New hunter in Lake Sammamish area looking where to hunt

[horseraddish21]

I’m interested in hunting however I’m not sure where I could go. Alpine lakes wilderness sounds like a good idea but I was wondering if it gets crowded during the fall. I was also considering the Olympic Wilderness area but I still am not sure where to go. Also I’m not too sure which animal I’ll mainly be hunting.

[Mfowl]

Welcome! Everywhere will have crowds to some extent. It depends on what weapon type and season you are hunting. Rifle seasons will certainly be the most crowded. Decide on species/weapon type and start reviewing the regs. You can scout through the summer on your chosen area and go in to your season with an educated plan. If you plan on wilderness areas I would recommend a bear tag and bringing your rifle after August 1st on scouting trips. Hunt while you scout and do our herds a favor by killing a bear! Good luck, have fun out there!

[Rainier10]

  Welcome to the forum.  Mfowl gave some great advice.  Once you pick a weapon I would then look at deer hunting options close to home. Time in the woods is important and easier to do close to home.  The learning curve is steep so don’t get frustrated, it just takes time.

[Chesterdog]

Good luck to you.  It sounds like you're at the start of your journey and have a lot to narrow down and countless hours to kill on youtube and on this forum.  I hope your significant other is as forgiving as mine.  Talk to old timers as much as you can.  Spend some time on the WDFW site and youtube getting to know the Special hunt application process because that's coming up in April-May and can help guide you towards areas you might want to hunt.

[hunter399]

In the woods.
Where your target animal lives.
Game cam.

Then you can hunt.

[buckfvr]

Study wdfw harvest reports, then decide where to hunt. Dont waste your valuable time hunting where odds are next to zero.   

[GOcougsHunter]

Welcome to our obsession!   If new to hunting overall, I would greatly recommend focusing in on a species which has a high degree of getting some success.  I would suggest targeting bird species first, like duck or grouse.  There are lots of options for public access.  You can get into this type of hunting with relatively little gear and experience and have a decent chance of success.

Hunting the wilderness for deer or elk requires a high level of skill, a lot of specialized equipment, and has very low success rates as it is not easy.

Also, if you are totally new, look to groups like the First Hunt Foundation, which has a number of resources for new folks.

It's really important to nail down exactly what kind of hunting you want to do as your first entry into this sport as every kind of hunting has very different tactics, habitat, equipment, and the like.  Pick a species and focus on it to really get going.  Good luck and welcome to the journey.

[Buckjunkie]

Welcome HR21,

You need someone to take you under their wing. There is a lot to learn and few easy opportunities for someone who isn’t dialed in already. It depends greatly on your ability to read and decipher bs from legit information.

Get out there and meet people in the field, sporting good stores, wildlife banquets…

Talk to game wardens, biologists, and old guys that have quit hunting. They aren’t trying to hide anything.

Good luck!

[dmv9]

It would also help to introduce yourself. What's your experience? Weapon of choice? Level of fitness? etc...