new hunter

[savage.270]

 im a new hunter and nobody in my family hunts or shows any interest in hunting so im havin a hard time figuring out where to hunt deer in western washington. if anybody could help me out that would be great. im just askin for help with a good place to get started not honeyholes. thanks.

[Birdguy]

Savage, you know not to ask for honey holes, thus I assume you have been lurking a while  . Good for you, and welcome  . That being said, give us a little more info and you will receive more info.  Where are you located? How far are you willing to travel? What weapon will you be using? What kind of shape are you in? Have you hunted before if so what area? You may be new to hunting but do you have any woodsman skills (map reading, GPS knowledge, hiking, camping, etc)? All this info will allow someone who is looking to help you out really meet you at your current skill level. If you have never hunted, hiked, camped, and are "really new" the Vail zoo might be a place to send you where there will others around (a good and bad thing) but will get you the chance to get your feet wet. If you live in Vancouver and plan to hunt muzzle loader sending you info on the North Cascades archery hunt will be no good.

Hope this all makes sense and you get what you need, narrow the field and help will follow  .

[savage.270]

i modern rifle hunt with a .270 my family is a camping family just not hunting one of my friends got me into it and thaught me a wee bit about it. and im in finje shape and am willing to hike pretty far into the woods. i would rather stay on the western side of the state but i could probably manage both sides. im just loookin for a place to get started

[Chinook73]

Based on that information, I suggest the Vail Farm on the opener.  Don't worry about scouting.  Just drive in around 5:00am, look for the sign that takes you to C-unit and wait.  I am sure the something will happen eventually.

[Kingpuck]

I think there are a lot of us in the same boat. New to hunting and not really sure where to start. One piece of advice that others have given to me is to start getting in the outdoors and read as much as you can. The library is your friend. Learn what deer need for living and find areas that have lots of that and few people. Get ready for a fun ride. Hoping to put a deer down my first year too.

[B-Nut]

I am in the same boat myself. I've been lurking for a bit on this site just trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can. I plan on doing some exploring in my area to try and find some good grounds when I get a chance and the weather is a bit better.

[bobcat]

I see from your profile that you're from Orting.

I would not go as far as Vail, but would suggest finding some areas closer to home that you can scout thoroughly before the season.

I don't care for Vail, not necessarily because of all the people, but because you are not allowed to scout.

I enjoy hunting much more if I can hunt areas that I am familiar with and have an idea how and where I want to hunt, rather than relying on random luck.

[head hunter]

You can get good info from the states web site, the number of kills in what area. could help you in narrowing it down. 

[unluckyjohn]

First thing I would do is check last years regs for open general areas that you can get to a lot. maybe spend a few bucks on green trail maps of the areas or look at google maps to get ideas on staying away from towns and public roads. find closed gates and hop on a mountain bike that you can have a leg up on getting away from the road hunters and cover as much new country as possible. like others will say you need to start finding areas now. look for a few areas and get to know them well. the better you learn the areas and what the deer are doing the better your chances will be. don't be afraid to get off the roads, deer need food, water and cover. find them and you should find the deer. a lot of hunters in one place isn't always that there is a lot of deer. Welcome to the great sport of hunting and good luck to you

[WA hunter14]

you wouldnt happen to be tony would you?

[savage.270]

pretty good guess. im assuming WA hunter14 is Evan?

[savage.270]

i looked up vail earlier today and have been there before. i just didnt know it. it was in an archery season when i didnt even have my license so it didnt recognize it as a place to hunt. but i remember it from the experince i had there and didnt like the number of people there and why cant you scout there?

[bobcat]

i looked up vail earlier today and have been there before. i just didnt know it. it was in an archery season when i didnt even have my license so it didnt recognize it as a place to hunt. but i remember it from the experince i had there and didnt like the number of people there and why cant you scout there?

I say you're not allowed to scout because there is no motorized access allowed until opening day of rifle deer season, and even then I believe it's only on the weekends. The rest of the time you can park at the gate and walk in but that's a lot of country to try to scout from the main gate.

[savage.270]

i did not know that. thanks for your guyses help. very much appreciated

[gadwall]

I think there are a lot of us in the same boat. New to hunting and not really sure where to start. One piece of advice that others have given to me is to start getting in the outdoors and read as much as you can. The library is your friend. Learn what deer need for living and find areas that have lots of that and few people. Get ready for a fun ride. Hoping to put a deer down my first year too.

Hey all you veterans out there.  We need to help these new guys out as much as we can to continually promote our sport!!  We don't have to give up the honey holes, but let's help.

Gadwall