Hello all. I'm a 43 year old man looking for a mentor to teach me the in and outs of blacktail deer hunting here in Western Washington. Mentoring for other deer species and elk would also be welcome.
By way of background, as my subject line says, I'm new to the sport of hunting as I did not grow up in a hunting a family. I grew up in whitetail country in the midwest and always felt kind of left out in the fall when the kids who did come from hunting families went out with their Dads. I always wanted to give hunting a try but never really knew anyone to teach me, or was too shy to ask. I moved to Washington with my family about 6 years ago, and with the variety of game species here, I figured it's now or never. :-)
I also have two boys who are the right age now that I could share this with them once I get a handle on it myself. I guess you could say I'm interested in starting a new family tradition.
I've been working with another mentor who knows mulies and whitetails and will be taking me on my first mule deer hunt this fall. He's also been helping me select gear. But he's not a Washington native either and doesn't have any experience with blacktails. The fact that they're native to the Pacific Northwest, and have a reputation for being elusive really piqued my interest in learning to hunt them. I live in Pierce County but am willing to travel.
If this sounds like something you're interested in, send me a message. Thanks in advance for your time!
