New to hunting in Washington

[Kain]

Very limited range for huntable squirrels in WA.
Eastern Grey Squirrel
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_eastern_gray_squirrel.html
Fox Squirrel
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_fox_squirrel.html

Same with the European rabbit
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_european_rabbit.html

As for eating squirrels and raccoon that is up to you to try them and see if you like them.  There is nothing wrong with eating a raccoon as long as it is healthy.  A lot of guys love the taste of bobcats also and they can be called in with predator calls.  plus the hides are worth some money.

[Kain]

Oh and btw whats bag/possesion limit? Does bag/possession limit of 5/15 mean I can get 5 per day until I have 15 total? If so say I get 15 total and eat 5, then can I go out and get 5 more?

Correct daily bag limit of 5.  Total possession limit of 15.  Eat 5 of the 15, go get 5 more.    If you can do that your first year hunting you will have hit the mother load of rabbits.  Most of us hunt coyotes to manage the population.  They eat a ton of small game and fawns so it is in a hunters best interest to hunt them.  Sometimes there are reasons to hunt other than food but that is up to you to decide.

[Atroxus]

Correct daily bag limit of 5.  Total possession limit of 15.  Eat 5 of the 15, go get 5 more.    If you can do that your first year hunting you will have hit the mother load of rabbits.  Most of us hunt coyotes to manage the population.  They eat a ton of small game and fawns so it is in a hunters best interest to hunt them.  Sometimes there are reasons to hunt other than food but that is up to you to decide.

I had not considered that aspect of coyote hunting. I think I may reconsider my stance on that if hunting coyotes might help improve the availablility of edible game. thanks for the perspective.

[Atroxus]

Very limited range for huntable squirrels in WA.
Eastern Grey Squirrel
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_eastern_gray_squirrel.html
Fox Squirrel
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_fox_squirrel.html

Same with the European rabbit
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/mammals/WA_european_rabbit.html

As for eating squirrels and raccoon that is up to you to try them and see if you like them.  There is nothing wrong with eating a raccoon as long as it is healthy.  A lot of guys love the taste of bobcats also and they can be called in with predator calls.  plus the hides are worth some money.

Wow those are some depressingly small areas, and unless my geography is worse than I though, most of those areas seem to be in or near city limits. Any idea where I could find similar maps to show where ground squirrels, cottontails, snowshoe hares, coyotes and raccoons live?

[Kain]

Wow those are some depressingly small areas, and unless my geography is worse than I though, most of those areas seem to be in or near city limits. Any idea where I could find similar maps to show where ground squirrels, cottontails, snowshoe hares, coyotes and raccoons live?

Yep mostly city limits.  Eastern grey squirrels are an introduce species and are not protected but they are mostly in large city areas.

Here is a map feature to find out where there is huntable land near you.  It took me a bit of messing around to figure out how to use it but it is helpful.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/mapping/gohunt/

Nature mapping for Washington.
http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/maps/wa/#mammals

[lokidog]

You can hunt voles and shrews year round, just need a hunting license....  

Not sure why they are in the hunting regs.

You might be able to find squirrels near towns but make sure you are not hunting in the "city limits."  I don't know anyone that actually goes after them here in WA.  Rabbits are another tough one (can't shoot the native pygmy cottontails), unless you are in the San Juan Islands, then you might be able to get permission from someone to hunt, as many consider them pests out here.  I just remembered, you can't use a .22 out here in the firearm restricted areas, just get the .454 casull out after them....

Don't let the raccoon naysayers scare you off!!  Raccoon is very good eating, as long as you get ALL the fat off the meat when you clean it.  They are really good if you quarter them (don't forget the backstrap), and toss them in the slow cooker for the day with some cream of mushroom soup or beef broth/boullion.  I wouldn't worry about them eating "garbage".  Unless they are picking up toxins like poisoned pigeons or something, it all gets turned into meat.  If they are eating dead salmon or something like that they could get a bit stronger tasting.  

You might find some local farmers that would let you spotlight raccoons in their barns.  You can set out apples or other bait to get them coming in regularly.  A trail camera would be handy to figure out what time they come through.  Head shot on a raccoon is the best as they can run a long ways with a .22 round to the lungs.  

If you need to borrow a shotgun, I can probably dig one up for you to use.  Turkey season is coming up this spring.  Check out the pawnshops around, usually good prices on shotguns at least.  Also, a .22 might be a little light for coyote (yeah, I know you can kill them with the right shot placement but you don't want to start out your hunting career with wounding animals, even coyotes...).

If you can, just spends a lot of time shooting so you know what your abilities are.

Good luck.  PM me if you want.

[Atroxus]

You can hunt voles and shrews year round, just need a hunting license....  

Not sure why they are in the hunting regs.

You might be able to find squirrels near towns but make sure you are not hunting in the "city limits."  I don't know anyone that actually goes after them here in WA.  Rabbits are another tough one (can't shoot the native pygmy cottontails), unless you are in the San Juan Islands, then you might be able to get permission from someone to hunt, as many consider them pests out here.  I just remembered, you can't use a .22 out here in the firearm restricted areas, just get the .454 casull out after them....

Don't let the raccoon naysayers scare you off!!  Raccoon is very good eating, as long as you get ALL the fat off the meat when you clean it.  They are really good if you quarter them (don't forget the backstrap), and toss them in the slow cooker for the day with some cream of mushroom soup or beef broth/boullion.  I wouldn't worry about them eating "garbage".  Unless they are picking up toxins like poisoned pigeons or something, it all gets turned into meat.  If they are eating dead salmon or something like that they could get a bit stronger tasting.  

You might find some local farmers that would let you spotlight raccoons in their barns.  You can set out apples or other bait to get them coming in regularly.  A trail camera would be handy to figure out what time they come through.  Head shot on a raccoon is the best as they can run a long ways with a .22 round to the lungs.  

If you need to borrow a shotgun, I can probably dig one up for you to use.  Turkey season is coming up this spring.  Check out the pawnshops around, usually good prices on shotguns at least.  Also, a .22 might be a little light for coyote (yeah, I know you can kill them with the right shot placement but you don't want to start out your hunting career with wounding animals, even coyotes...).

If you can, just spends a lot of time shooting so you know what your abilities are.

Good luck.  PM me if you want.

Thanks for the info. I just sighted in my rifle last week with a new bushnell 3-9x scope and my best 5 shot group at 50 yards was just barely over an inch. So I am fairly confident I can take down the game cleanly if I can get close enough. I think with some more practice I can probably bring that group size down even smaller though.

I may take you up on the loan of a shotgun. I don't want to buy one *yet* though. I am on a pretty tight budget, so what spare money I can scrape up is going towards my .30-06 fund for deer/elk.  I know already that I like the taste of deer/elk because I was in a group home as a teen and we got poached animals, and salvageable roadkill donated to us. *yum*

[Kain]

A 12 gauge shotgun is a great all around gun.  From small game and birds to big game and home defense.  If you are going to be hunting the west side of the state there are lots of shot opportunities with a slug.  Just something to think about if you can only get one gun. 

[Atroxus]

A 12 gauge shotgun is a great all around gun.  From small game and birds to big game and home defense.  If you are going to be hunting the west side of the state there are lots of shot opportunities with a slug.  Just something to think about if you can only get one gun. 

Good points. One of my other reasons for wanting a rifle for deer/elk though is that I already have reloading equipment for metallic cartridges. So I am planning on handloading my ammo for deer/elk to help keep costs down.(least thats what I am telling my wife) I also have very little experience with shotguns, but I know already I am reasonably accurate with a scoped rifle. Eventually I may get a shotgun as well, maybe next year, but for now my goal is to have a weatherby vanguard synthetic chambered .30-06 in time for 2010 deer and/or elk season.

[Jerry malbeck]

Save your money for better glass and buy a savage . weatherby is way over priced and over rated.

[Atroxus]

Save your money for better glass and buy a savage . weatherby is way over priced and over rated.

From what research I have done the savages seem quite a bit more expensive than the weatherby vanguard, and as far as I can tell don't gurantee their accuracy. The vanguard guarantees 3 shot groups less than 1.5" at 100 yards. You are the first poster I have seen with anything bad to say about weatherby.  Everything else I have read says that the weatherby vanguard is plenty accurate/reliable enough for hunting, and it's pretty hard to beat the $399 price listed on the weatherby web site. If savage makes a .30-06 around that price point I have not been able to find it.

[Thefisherman83]

If you are truely looking for a budget rifle, check out the Mossburg 30/06.  They run $250 and shoot just as good as most rifles in the lower price range.  With the savings you could almost afford a mossy 500 12 guage.

[Jerry malbeck]

Just what i have heard from guys that own them ,accuracy is not what they claim , hearsay? could be , The savage rifles are true tack drivers , and reasonably priced . dont believe a guy behind a gun counter , do some research . just trying to help you out . jerry .

[lokidog]

A guarantee of 1.5 inches isn't much of anything....  Every .30 cal. rifle I have shot has had better than that; 1917 Eddystone 30-06, 2 - Moisin Nagents that are over 60 yrs old (7.62X54), Remington 760 30-06, Browning A-bolt 30-06, out of the box or off the shelf.  I think even my grandpas old Model 94 30-30 shoots at least as well as that.

The point is, don't get hung up on a manufacturers claim.  The experiences of members on this site are probably more accurate.

Don't discount used guns either, the savings could be well worth a ding or two on a stock and if the gov't doesn't know about it, all the better....  Plus most people selling a gun would probably let you take it to a range to shoot, can't do that at Cabelas.

[Straight Shooter]

No disrespect to the previous posters, but personally, I own both Savage and Weatherby (Howa, S&W/Mossberg 1500) products.  

For examples...

My S&W 1500 in '06 is a shooter... much better than 1.5 moa and consistently out-shoots both my Ruger .308s.  I agree, a 1.5 moa isn't something that I would get too excited about.  1.5 moa rifles would definitely spend a lot of time in my guns safes... collecting dust and waiting to be sold or traded)

My "budget" Stevens 200 in .223 will shoot 1/2 moa all day (did the 1 minute trigger adjustment) with my "pet" factory loads.  

Haven't shot my new Howa Axiom in .223 yet, but I have no doubt that it will shoot 1/2 moa or better.  I'm looking hard a Tikka, but my next purchase will may very well be another Stevens 200, but in .243.  I can afford "better", but... "accurate is accurate" and "reliable is reliable"... and (as stated by others) with the $$ saved, you can upgrade the glass.

My point is that, you really can't go wrong with either manufacturer... it's about personal preference. 

Another rifle that I would take a hard look at is the Marlin XL7.  It is getting great reviews and you can pick one up for around $300.00 (sometimes less) retail.