youth hunt

[littlebuf]

how does the youth deer hunt work? is there a permit or drawing i need to put my daughter in for? shes 11 and will be taking hunters ed this year, i don't want to miss a deadline for putting in if that's what i need to do, but will she need her wild id # before i can put in for her. just not sure how it works this will be my first kid im getting into hunting, my oldest daughter was never interested.

[gasman]

She will have to complete and recieve her certication for the class before you can purchase a hunting lic or a special draw permit.

There are areas that the WDFW will have special youth seasons that she can hunt but not draw a tag for (most are doe hunts in NE WA)

[runningboard]

but couldn't she get a fishing license to get a wild ID and use that to purchase a special draw permit and just make sure she passes the course?

[huntnphool]

This is why I signed my daughter up for a class this month. She has a wild ID from fishing but needs the education cert. for hunting.

[littlebuf]

she's taking the class this month. so a youth hunt is a area and not a special draw?

[gasman]

As long as she passes the class before the due date for special draw, she can put in. You have to purchase a tag before you can put in for a special permit and in order to get a deer tag ypu must pass Hunters ED.

As for youth hunting areas, you will have to look atr the regs when they come out. Look in last seasons regs for a idea of where the youth season is. No special permit is needed for youth season during regular season.


I put my kids in for the Entiat youth permits and drew 4 years in a row with two kids, taged a doe every time.......
Awsome hut for the kids if they get drawn 

[Sneaky]

The okanogan permits are a good bet, I went 3/3 on my chiliwist hunts as a youth. But there is abundant youth opportunity as well without a permit in NE wa. They even let kids hunt the gap between early and late seasons one year, I don't know if they are still doing that or not.

 Thanks for taking a kid hunting.

[TheHunt]

I agree there are plenty of youth hunts.   I would suggest you used it as a teaching tool, as I did for my son.  Let them do and go where ever they wanted and after a little bit asked them questions to make him a better hunter (Have you checked the wind? Are we in the open? Where is the timber? Which way is the wind blowing? Last, which way is the wind blowing?  One more which way is the wind blowing?).  An example of something he has never done before was when it was snowing hard and he looked a doe he was going to shoot then decided it was too small for him (His choice) and when he made the gun safe and put the rifle on his shoulder he left the scope caps released (open).  I watched the scope fill with snow and when he found a doe of his liking he found his scope was full of snow.  Those types of lessons are what the youth hunt is all about and of course success.  My opinion is making it their hunt and a learning adventure at the same time.

[blacktail luv]

I reluctantly have to disagree with some of you.  I don't believe our state has nearly the youth opportunities that it could, compared to others.  Yes there are lots of opportunities for kids to shoot does, but maybe I have raised my children wrong.  Killing a doe just is not that much fun.  I am sure this will offend a few...sorry.  I was looking through oregon's regs today and they have a form for residents that guarantees the kids a controlled buck tag, a doe tag and a cow elk tag all in the same year to get them motivated.  I feel the better tags and areas in the state should be for children.  They are not nearly as patient or able to hunt as hard as us adults.  the wdfw should make it "easy" for kids to be successful, and hopefully the parents wouldn't be filling the tags for there children.

[Alan K]

If you want a west side youth hunt for deer you can't go wrong with the Skookumchuck.  It's any deer and the kids have the weekend before general season to themselves. At least they did before, don't know with the new seasons coming out.

Also, if there is any way to find out before hand, try to make sure the woman who runs the show in the Vail Tree Farm is opening up the gates for the kids.  I'm still pissed that in my last year of eligibility for the tag, I was drawn, and the (insert inappropriate word for a woman here) decided to keep the gates locked up for youth weekend. I walked in and still got plenty of action. 

In my opinion its a guarenteed opportunity at a 2 pt, if not 3 pt.

My sister drew the tag a few years ago and ended up shooting a nice 2 pt.  She had opportunities at 3 other 2 pts, two spikes, and a three point (which made it to the reprod too fast), before settling for the buck she took. 

[Alan K]

Also, kids can usually draw the tag two to three times if they get started at an early enough age. 

[TheHunt]

I reluctantly have to disagree with some of you.  I don't believe our state has nearly the youth opportunities that it could, compared to others.  Yes there are lots of opportunities for kids to shoot does, but maybe I have raised my children wrong.  Killing a doe just is not that much fun.  I am sure this will offend a few...sorry.  I was looking through oregon's regs today and they have a form for residents that guarantees the kids a controlled buck tag, a doe tag and a cow elk tag all in the same year to get them motivated.  I feel the better tags and areas in the state should be for children.  They are not nearly as patient or able to hunt as hard as us adults.  the wdfw should make it "easy" for kids to be successful, and hopefully the parents wouldn't be filling the tags for there children.

Youth hunts are for kids.  I believe the fish and game department should not give top buck and elk units to kids.  They would not know what they had in the first place.  And 99.9% of the parents would be putting the kids in so they could hunt.  Doe tags pull the stupid parents out of the equation.  If you teach your kids not to shoot a doe then put them in the other draw units.  There sure are plenty of those draw units to put in for.

   

[Jason]

I reluctantly have to disagree with some of you.  I don't believe our state has nearly the youth opportunities that it could, compared to others.  Yes there are lots of opportunities for kids to shoot does, but maybe I have raised my children wrong.  Killing a doe just is not that much fun.  I am sure this will offend a few...sorry.  I was looking through Oregon's regs today and they have a form for residents that guarantees the kids a controlled buck tag, a doe tag and a cow elk tag all in the same year to get them motivated.  I feel the better tags and areas in the state should be for children.  They are not nearly as patient or able to hunt as hard as us adults.  the wdfw should make it "easy" for kids to be successful, and hopefully the parents wouldn't be filling the tags for there children.

I agree there are not enough youth permit opportunities in Washington, why not give them a few more premium Elk or Deer permits?, some hunters may not like that because their not getting the tags but youth need the opportunities too, give out more youth tags for the ruts, also master hunters get way to many Elk tags, give some of those tags to the youth, Seniors and the Disabled. 

[Pathfinder101]

In most of eastern Wa there are opportunities for a youth to shoot a whitetail doe without drawing a special tag.  The plan for my boy was to buck hunt the early season with me, then if he didn't connect we were going to head up to NE Wa (where my mom lives) an hunt the youth season up there for a doe.  We lucked out and he killed a muley buck opening day down here.
 
I figure there's no sense in wasting draw years on a doe tag, so this year when I put him in it will be for quality buck hunts (so he can start building points).  Might actually throw me off a little if he gets drawn...but I'll cope...

[TheHunt]

In most of eastern Wa there are opportunities for a youth to shoot a whitetail doe without drawing a special tag.  The plan for my boy was to buck hunt the early season with me, then if he didn't connect we were going to head up to NE Wa (where my mom lives) an hunt the youth season up there for a doe.  We lucked out and he killed a muley buck opening day down here.
 
I figure there's no sense in wasting draw years on a doe tag, so this year when I put him in it will be for quality buck hunts (so he can start building points).  Might actually throw me off a little if he gets drawn...but I'll cope...

That makes sense to me...

[JBar]

If you want a west side youth hunt for deer you can't go wrong with the Skookumchuck.  It's any deer and the kids have the weekend before general season to themselves. At least they did before, don't know with the new seasons coming out.

 

Great tag for the kids, I'll be putting my daughter in for this again this year. My son drew it a couple of years back and they were not going to open the gates but after some persuassive e-mails to the lady at Weyerhaeuser Julie Keoh I think was her name and she opened it up. I did understand her stance about keeping it closed but she did come through for the kids that year. I sent a letter to F&H news and to her thanking her for supporting the youth.