Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Out Of State Hunting => Topic started by: Ironhead on December 29, 2019, 08:45:55 AM
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I am curious how many people are hunting outside of Washington and why. I began hunting out of state in 93 just to see what other areas and states had to offer.
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A couple reasons I hunt out of state is better opportunity. I like states like AK because you can actually hunt remote areas with a chance to see a diversity of wildlife. Plus animals we don't have here.
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We do pretty much every year. It’s a combination of better opportunity and longer seasons. Also, I prefer to spend my time and money in states that have shown me they care about hunters and hunting. Part of the reason I hunt wa less and less is because I don’t really care to give them my money.
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I started with AZ in about 2000 so I could hunt with family. We started applying in most other western states in 2006 to increase opportunities for great tags. Have had some great adventures in cool places I would not have seen otherwise. I also like the challenge of learning a new unit/animal/style of hunting. Can be super frustrating as you climb the learning curve, but then super rewarding when you put in the work and figure it out.
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Have had some great adventures in cool places I would not have seen otherwise. I also like the challenge of learning a new unit/animal/style of hunting.
:yeah:
I had some amazing adventures I was able to share with my father. Its fun applying your skills to new situations as well. Its extremely rewarding. These kind of hunts can be embraced like a once in a lifetime hunt here and they often become that epic. I am old school, so the hours pouring over maps etc just adds to the overall experience. The roadtrip often a rewarding part of the trip.
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Long seasons, fewer people and more and different animals.
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I started with AZ in about 2000 so I could hunt with family. We started applying in most other western states in 2006 to increase opportunities for great tags. Have had some great adventures in cool places I would not have seen otherwise. I also like the challenge of learning a new unit/animal/style of hunting. Can be super frustrating as you climb the learning curve, but then super rewarding when you put in the work and figure it out.
I spent quite a bit of time in AZ, just makes me angry when I come back home and see our abysmal elk and what it COULD be here.
Lot of family there including an uncle that did some TV hunt shows, he's fun to hang out with
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I am in 2020. Heading to idaho tuesday to start wolf / cougar hunting the morning of the 1st. Have 2 bear tags ill try to fill this spring. Also bought a deer tag, but whether or not i put it to use pretty much depends on how cooperative my buck ill be targeting in wa next year (if he survives until then) decides to be. But i anticipate in the very near future i wont find a buck around here worth the effort, and at that time my primary deer hunting will be idaho. Wdfw just isnt offering a quality product as far as deer / elk hunting goes.
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dont yet but really looking hard at it in very near future
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Thinking about ID in 2020.
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Thinking about ID in 2020.
People who think about it too long dont get to buy tags. Better just get while the gettins good.
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I started hunting out of state in 2005, it started out with just upland hunting and has now morphed into big game as well. I have not bought a license in Washington now for at least ten years and never will again. I mainly hunt Montana, be it birds or deer you see more in a day over there than in a whole season over here. As a matter of fact for me I will officially retire tomorrow at 61 and when I wake up on January 2nd. I will be a Montana Resident.
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Haven’t yet, but am planning on trying to branch out this year as time/$$ allows
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I mainly hunt Montana, be it birds or deer you see more in a day over there than in a whole season over here.
:yeah: Hunting is a lot more fun when you see critters regularly!
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Does the lack of quality hunting in Washington factor into every ones decision to hunt out of state?
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Ironhead, it did for me..
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Not so much in the beginning, but more so now
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Does the lack of quality hunting in Washington factor into every ones decision to hunt out of state?
Yes, but I wouldn’t give up on Washington. Herds are always fluctuating up and down. It’s been down where I hunt here in Wa for a few years, so I have been putting more effort in other states.
The key is to build points in as many states as you can afford and hunt when herds are healthy and have the right age animals. It takes a lot of research.
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Not so much in the beginning, but more so now
I feel the same way. In the beginning I was more curious and wanted to try something different. Now, I am afraid to put any more pressure on Deer and Elk, so I choose not to hunt general seasons in Washington. (I still put in for special permits although, if I wasn't so deeply vested I would not.)
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ditto :yeah:
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Idaho feels to me like Washington did 20-30 years ago, it's like rolling back the clock.
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I'd also like to note I have pulled out of a lot of states because I couldn't keep up with their increases or hands in pocket type policies and their "unfriendlyness" to non residents. A couple I just grin and bare it because I am invested. Points are the devil!
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First year elk hunting in Idaho was this year. Already purchased deer and elk for 2020. All the reasons listed above come into play. I love new adventures and that was a great one. Have been looking hard at Oregon. Oregon lists 125,000 elk, Washington lists 60,000. They have been listing that number for how many years? I believe since St. Helens was in its heyday!
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I started just to extend my hunting and to see different country. 2020 the plan is Colorado and Montana possibly idaho. I'm talking just deer in those states. Washington is up in the air at this point and I have enough points for Wyoming but will hold off one more year. I love seeing different states.
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Points are the devil!
Isn't that the truth!
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For the most part, I only hunt draw tags out of state. I fill up my calendar with the best options between successful draws and WA otc. Some years I hunt here otc, some years I have conflicting hunts elsewhere or too many tags. This year I drew a moose tag here and quality Nevada bull tag, and my son drew a coues tag, so those three squeezed out everything else. One of these years I want to save the time to just focus on BT here. Lived in western WA my whole life and never really hunted BTs!
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I started hunting out of state 2 years ago with a bird hunting trip to North Dakota. I made that trip again this year and added Idaho & Minnesota and fishing in Montana & Wyoming. I spend less time & money here because I love the road trip & adventure, seeing new places and wdfw. Like when their statements about rule changes don’t match up with what I see on he ground, in places where I’ve spent a lot of time over a lot of years. Or when they shut down all fishing for all species because of lack of an agreement with the tribes- remember when they closed all fishing in lake Washington for the whole season? Used to be able to get answers to questions, not anymore, at least when I’ve asked. Also the traffic to get anywhere and the distance I have to drive from Kitsap to get anywhere decent. Even though out of state costs more, I think it’s a better value for my money.
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What is sad is pretty much every outta state hunt I have done for elk and muleys has been far better than anything I have hunted in WA except my special permit hunts. Seeing new country hunting and traveling is the best part.
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Sometimes it is nice to hunt in places which still resemble what America was; where hunting is still a normal thing.
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Here is a sad fact. I live in the Chiwawa unit, the Swakane unit is 48' across the street and the Entiat unit is 800 yards from my house.
I rarely hunt for Mule Deer in Washington, nearly 100 percent out of state. I help others that draw tags but I do not hunt Deer here very often.
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Hunt both in/out of state. Idaho still has plenty of what Washington calls "Wilderness", where you can see less than handful of hunters during season. Idaho 2021 will see a significant increase in out-of-state fees, so that may deter some. Washington still has good hunts, just have to be picky and a little lucky. :tup:
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Does the lack of quality hunting in Washington factor into every ones decision to hunt out of state?
Absolutely does for me. Have had the fortune to hunt many different states including Canada and have done at least one out of state hunt every year since 99'. Not being able to draw an Elk tag or only getting to hunt Mule Deer in the rut once every 10yrs in this state just doesn't cut for me.
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Yeah we just a MT combo trip last month and although it was a blast of a trip it was a little disappointing(probably didnt go to a great area((SW MT near Dillon))) We saw three elk in 10 days (no shot opportunties). Did get 5(small) bucks and one doe so we limited on deer but for $1100 each in tags it was a little underwhelming. Yeah i know many factors are at play- probably coulda hunted harder,shoulda went to a better area,etc. But when we went into the 300 Unit (we applied but didnt draw)looking for elk after taggin on deer we saw lots of BIG bucks (300 is permit only for Muley bucks)-Long story short if I hunt MT again it will not be that area - maybe shoulda went to SE for big bucks and just forgot about the elk tags, maybe its tough to do both.Mostly was just after a dandy buck but ended up killing a doe last day because i couldnt find a decent enough buck to shoot
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I do because i love to hunt and having the ability to hunt early September til December in multiple states give me my fill.
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I do because I’m sick and tired of going out day after day after day and not seeing anything and getting excited to see something that’s not even legal
It’s a damn shame that my relatives in Massachusetts do better deer hunting then we do now in Washington , the last 10 years it has gone drastically downhill
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I do because I’m sick and tired of going out day after day after day and not seeing anything and getting excited to see something that’s not even legal
It’s a damn shame that my relatives in Massachusetts do better deer hunting then we do now in Washington , the last 10 years it has gone drastically downhill
I agree that the time frame for really taking a dive seemed to start around ten years ago. I would even see maybe a dozen deer a day in National Forest--far from prime territory. When I'd go to the tree farms it was normal to see thirty deer in a day.
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I am a dedicated black tail deer hunter. My out of state hunting now is going to British Columbia moose hunting every year. That is what I saved money for and at 71 I hope to keep doing it for a few more years. I applied for moose here in Washington for many years and never drew so decided to go where I can hunt every year if I want to. I have had the same guide for las 2 years and he is great to hunt with and we have a great time and work hard.
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Here is a sad fact. I live in the Chiwawa unit, the Swakane unit is 48' across the street and the Entiat unit is 800 yards from my house.
I rarely hunt for Mule Deer in Washington, nearly 100 percent out of state. I help others that draw tags but I do not hunt Deer here very often.
That is very sad.
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My Washington hunting is pretty much limited to spring turkey and applying for special permit hunts. For the past 5 years I’ve been hunting a combo of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Alaska. All hunts are primarily focused on putting meat in the freezer with some hunts targeting the best “trophy” class animal I can find. I’ve come to appreciate the adventures and reliably filling the freezer every year is huge.
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I started out archery hunting in the Blue Mountains of Oregon in the mid 1980s not so much because it was better hunting but because it was more hunting. Since then I have hunted in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. When I started going out of state, up until about ten years ago, cost wasn't really a consideration because it really wasn't that expensive but now with price of non-resident tags I plan to go out of state every other year. Depending on the draw sometimes I get to go every year. My son lives in Montana so when I go there it's not because of better hunting it is to spend time in camp with him. (Better hunting is a bonus)
I still very much like hunting in Washington too and I still have what I consider to be very productive places to hunt and find game. Sometimes I don't have the right tag for what I see but there are still critters to find so as long as I'm able I'll be at our annual camp in the 340 for elk and hosting deer hunters at my cabin in Twisp.
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Does the lack of quality hunting in Washington factor into every ones decision to hunt out of state?
Absolutely and the overcrowding... on the west side with the timber companies selling limited numbers of permits it pushes a lot of people East or onto the public lands that can't support the numbers.
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My out of state hunting is primarily driven by where friends and family are located, rather than hunting quality. However, when allocating scarce days off, knowing I can drive to Wyoming in 2 long days (28 hours round trip), and be absolutely confident I can fill deer and antelope in 2 days of hunting, has absolutely been a factor.
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I grew up out of state (NE Oregon over around LaGrande) and didn't move here until my 20's. I took one look at the regs and they just made me laughed. Tagged along with some coworkers on their WA tags, and after that quickly made the decision that if I'm going to be serious about hunting my time would not be well spent here.
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I grew up out of state (NE Oregon over around LaGrande) and didn't move here until my 20's. I took one look at the regs and they just made me laughed. Tagged along with some coworkers on their WA tags, and after that quickly made the decision that if I'm going to be serious about hunting my time would not be well spent here.
You made a smart decision.
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I started hunting out of state four years ago and never looked back. Longer seasons, opportunity and you actually see multiple animals that aren’t just does. It’s actually fun...what hunting should be.
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If I don't draw Washington for elk I will be going out of state again this year. I think it will be my 14th year of hunting out of state. It's nice to have the opportunity to chase bugling bulls every September instead of just looking at them unless you draw a tag here in Washington. Once I draw quality bull on the Eastside I will be done with the draw and possibly start concentrating on the westside for elk as well as going out of state every year.
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We started going out of state 20 years ago to hunt deer and elk, just to try something different (Idaho, Montana ) and that turned in to going every couple of years, now for the last 10 years we go every year because of the opportunities to harvest game is just so much higher, you see animals every day and you can be picky in what you want to shoot, unlike here where if you see a legal buck you better shoot it or be facing going with out. So with limited access and short seasons to hunt mule deer it just makes sense to spend our money in states that know what to do with it. We may not even buy fishing licenses anymore due to how the state is mismanaging our fisheries. This year as we drove across the state from the wet side to Idaho on I-90, we saw 0 deer ,just coyotes in six hours of driving and as soon as we got over the state line we saw our first deer and hundreds more over the next 8 hours on our way to eastern Montana and that was just from the freeway so what is this state doing wrong ?
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Going to Montana for deer and antelope hopefully
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I started hunting out of state in 2005, it started out with just upland hunting and has now morphed into big game as well. I have not bought a license in Washington now for at least ten years and never will again. I mainly hunt Montana, be it birds or deer you see more in a day over there than in a whole season over here. As a matter of fact for me I will officially retire tomorrow at 61 and when I wake up on January 2nd. I will be a Montana Resident.
congrats 1
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I hunt WA every year, but also add in some out of state hunts here and there to extend my season and have a little adventure.. I’ve hunted AK, MT, TX, AZ and ID. I hunted mule deer in MT for the first time last year and had an absolute blast! I went solo, never been before, and saw 60-100 deer everyday. I’m definitely putting in for that again this year!
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I hunt Washington, and Oregon every year. This year i am going to try and make the time to hit Idaho with my son as well.
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Call me crazy, but I plan on hunting out of state in the next year or two as well. Since I live in CO now, I’m planning on heading home to hunt whitetail in NE WA. They still do pretty well up there........ The sad thing is, my dad killed 13 elk in 13 years back in the late 60’s and mid 70’s in the Willapa Hills. I will never have the opportunity to experience that back home, but here in CO, that’s is still very much a possibility.
For upland hunting, it’s a no brainer. Every year I hold licenses for CO, KS, and NE, and I also cycle through TX, SD, and NM every couple years.
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NE WA whitetail are a mere fraction of what they were 5-6 years ago in most parts .
