Need Help on where to go hunting?

[bearpaw]

Hey there.

I'm in Monroe, WA and looking for places to hunt as well as a hunting partner/mentor. I have a little bit of experience hunting whitetails on the east coast, but I'm still in search of my first deer. I'm on the corner of GMU 448, 460, and 407 and planning to hunt Blacktails during Modern Firearm season (though I will be unavailable for Late Season). I've done some scouting in the area, but if folks have suggestions, places to recommend, or are willing to have someone join them on a hunt who wants to learn, it would be greatly appreciated.

Here's a guy who needs a hunting partner!

[twolander]

Moved to Sammamish last year and returning to deer hunting after a few decades hiatus from when I was a teenager going out with my dad. I can easily access 460 and am willing to drive further east. Looking for some suggestions of a few places that I can access with my rig, and hike into for some spot and stalk away from all of the trailheads and rec areas.

[Skyvalhunter]

The further south you go the better the deer hunting for BT

[DeadedKing]

Hey guys this is my first post. I was wondering if anybody was looking for a elk partner this upcoming fall I planned on Hunting the west side . I know it's early  but I wanted to try and get a early jump on things PM me or reply on here if interested.

[Rainier10]

Hey guys this is my first post. I was wondering if anybody was looking for a elk partner this upcoming fall I planned on Hunting the west side . I know it's early  but I wanted to try and get a early jump on things PM me or reply on here if interested.

Welcome to the forum. What season are you thinking about hunting? Rifle muzzy bow? What is your experience level? What is your hunting style? How much time are you looking to spend on the hunt? These things will help narrow down potential partners.

Good luck and again welcome to the forum.

[DeadedKing]

Right on for responding so fast, Ive been Hunting for 3 years so I'm fairly new to the sport. I have no problem packing in the miles for a back country hunt. I'm a bow hunter so I'd be looking for somebody who's into archery as well .so I'd be going during early archery season but I'm down to Hunt late as well . Thank you for helping me.

[hunterclark]

Moved away from where I usually hunt and am a bit confused by the term 'wildlife areas' that I see in the hunting regs. Are those open to hunting and are just given a fancy label showing it's a WDFW run area or are those like wildlife refuges and not open to hunting? There's one near Mt St. Helens that I'm interested in, but if it's just a refuge and off limits I'd rather not drive up there with my daughter and scout it for a possible site for October and November deer & elk.

[MADMAX]

Moved away from where I usually hunt and am a bit confused by the term 'wildlife areas' that I see in the hunting regs. Are those open to hunting and are just given a fancy label showing it's a WDFW run area or are those like wildlife refuges and not open to hunting? There's one near Mt St. Helens that I'm interested in, but if it's just a refuge and off limits I'd rather not drive up there with my daughter and scout it for a possible site for October and November deer & elk.

You can hunt refuges, but you just gotta follow the rules.
https://www.fws.gov/search?$keywords=%22Hunting%22

You can hunt wildlife areas just gotta follow the rules.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/wildlife-areas/mount-saint-helens-wildlife-area

[ducks4days]

Moved away from where I usually hunt and am a bit confused by the term 'wildlife areas' that I see in the hunting regs. Are those open to hunting and are just given a fancy label showing it's a WDFW run area or are those like wildlife refuges and not open to hunting? There's one near Mt St. Helens that I'm interested in, but if it's just a refuge and off limits I'd rather not drive up there with my daughter and scout it for a possible site for October and November deer & elk.

Wildlife areas are specific tracts of land owned and managed by wdfw specifically for wildlife habitat and hunting.

National Forest land is generally managed for timber. BLM is managed for revenue from lease agreements. There is a bunch of WDFW land that just generally exists. But wildlife areas are managed to grow and hold wildlife that can be hunted, usually at expense to the department. They will have specific rules (like entry times during pheasant season, shell limits, no motorized access, etc.).

[hunterclark]

That makes a lot of sense, much clearer now. Thank you.

[romarx]

Hi, First of all, I'm grateful for this forum. It's great to feel the camaraderie. I'm relatively new to Washington, having moved from Colorado in 2020. I grew up hunting mule deer there with rifle, bow (compound), and muzzleloader. I started shooting with a recurve about five years ago and have been focused on that style since, although I have the other weapons still. I haven't taken any shots since moving to Washington, or animals, although I haven't had very many days in the field because of family and work commitments (consequently, lots of "e-scouting".) I am interested in pursuing deer and elk in backcountry areas and am interested in learning how to be successful in the west side environment as well as in the east side environment (which is more familiar to me having come up in Colorado.) I'm looking for a mentor. As for hunting, I've mostly been solo for several years, which is fine, but am open to the right hunting partner(s) (ethical/fair chase and respectful of firearm safety.) I'm fit and have backpacking and woodcraft experience. I've also butchered lots of deer over the years and am open to lending a hand and a pack to more experienced guys in exchange for knowledge. Thanks for any advice.