West side suggestions for a new hunter?

[gfaherty3]

I am planning on bow hunting this fall for the first time for both hunting and bow hunting, i have my license and deer and elk tags for the west side.  Can anyone give me some suggestions for where I should try?  I am looking forward to doing some scouting even if it is to get to know the land.  i moved to WA about two years ago so I am not very familiar with the state but have plenty of maps and the willingness to explore a bit I am just not sure where to start.
thanks.

[hogsniper]

Where at on the west side are you located??

[gfaherty3]

I live in Seattle

[hogsniper]

Well if you want to drive north then around the baker lake area is a good place...Not a ton of deer but they are there...Lots of bear, and if your a smoke poler then it might be another thing to think about for elk...Good areas along the river that are any elk and the season runs like 2 months...Almost all private land but the river has good access if you get out and look around...Thats the skagit if you were wondering...Good luck...Justin

[MIKEXRAY]

If you look around a little bit you will find the answer to your questions. Like in elk section page three there are two western washington hunting questions with pages of advice. Also in deer section. Good luck with your season and enjoy. I can't give any current advice because I moved my hunting to eastern side about six years ago and enjoy it tons more. I was tired of getting soaked, also more open country, easier to get away from the crowds. Once you narrow your area you want to hunt, give specific questions about the area chosen and you will get more answers and better detailed answers. Have fun.

[gfaherty3]

thanks.  I have a couple of areas to start looking and I plan on doing a lot more research.  If anyone has any more advice I would love to hear it.

[Snowman]

If your bow hunting for elk than down south of you would be better than north of ya. More room and more animals. Deer just go east of to the 460 unit or even south. Northern end is hard access, but are some good areas I believe the northern end is 2 point minium for deer, as some south areas might be to. Figure out your generall and likeMIKEXRAY said alot of your questions are already answered in different post, just got to go through and find them. If your hunting modern for deer good luck all areas get pretty well hammerd with people.

[southsoundjeff]

Something I found helpful too-
Once you've narrowed down your search a little, as it sounds like you have, I found "Google Earth" to be VERY helpful for chasing roads and finding acceptable terrain that looks likely.
And it's WAY cheaper than spending the gas money, but eventually I alwys end up with the boots on the ground.

[Snowman]

http://www.flashearth.com/  Try this better than goggle. I have goggle and this one shows everything way better and have not used goggle since. Found this on this site from another member.

[Little Fish]

SW Washington for elk.

Olympia and surrounding areas for deer.

[billythekidrock]

SW WA for both deer and elk.

[Little Fish]

What billy said works too.

[WDFW-SUX]

520 Winston for Elk

There are some really good bucks in 454 and 460.

[billythekidrock]

520 Winston for Elk

There are some really good bucks in 454 and 460.

Well Winston was the SW WA unit I was referring to. Lots of elk and some whopper bucks down there.

[gfaherty3]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the tip!