2019 planning

[ljsommer]

I am starting to notice a trend here. Does anyone actually hunt WA with any hope of success?

I do, but once you start hunting out of state a lot, you realize how much better hunting can be than here in Washington.


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  It is significantly more expensive but worth it. I pretty much only hunt birds in WA anymore. I didn't hunt elk at all and hunted half a day for deer after I got my buddy his first buck.

Geeze that's depressing. Out of curiosity, for those with families how do you swing out of state hunting? The time investment seems really significant.

[mburrows]

The time and money investment is a matter of prioritizing in my opinion.  Its definitely a significant investment of your time and money.  Might mean not buying new gear and putting that money towards gas, might mean driving at nights so you can maximize family time and hunting time. 

Figure out how much the hunt you want to go on will cost and consider gas, tag expenses, lodging/food/gear requirements then put money into an account or shoe box on a weekly or monthly basis.  That helped me better absorb the costs of going out of state.  Give yourself a 10% cushion as well to cover unexpected trip costs.

[Dhoey07]

I am starting to notice a trend here. Does anyone actually hunt WA with any hope of success?

I do, but once you start hunting out of state a lot, you realize how much better hunting can be than here in Washington.


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  It is significantly more expensive but worth it. I pretty much only hunt birds in WA anymore. I didn't hunt elk at all and hunted half a day for deer after I got my buddy his first buck.

Geeze that's depressing. Out of curiosity, for those with families how do you swing out of state hunting? The time investment seems really significant.

I hunt the cheapest out of state elk option....and it just happens to be the closest.  If you're on the fence about out of state...take a look at harvest stats and ask yourself how you would like to spend your hunting season......

[vandeman17]

I am starting to notice a trend here. Does anyone actually hunt WA with any hope of success?

I do, but once you start hunting out of state a lot, you realize how much better hunting can be than here in Washington.


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  It is significantly more expensive but worth it. I pretty much only hunt birds in WA anymore. I didn't hunt elk at all and hunted half a day for deer after I got my buddy his first buck.

Geeze that's depressing. Out of curiosity, for those with families how do you swing out of state hunting? The time investment seems really significant.

I don't got out to eat more than a few times per year, don't go to movies, don't buy coffee etc. Point is, I make out of state hunting a priority and I save money accordingly. As for vacation, I am similar in that I don't really take time off besides one trip in the spring to get away from the snow. Other than that, my vacation is ear marked for hunting trips.

[Karl Blanchard]

Whether you take a week off to hunt deer in Washington or a week off to hunt deer in Idaho you are still gone a week so that is a moot point.  You don't have to stay in a hotel, you don't have to eat out at restaurants, and if you take a partner you're splitting gas. If you eliminate the cost of the tag the hunt itself isn't that much more expensive. I would be willing to bet most guys spend more for a week at Elk camp then I do out of state. I've seen the camp setups and food menu's guys post on here.  Hundreds of dollars just in food!  I'll be $80 tops into a 9 day hunt for food and honestly I don't even think that food cost is a factor in a hunt since whether you are at home or on the mountain you are still going to consume groceries.  Really the only expense  that is valid is fuel and tag costs.

Like others have said, if it's a priority to you
, then you budget for it and you make it happen. You're not getting any younger and you never know when tomorrow may never come so quit talking about it and go do it!

[BULLBLASTER]

Whether you take a week off to hunt deer in Washington or a week off to hunt deer in Idaho you are still gone a week so that is a mute point.  You don't have to stay in a hotel, you don't have to eat out at restaurants, and if you take a partner you're splitting gas. If you eliminate the cost of the tag the hunt itself isn't that much more expensive. I would be willing to bet most guys spend more for a week at Elk camp then I do out of state. I've seen the camp setups and food menu's guys post on here.  Hundreds of dollars just in food!  I'll be $80 tops into a 9 day hunt for food and honestly I don't even think that food cost is a factor in a hunt since whether you are at home or on the mountain you are still going to consume groceries.  Really the only expense  that is valid is fuel and tag costs.

Like others have said, if it's a priority to you
, then you budget for it and you make it happen. You're not getting any younger and you never know when tomorrow may never come so quit talking about it and go do it!

Well said by the shiny head! 
Unless you go with coach, then he likes to stop for coffees and snacks all the time and loves eating out.   

[Jimmy33]

I am starting to notice a trend here. Does anyone actually hunt WA with any hope of success?

I do, but once you start hunting out of state a lot, you realize how much better hunting can be than here in Washington.


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  It is significantly more expensive but worth it. I pretty much only hunt birds in WA anymore. I didn't hunt elk at all and hunted half a day for deer after I got my buddy his first buck.

Geeze that's depressing. Out of curiosity, for those with families how do you swing out of state hunting? The time investment seems really significant.

I take my kids with me. I don’t get crazy with it. I usually concentrate on three yearly deer tags.


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[andrew_in_idaho]

There are two services that I hate with all my heart and soul but you couldn't pry from my cold dead hands and that is Onyx and go hunt. They have changed the game immensely. Used to have to do all this stuff the hard way and it kept the barrier-to-entry somewhat High because people either didn't know how to navigate land ownership and draw odds and whatnot or were too lazy to learn.  They have made it basically dummy proof to get tags and go hunt.  A lot of the easier to draw tags or over-the-counter stuff where that way because they took some MacGyver in. With that said they've saved me a lot of man-hours and a lot of headache

Not being an onyx user, how does it help with planning?

In my experience just being able to quickly get a glance at public/private interface before deciding whether a unit is worth applying for. All those units in Wyoming with the little asterisk about limited access, OnX maps will help you determine if a unit has enough access to apply and then navigate it once you are there. My cousin and I took 2 buck antelope in 2 days from a 2nd choice limited access antelope unit in Wyoming this year. Never could’ve done that without OnX


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[Ryans71]

I'm probably the world's worst trophy hunter . I just like seeing new places and having a good time. Plus anywhere I go is probably going to be better than Washington. Heck half the fun is the researching and planning.

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Haha.....as I was reading this thread I was thinking the same thing.  100% agree. 

[bornhunter]

There are two services that I hate with all my heart and soul but you couldn't pry from my cold dead hands and that is Onyx and go hunt. They have changed the game immensely. Used to have to do all this stuff the hard way and it kept the barrier-to-entry somewhat High because people either didn't know how to navigate land ownership and draw odds and whatnot or were too lazy to learn.  They have made it basically dummy proof to get tags and go hunt.  A lot of the easier to draw tags or over-the-counter stuff where that way because they took some MacGyver in. With that said they've saved me a lot of man-hours and a lot of headache

Not being an onyx user, how does it help with planning?

In my experience just being able to quickly get a glance at public/private interface before deciding whether a unit is worth applying for. All those units in Wyoming with the little asterisk about limited access, OnX maps will help you determine if a unit has enough access to apply and then navigate it once you are there. My cousin and I took 2 buck antelope in 2 days from a 2nd choice limited access antelope unit in Wyoming this year. Never could’ve done that without OnX


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You should get a commission. I just ordered OnX.

[Jimmy33]

I'm probably the world's worst trophy hunter . I just like seeing new places and having a good time. Plus anywhere I go is probably going to be better than Washington. Heck half the fun is the researching and planning.

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Haha.....as I was reading this thread I was thinking the same thing.  100% agree.

100% agree. I just like chasing mule deer and there aren’t enough tags offered here in Washington for me...


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[huntnphool]

Whether you take a week off to hunt deer in Washington or a week off to hunt deer in Idaho you are still gone a week so that is a mute point.

 You do mean "moot" point right Karl?

@jjhunter

[Karl Blanchard]

Whether you take a week off to hunt deer in Washington or a week off to hunt deer in Idaho you are still gone a week so that is a mute point.

 You do mean "moot" point right Karl?

@jjhunter

  :chuckle:talk to text strikes again

[BULLBLASTER]

I had a 2019 planning conversation with the wife the other day. Added difficulty in planning with a baby due in February but she told me to add up all of the apps I need to pay for this year and we can plan accordingly. App choices may change with the unknown how life will be with the little one but I still get to plan for 2 weeks away plus weekends (assuming baby and mom are healthy).

She even asked what “must have gear” I need to plan for. New bow here I come!

[jjhunter]

I’m so beat down from 2018, I’m gonna need a couple of months to heal before I think about 2019.   

I did book my trip to the Expo in Feb so maybe that will break me out of my depression.