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You're probably more likely to kill a bear than any other game animal in WA. August and September up high in blue berry fields is a good bet. Deer and elk, especially in SW WA is getting harder and harder due to timber co property becoming pay to play. If you're willing to pay for a permit it opens a lot of ground up to you. Heading east of the mountains opens a lot of ground, but deer numbers are down, as are elk. Permits are hard to draw, and elk with a rifle is spike only unless you're hunting non-traditional elk units. Things you can expect to accomplish:- Nice sunrises- Lots of exercise and fresh air- Lots of company during rifle seasons- Nice sunsetsThings I wouldn't expect to accomplish, at least off the bat:- Filling your freezer- SolitudeThere is a reason many WA residents are heading out state to hunt these days, it's not because we're all rich. All of this being said, if you spend the time out and about and do your scouting and due diligence, you can have great success in WA, it's just harder than other places.
Maybe I came off a little strong. These other guys are right, there is certainly success to be had here in WA. Like I said, it's just tougher than other places. Some good suggestions have been made about hunting predators, and turkeys. Both of those will get you in the woods and exploring, and that is really half the battle in finding good hunting locations for other species. One of the best deer hunting spots I ever found was found while bear hunting. Bear hunting in this state is very good. There are lots of bears, and in August and September, they are pretty consistent and easy to find. They like to walk roads leaving big piles of berry filled crap every few feet. When you get to an area they are using, it's very easy to ID. The plus to this is that berry fed black bears are exceptional table fare, and you can kill two a year. The bonus to that is you are doing local deer and elk herds a favor by removing predators. My suggestion for 2020 would be to buy whatever tags you are interested in hunting, pick an area and get in there in August and start bear hunting, and while doing that, you will learn the habits of deer and elk that frequent the area.
Hello 172nd, fellow Vet here. I started hunting from scratch 8 years ago. First 4 years were a painful learning curve. It clicked after that and I’ve shot 4 deer in the last 4 years.Biggest tip I can give: Don’t give up, it only takes 1. First few years, I would go out, Not see anything, and move or give up. Sometimes you just have to grind through and you will eventually see something.Not sure what your territory is like. But around here you really need to let your glass do the walking. I use to put boots to the ground and walk all day. I shudder to think of how many animals I walked past. Now I go from one vantage point to another and spend an hour or two just glassing.
It's not all doom and gloom. If you put in effort you can and should be successful. Starting from scratch is hard. You'll have to learn a good area and then learn how to successfully hunt. For me that came with trial and error.Start by looking at harvest statistics for elk. Also, start with bears in August. Find ripe berries and lots of bear poop. Hunt there and you'll kill bears.
