Welcome to the forum! I want new hunters have more success when asking for help on this forum. The forum is a community, and with any community there is a culture with rules and expectations that are often unknown until you cross a boundary. The first thing that will be expected of you is politeness. The second thing that people will want to know is if you’ve done some homework already, inside this forum and outside of it, before you ask for help. They don’t want to answer the same questions over and over. If you’re starting from scratch, go to the WDFW website and read the regulations, read the hunting prospects and the species guides that are available.
How to AskA request for help can be created from a simple formula. First, tell a little about yourself. This is basic manners. Are you a new hunter, when did you complete hunters education, what kind of research you’ve done, where you’d like to start, etc. Next, describe your problem as thoroughly as you can. Last, ask for assistance with the problem.
This is what not to do:Hey, where can I find a place to hunt rabbits?
This is what may give you better responses:Hi, I’m Jenna. I live in the TriCities and completed my hunter’s education last year. I want to start hunting turkeys and have been studying what kind of habitat they like. The GoHunt maps on WDFW don’t show a lot of areas I can hunt with landowner permission in the GMUs that are open for turkey. Where else can I find maps that show public land?
Note: This post may still be not well received because I could have answered that with Google, or by searching the forum. But quite often we don’t know how to ask the right questions or search for the right terms. Check out the links below if you haven't already.
Asking for spots: It is considered disrespectful and intrusive to ask someone where they hunt. Many hunters have worked a long time to find their favorite hunting spots and want to keep them secret. It’s better to have an idea of where to start and have someone review it with you. Some people recommend doing this by private message so that discussing your new potential spot is not visible to others.
Responses will vary by season. Many hunters study and scout all year, so it can ruffle feathers if you want to know how to get started 2 days before opening day. As the season approaches, people will be in the field more and less available to answer questions. I know patience is hard when you’re excited to start hunting, but it will save you some frustration to either start early or expect to wait.
Here’s a checklist of what you will want to cover in your first post asking for help.
- A little bit about who you are.
- What work you’ve already done to help yourself. (So people don’t recommend what you’ve already done)
- What help you think you need.
After you receive help: Come back and thank us. When it’s acknowledged that help was given and appreciated, we’re more likely to help the next person.
Hopefully we’ll have more guides like this soon so that everyone has a better learning experience.
Start here to research your hunting spots* WDFW publishes a wealth of information on "how to hunt", "hunting prospects", etc.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/* WDFW GoHunt maps show where to get landowner permission, GMUs, and other info. The tutorial video has extra hints on it's use.
http://apps.wdfw.wa.gov/gohunt/* Hunt wa search function
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,200603.0.html* Map threads in one....
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,125534.0.html* Private Lands Hunting Access
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,145991.0.html*DNR Lands Requiring A Discover Pass
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,80104.0.html* Where To Go - Partners - Hunt Swaps
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/board,26.0.html* Need Help on where to go hunting?
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,106547.0.html*Want to go hunting?
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,74444.0.html*How to Deal with Anti-Hunters and Harassment
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,127898.0.html*The little things
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,171960.0.htmlI probably missed a bunch of gems, so please add your favorite Hunt Wa posts!