Green horns doing some online scouting

[RedFire573]

Hey guys.

Me and a buddy are looking to go hunting for the first time. Tried to get some friends who hunt regularly to show us the ropes, but all of our options fell through. Were looking to be out for around 2-3 days in the field (work+school sucks), we've got our rifles sighted in, safety classes done, licenses bought, and now just trying to figure out a good spot to hunt.
Our primary objective is meat hunting, but also just looking to enjoy being out in the sticks for a while.

Were thinking about going to GMUs 251,249,245, or 244 since those are the closest to us that have white tail, and conveniently also mule, and its also within our maximum range (we're King County). From what ive read, both like to be in the plains, mule preferring drier spots, and white tail wanting more vegetation. Is this a solid knowledge base to start picking spots? Also, are the spots mentioned above any good, or are we better off checking out Region 4 or 6 for black tail? Were also willing to look into FFTH private lands.

[buckfvr]

Best place to start is harvest reports on wdfw site.  Region by region, unit by unit, pay attention to hunter numbers and success rates by percentage, plus view areas of interest on google earth to see road networks for access and areas that might get you some privacy.

Whitetail and mules are where you find them, top to bottom. Find them before hand if you can so you dont waste time.  Good luck.

[mburrows]

Look for places with good cover, water and feed. Emphasis on cover during modern rifle season. They can be anywhere, scouting in advance is a huge key to success and don’t over look small chunks of public. Keep it simple and keep the wind in your favor.

[RedFire573]

Thanks for the tip on that. Best kill percentage for modern for the mentioned GMUs was 18% at Mission. Probably not a wise area to go for purely meat harvesting, but im gonna have to go visit alpine for camping. It looks great!

small chunks of public

dumb question, is that what youd find on the private lands page, in the "feel free to hunt" section?

[Buckmark]

Thanks for the tip on that. Best kill percentage for modern for the mentioned GMUs was 18% at Mission. Probably not a wise area to go for purely meat harvesting, but im gonna have to go visit alpine for camping. It looks great!

small chunks of public

dumb question, is that what youd find on the private lands page, in the "feel free to hunt" section?

Harvest stats can be tricky, 18% is about normal for the areas you have mentioned, if it has a real high harvest rate its most likely alot of private ground.
You wont find say a 50% harvest stat for mostly public land areas, some of the mulie areas were in the mid to higher 20's years ago but have dropped off.

[RedFire573]

Thats good to know. Was getting real bug eyed at the rates in Whidbey Island before you reminded me to check the huntable area. So i suppose ill be going to either Mission/Swakane, or a Feel Free To Hunt area in Douglas county

[predatorG]

Thanks for the tip on that. Best kill percentage for modern for the mentioned GMUs was 18% at Mission. Probably not a wise area to go for purely meat harvesting, but im gonna have to go visit alpine for camping. It looks great!

small chunks of public

dumb question, is that what youd find on the private lands page, in the "feel free to hunt" section?

By public lands they mean National and State Forest, wilderness areas, DNR and BLM land. I personally use OnX maps to find out exactly where I am, what I can hunt, and whether or not the land is public or private. It’s a vital resource for me when I’m hunting. Public lands are a great asset but also face a lot more hunting pressure. Look for places away from main roads to help you get away from other people.

[mburrows]

Thats good to know. Was getting real bug eyed at the rates in Whidbey Island before you reminded me to check the huntable area. So i suppose ill be going to either Mission/Swakane, or a Feel Free To Hunt area in Douglas county

Get the app onxmaps or BaseMap to show you public Land. I’ve not spent anytime in mission but in swakane it’s a largely migratory unit, low deer densities in summer and early fall