Post by: GypsySouls on April 20, 2016, 12:48:05 AM
I just moved up here from Texas and I'm having a hard time finding a place to hunt and understanding all the regulations. Is there a class I can take that breaks everything down? I have a learning disability that makes it really hard to understand what I am reading. Is there anywhere to hunt without a lottery or special permit. The more I read the more confused I get. Thanks in advance!
Post by: Fl0und3rz on April 20, 2016, 01:57:21 AM
You are not confused. You are in the right side of the state, for starters.
Over the counter hunts abound in WA, but you'll have to understand the seasons and the gear requirements. There is plenty of national forest land on the west side and east side of the state that is open without any special permit. State land is another ball of wax, so I will defer to others.
Start by picking your quarry and your weapon type and start looking into the regulations. You'll find the state is divided into game management units (GMUs) and your local Sportsman's Warehouse probably carries GMU maps that might help.
Here is a GMU search tool that you might find useful to find areas you are interested in.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/gmu/
There will probably be people along to tell you about the WA state hunter ed class, and I will defer to the more knowledgeable people to fill you in.
Good luck and keep coming back with specific questions.
Post by: syoungs on April 20, 2016, 06:24:23 AM
Post by: Jonathan_S on April 20, 2016, 06:28:26 AM
Post by: bobcat on April 20, 2016, 06:37:15 AM
Buy your license and tag online, and go hunting. Your best bet would probably be to hunt the National Forest land to the east. (Blue Mountains)
edit: I forgot- you'll probably need to buy your first license at a license dealer instead of online, as you will likely need to show proof of taking a hunter education course. (Unless you were born before Jan. 1, 1972)
Post by: DaveMonti on April 20, 2016, 06:49:07 AM
The bottom line is that there are general seasons for each, modern firearm, muzzle loader, and archery. All you need to do is purchase a license and deer tag over the counter at any outdoor store and many supermarkets.
You will have to select what type of weapon, modern firearm, muzzle loader, or archery, when you purchase your tag.
There is plenty of public land in this state. Finding a place where there is deer and not many people is a different story! Texas is mostly private land hunting on leases. You won't find that here in WA. If you develop a good relationship with a landowner, they may allow you to hunt.
There are many species to hunt, from three deer species, two elk species, black bear, cougar, coyotes, lots of waterfowl along the Columbia and other large bodies of water, turkeys, you name it. If you see a wolf, well, don't tell anyone if you shoot it!
As I said, I'll help you through the regs if you'd like. Just send me a personal message. I don't know all the ins and outs, but from an outsider's point of view, I can relate to the confusing nature of WA hunting.
Post by: GypsySouls on April 20, 2016, 10:05:23 PM
Post by: GypsySouls on April 20, 2016, 10:13:18 PM
Post by: GypsySouls on April 20, 2016, 10:31:37 PM
Post by: bobcat on April 20, 2016, 10:44:55 PM
Next question: How do the wildlife areas work? Are you able to hunt them if you have a discovery pass or do I need to look more into that?
I assume you're talking about the WDFW wildlife areas. If so, yes, you can hunt them, and no you don't need a Discover pass. You do need your WDFW vehicle pass which you will get free with the purchase of a hunting or fishing license. The Discover pass is needed for Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) lands. It's also valid for the WDFW lands, but as a hunter you don't need a Discover pass for that purpose.
This might help with the Wildlife Areas:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/
Post by: SilkOnTheDrySide on April 21, 2016, 06:22:38 AM
This is important as you don't want to be hunting a unit that is closed for special permit use only.
It also lays out the antler restriction of each of those units.
Moose, goat, sheep is by special draw only.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: tonymiller7 on April 21, 2016, 06:57:19 AM
Thank you very much for all of your responses. I hunt archery and rifle for big game mainly, I'm not a trophy hunter just want to put some delicious organic meat on the table. @DaveMonti I will shoot you a PM. Thanks again all for the advise I will read the regulations guide a couple more times and come up with more specific questions since my last one was very vague.
Additionally one thing that will be different for you is that you have to choose which weapon for which species you will be hunting.
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 21, 2016, 07:08:41 AM
Another thing: If you're planning on hunting elk and haven't been on an elk hunt before, there's a lot of work to do prior. Besides being in great shape and scouting the areas you wish to hunt, you'll need to have a plan for bringing them out once you get one. They're big freakin' animals - 3 to 4 times the size of a big TX buck.
If you have a Garmin GPS with the ability for a chip, the OnX Maps chip for WA is a good investment. It'll show public land (state and federal), and landowner boundaries, as well as the GMU boundaries. It's a huge help when you don't know an area and it'll keep you out of trouble.
Post by: DaveMonti on April 21, 2016, 07:10:15 AM
The GMUs are clearly defined, and you can zoom in and see different colors on the map, signifying different types of land ownership. To figure out what each color on the map means, click on the "Basemap" drop down menu on the upper right of the map, and select "More info" at the bottom of the menu. Scroll down in the information window and you'll see a list of public lands and the corresponding colors.
This will get you started in identifying public land. Not real easy, I realize, but it's what I use to initially determine if land is public.