I've been thinking about trying my hand at some kind of hunting sport so, I'm wondering what you guys go for.

I have zero experience when and have no idea where to begin.  

I also must admit that the idea of thousands of ticks jumping off a dead deer creeps me out.  Is that a problem?  If so how do you deal with that?

Turkey sounds fun, but I live in Western WA.

Waterfowl?  Possibilities there.  I find canadian geese really annoying and relish the idea of blasting a few.

Any suggestions how I can get started?

The biggest hurdle is a place to hunt. Once you have that taken care of, you can really get a lot of info from reading books and magazines. This isn't as good as having someone with experience guide you along the way, but it's a start. Even better are any of the hundreds of hunting videos available.

As someone who has hunted just about everything (no elk back home in TN) IMO waterfowl hunting is defenitely the best. It is extremely expensive and usually a team effort, though.

what part of washington are you in? i'm new to the area and still trying to find places to hunt myself.

if you were born after 1971 then you need to take a hunter safety course first. can't get a hunting license without passing the class. (sorry, don't know how old you are)

i don't think ticks are a problem in western washington. i might be wrong though. in kentucky we had tons of ticks, but they weren't that bad on the deer i shot. after you get done dealing with the deer, just check yourself over real good.

the washington state atlas put out by Delorme lists public hunting areas. they cost about $18 at wal-mart.

I live in the Olympia area and I'm old enough to avoid taking the class.

I can understand the team part, but what makes waterfowl so expensive?

i'm in Lacey, and am working on finding a place to hunt in or around capitol forest. i've heard of a place that is open for muzzleloading, but closed to modern rifle.

waterfowl is expensive because you need:
small game license
migratory validation
federal stamp
steel shot(or some thing other than lead)
most people buy a gun that will take 3.5" shells
decoys
decoy cord
cord crimps
barrel locks
decoy weights
decoy bag
waders
weather appropriate clothes
dog
calls
and so on.....

it adds up fast

FishKepr,
 
Don't let the cost stop you from birdhunting.  Most of the cost is start-up expenses.
You're basic needs will be: shotgun, steel shot, good waders and some camo clothing. Will also need the appropriate licenses.  All the rest can come at a later time, especially if you can hook up with someone from your area that already hunts(and has those others).
Many areas you can just do "jump hunting"(walking along roadways and dykes in the hunting area).
I just hope this winter is better for the northerns(need lots of snow up north to drive them down).

Steve

Well, in the past 24 hours we were hit with almost $1,000 in unexpected expenses so anything requiring a significant investment is out for the season.

I do have a nice .243 and a 10/22, so perhaps deer or small game is still a possibility.

Gee, there seems to be a bunch of us new folk here on the west side of the state.

We arrived here about 3 years ago, and after a motorcycle accident, and subsequent recovery, I am finally at a place where I would love to get out to hunt.

Of course, as was mentioned, my biggest hurdle is finding a place to hunt.  I notice in the pamphlet (read big game hunting rules book for the season) there is an area called the "Olympic Wilderness Region" - but I cannot seem to find any reference to it on a map.

I assume that it's on the peninsula, but don't know where.

Some folks around here simply tell me to go across the canal (I'm in Kitsap CO.) and hunt the weyerhauser/(other name I can't recall) land.  But I wonder about the wisdom of that.

So, I'm still looking for a hunting ground - east or west side...

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!