-do any of you get involved in pest or nuisance animal control in WA?  I'm going to be in a bit different of a world compared to the regs I'm accustomed to. Thanks.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_squirrel/

I don't think there are any squirrels you can legally hunt in Clallam county.

[Skyvalhunter]

Its not too late to change your mind.

[Spruce_Stalker]

Its not too late to change your mind.

haha too right eh? Alaska is the most beautiful place on earth, but it is a brutal mistress, and currently the economy is in a terrible place. I have looked for various jobs, but those jobs have been taken by unemployed oil company executives. (I joke) but seriously, I've noticed that the quality of pizza delivery vehicles has gone way up the past two or three years.

[Spruce_Stalker]

I'm looking forward to what appears to be decent squirrel hunting down in Clallam county. I've been pegging them and spruce grouse in my area up in Alaska with a .25cal airgun for years now-but it appears my airgun presently will only be legal for the tree rats. anyway Hi nice to meet you guys. One curiosity-do any of you get involved in pest or nuisance animal control in WA?  I'm going to be in a bit different of a world compared to the regs I'm accustomed to. Thanks.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_squirrel/

I don't think there are any squirrels you can legally hunt in Clallam county.

I was under the impression that squirrel (I gun usually for reds) was harvestable/huntable under "other game".  I'm hunting with a .25cal airgun, which makes it even more dicey. Any additional resource I'd be glad to receive.

[optic2]

I'm looking forward to what appears to be decent squirrel hunting down in Clallam county. I've been pegging them and spruce grouse in my area up in Alaska with a .25cal airgun for years now-but it appears my airgun presently will only be legal for the tree rats. anyway Hi nice to meet you guys. One curiosity-do any of you get involved in pest or nuisance animal control in WA?  I'm going to be in a bit different of a world compared to the regs I'm accustomed to. Thanks.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_squirrel/

I don't think there are any squirrels you can legally hunt in Clallam county.

I was under the impression that squirrel (I gun usually for reds) was harvestable/huntable under "other game".  I'm hunting with a .25cal airgun, which makes it even more dicey. Any additional resource I'd be glad to receive.

Read through that link, it tells you which species you can hunt and also shows you distribution maps for different squirrel species.

[Spruce_Stalker]

I'm looking forward to what appears to be decent squirrel hunting down in Clallam county. I've been pegging them and spruce grouse in my area up in Alaska with a .25cal airgun for years now-but it appears my airgun presently will only be legal for the tree rats. anyway Hi nice to meet you guys. One curiosity-do any of you get involved in pest or nuisance animal control in WA?  I'm going to be in a bit different of a world compared to the regs I'm accustomed to. Thanks.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_squirrel/

I don't think there are any squirrels you can legally hunt in Clallam county.

I was under the impression that squirrel (I gun usually for reds) was harvestable/huntable under "other game".  I'm hunting with a .25cal airgun, which makes it even more dicey. Any additional resource I'd be glad to receive.

Read through that link, it tells you which species you can hunt and also shows you distribution maps for different squirrel species.

Wow I just lost all desire to move there.

[nwwanderer]

Collared doves and starlings can keep your airgun busy, welcome to Washington?

[Spruce_Stalker]

Collared doves and starlings can keep your airgun busy, welcome to Washington?

so I have to ask, if I want to park at a trailhead in WA, and just walk into the woods or mountains with my pack and tent...and come back to my truck after 2 or 3 nights....what happens? In Alaska, as long as my vehicle looks alaskan, with hiking gear in the back and I'm obviously a resident, I haven't had to pay park access fees in 20 years. Obviously I expect greater enforcement on parking fees...but will I have trouble finding a place to just disappear into the wilderness for awhile?

[HuntnFishnRyan]

Collared doves and starlings can keep your airgun busy, welcome to Washington?

so I have to ask, if I want to park at a trailhead in WA, and just walk into the woods or mountains with my pack and tent...and come back to my truck after 2 or 3 nights....what happens? In Alaska, as long as my vehicle looks alaskan, with hiking gear in the back and I'm obviously a resident, I haven't had to pay park access fees in 20 years. Obviously I expect greater enforcement on parking fees...but will I have trouble finding a place to just disappear into the wilderness for awhile?

possibly a broken window and stolen items. No seriously we got BLM, state land, federal land, DNR land here. All different rules for overnight camping. I would say its pretty well enforced especially in western wa. They are just itching to pass out tickets and raise a little revenue for the state coffers. Clallam county has a high suicide rate as well. Just an FYI.

[optic2]

Collared doves and starlings can keep your airgun busy, welcome to Washington?

so I have to ask, if I want to park at a trailhead in WA, and just walk into the woods or mountains with my pack and tent...and come back to my truck after 2 or 3 nights....what happens? In Alaska, as long as my vehicle looks alaskan, with hiking gear in the back and I'm obviously a resident, I haven't had to pay park access fees in 20 years. Obviously I expect greater enforcement on parking fees...but will I have trouble finding a place to just disappear into the wilderness for awhile?

For state lands (DNR, state parks) you'll need a discover pass(http://discoverpass.wa.gov/). For all federal lands I suggest getting a interagency annual pass (https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/passes-permits/recreation-fees-passes), it will be good or all federal lands (USFS, NPS, BLM, etc...).

NO HUNTING ALLOWED IN NATIONAL OR STATE PARKS.

[JimmyHoffa]

Collared doves and starlings can keep your airgun busy, welcome to Washington?

so I have to ask, if I want to park at a trailhead in WA, and just walk into the woods or mountains with my pack and tent...and come back to my truck after 2 or 3 nights....what happens? In Alaska, as long as my vehicle looks alaskan, with hiking gear in the back and I'm obviously a resident, I haven't had to pay park access fees in 20 years. Obviously I expect greater enforcement on parking fees...but will I have trouble finding a place to just disappear into the wilderness for awhile?

You'll have plenty of opportunity to escape into the woods in Clallam and Jefferson counties.  The vehicle should be fine as long as it isn't in a tweeker hotspot (Duckabush River Trailhead for example) or along a busy road (the 101 beach parking lots).  You only have to pay for forest circus if you park in the improved 'fee' area, otherwise you can park in the pull outs right at the edge.  Discover Pass would be a good idea to go to DNR land to escape other humans.  As for airgun hunting, probably not much in the woods.  The fields around the east part of the county might have the most pests like collared dove.  I'd look at a small game license and a .22 and then you have bobcat, grouse, coyote, rabbit, coon?, etc.  Or go .223 and get a cougar license.

[Spruce_Stalker]

optic, and jimmy, thank you for your replies. I can appreciate your mention of no hunting in the parks optic-honestly I've been very spoiled up here in AK-as I live very close to a State Park. Now, there is what is called a "special use hunting area" and I mean it's OLD FASHIONED.  What I mean is this-the hunters and trappers work very hard to preserve the right to harvest game in this particular area...Even though it's a state park, there is a small sliver of land (which on foot is actually enough to demand a 2 or 3 day hike just to cover all the ground, honestly) sheep, moose, and small game can all be taken here. However, despite the Alaska law being written to say that you can shoot an animal within x-number of yards from a road, the State Park Ranger (a de-facto game warden who also serves in law enforcement functions to include effecting arrests of fugitives and wildland firefighting operations AND broken down four-wheeler removal-the guy's position is versatile) basically breaks it down this way-"please hike in to point x before you begin shooting" thus it's a gentleman's agreement. Now the reason for this is that the trailhead is at the end of a road that also includes a lot of aging hippies and people looking for peace and quiet. It would be diplomatically speaking, unsound practice to go against that request, and it leads into one of the curiosities I have about WA and it's many forest service roads, and a point that was alluded to by Jimmy.  Alaska used to have a TON of roads, pull-outs and the like, that used to be accessible when I was a kid back in the 90s.  Because of greenies transplanting to Alaska to ruin wilderness access for those using motorized transport...in addition to youngsters and tweakers destroying them...the various landowners (whether BLM or DNR or Native Corporations) would gate them off and give no access at all.  This, I will bet is a more recent development than the current structure in WA...I mean even in regular campgrounds we have drunken fights with people shooting each other.  Gun battles at a place called Maude Road or "Jim Creek" here have made a cross section of those who are out there to look pretty bad.  The isolation of a lot of these spots is what makes criminality easier to get away with-is this more limited in WA? Besides Duckabush, are there other places to avoid to keep away from the junkies and children?  In the past, when I've left my vehicle in a place for longer than a night, I just leave a note on my truck saying there is nothing of value inside and threatening extreme violence (tongue-in-cheek, not serious, but the perp doesn't know that) should I find someone breaking in. I'd like to not feel the need to do that any longer...LE in AK basically shows up after trouble. Is the policing in the area reasonably effective? I will check out those links and see what I can learn about access.

[JimmyHoffa]

The situation for Duckabush was that there are a small group of cabins on that road not far from the trailhead.  Tweekers are (or were) living out there causing havoc.  The forest service knows about them, the station in Quilcene told me they know exactly who is causing the problems, but until they're caught in the act or leave some evidence there's nothing they can do.  I think there's only one LE ranger for the entire FS land on the peninsula, used to be four of them.  The only other trailhead that might be kind of sketchy could be the Gray Wolf or Slab Camp trails, lots of traffic passing by.  Most all the others that lead you into the wilderness for a few days are out of the way enough that folks won't really bother.  I rarely see any 'hunting rigs' that look like they were messed with out in the woods.  Seems like the very few cars that got prowled are usually new Subarus or Volvos.

[Malitia T.]

The maps that are shown from the link provided are not very accurate, I'm a wco and there are lots of eastern grey squirrels all along the I-5 corridor from Seattle to Vancouver BC, they are non-native and there is no season for them. I don't know what's out on the peninsula but it will determine if you can hunt them or not.