Odd question, but time sensitive. May have an opportunity to get transfered to Blaine or Lynden Washington. Have to make a decision and getsubmitted for postmarked in the AM. Never been near the area or the NW for that matter. Was more interested in the Colville area or NE Washington, but wife is not real keen on the small town availible.

How is the hunting on the wet side of the mountains??? Is life there really as gloomy as most say?? Clouds and rain 6 out of 7 days???

What type of small game or varmints inhabit the west side to keep one occupied during the big game off season???

Blacktail deer, tough hunting in heavy cover. Black bear who love the plantations of fast growing Douglas-fir. Elk, although I haven't followed the populations in the recent past. Cougar population are growing due to restrictions on hunting methods. Coyotes, of course, and rabbits in farming areas.

Yes, it rains alot, but it really makes you appreciate the sunny days. Big plus is proximity to Vancouver, B.C., the finest metopolitan area in North America.

Jesse Jaymes: I was born and lived in western Washington for 48 years. Hunting Blacktails there is like taking your favorite Rifle into the shower with you - and staying there all day! The rainy season is the Hunting season. I am trying to remember (I have been away for 6 years now) now but it seems like it rained 50% of the days I tried to Hunt Blacktails. I remember the rain in Issaquah/Bellevue where I lived (south of Blaine) got 32 inches of rain a year - usually misty stuff. Blaine, I am guessing would get 20 inches a year. 65,000 Bears inhabit Washington state more than any other state besides Alaska. Some excellent Bear Hunting when the berries are ripe! Mt. Goat if you get drawn many other Hunting opportunities - I have heard that the Turkey Hunting is getting real good in eastern Washington. In Washington state 3 species of Deer live - Blacktail, Mule Deer and Whitetailed Deer but only the Blacktail inhabits western Washington. From Blaine its 200+ miles to Mulies and Whitetails.
Some fair Goose and Duck Hunting in the western part of the state and pretty good at times in eastern Washington. Not many Varmints in Western Washington - some Crows, Raccoons, Coyotes and Bobcat (thick cover) but eastern Washington has Rock Chucks, Coyotes, Bobcats, Raccoons, some Ground Squirrels and a few other vermin in their much more open terrain.
The highlight of the Blaine and Lynden area would be the Salmon fishing in the ocean and Steelhead fishing in several Rivers. Also one of the finest Gunshops in the United States is in Burlington, Washington. Kesselrings Gunshop! Oh how I miss that place. I only get out there once a year now instead of once a month!
Colville has some superb Whitetail Hunting once you get to know it! Colville is 4 hours from Blaine - Lynden as I recall. Lots of Rock Chucks on the Indian Reservation there. Stealth is needed now as the Indians are now anti Hunter!
For Big Game I think New Mexico is ahead of Washington for sure but there are things to do in Washington.
I highly reccommend Montana myself! Year round everything in the way of Varminting and lots of long Big Game seasons not to mention the incredible sunsets and sunrises, astronomy, winter sports, fishing, rock hounding, low population etc etc etc!
Good luck if you decide to move!
More later if it comes to mind.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I grew up in sunny Oklahoma, and the Army brought me here. I second what Varmit Guy said about Kesselring's. I was there last weekend, and I'm going again on payday. You get used to the rain after a while, but it can wear on you. You might want to look into a stainless rifle before you come out here. Okie John.

Jesse,

I am a 50 year resident of Whatcom County which includes Blaine and Lynden. We average about 35 inches of annual rainfall. The October deer season is before the rainy season. I use wood stocks and blue metal. More days of deer season are dry than rainy in Whatcom County. Rainfall does vary tremendously regionally in WA state. Deer hunting in the farmlands has been severely diminshed over the years due to property use and building of homes in rural areas. The forested Cascades are very beautiful but they are thick and they are steep. Higher blacktail harvests occur in SW areas of the state. Mule deer are on the eastern slope areas of the Cascades and clear through to the S and SE areas. Seasons are only about 9 days in many areas for the mulies. Great whitetail hunting is in the NE, with a longer and split season.
You likely wouldn't classify WA as a destination state for any specific hunt. But there is much diversity in game and hunting settings. You can hunt mulies in the alpine areas or in the desert, blacktails in the rainforest or small rural pockets of woods, whitetails in thick timber or on the edges and creek bottoms. The Nov. whitetail season can be in deep snow. Ducks are available, salmon fishing is attractive, snow skiing is a big sport with short driving distances to great locations.
Most climate and geographic features found anywhere in the country are a .5 day drive from Whatcom County. Seattle is 2 hours and Vancouver is 1 hour away.
WA is not a place for many, but it has much to offer.
As for varmints, basically forget the western part of the state. Limited access and animal availability.
Yes, you'd love to visit Kesselrings. Great shop that leaves the downscale products to Walmart and offers anything that a hobbiest would desire.

Marv

One of the really nice things about the west side is that in just an hour or two, you can be on the east side, or at least in the mountains. The variety of terrain and game is really a big plus, but the west side is not my cup of tea, so to speak.

For several years we've had real dry Octobers. Rain and wind is what you want when hunting Blacktail in WA.
Fuzz

Your success as a hunter depends very much on your savvy and toughness. The only lazy people I know who get deer regularly are those with friend/acquaintence landowners in Eastern WA. There are also some of the bigger-gutted type who know very well which logging roads happen to be closed at any given time, and can figure out a way to move about easily on the closed logging roads via bicycle, foot, or ATV. Other big-gut types own horses and will pack a camp into the wilderness areas, where they refuse to leave the trails (can't shake the intense desire to roadhunt, even way up there), which even during hunting season are fairly busy with hikers. Anywhere there's roads in the mountains, there's a shitload of roadhunters. It's unreal.

Now, find yourself a place where you can gain 2000+ vertical feet over everyone else before daybreak via horse or your own feet, sit on your can until 10:00 am, and let all of the bottomland brush-beaters drive things your way, and you might have success. I'm 5 for my last 5 mule deer seasons, and only one of those deer made it off the hill without being completely boned out (It was snowy ALL the way down and I dragged it).

Living in blaine, I can drive to where I got 4 of those 5 deer in less than 4 hours (well, then walk another three hours).

JV

I was born and raised in Grant County, but I did an eight year stint in Seattle after graduating from WSU. I like the west side of the state a lot, but the gray skies in the winter got me down, and my wife, who's from the Tri-Cities, got downright depressed.

After my wife finished grad school at the U five years ago, we moved to Whitman County, and I can drive 30 minutes and be on the Snake breaks or on my wife's family's farm hunting mulies, whitetail, chukar, Huns, pheasant and the occasional snipe. During the off season, we're out after coyotes a lot, and in the summer, we fish. WA may not offer the best of any one type of hunting, but I can't complain.

I moved to Ferndale, Whatcom County, about a year ago. I'm actually closer to Lynden than Ferndale.

WA, like most areas with oceans and mountains, has many varied micro-climates. SW WA gets the Seattle type rain that everyone associates with WA. NW Washington - Blaine and Lynden - get far less. Go to www.weather.com and pull the stats.

Even though my house is only 6 miles from the Canadian border, we have moderate weather all year round. A hot summer day is 88, a cold winter night is 30.

Hunting is not great locally. Fishing is outstanding. But, I'm 1 to 2 days drive from the best of the west, from the Grand Canyon, to hunting in NW MT.

I actually put in for Lynden as a first choice, and a small town on the east side Canadien border called Curlew. Wife doesn't know about that yet. These are USBP positiions if you hadn't figured it out yet.

Really worried about the climate, but I've asked several people and they all say it rains quite a bit, which I already knew, just didn't want to believe. I am more worried about my horses should I have to move. Probably several hoof problems and ailments due to climate, but I am sure that WA is considered "horse country", just thought it was only the east side. If horses can be used to hunt, I am there.

Should I get "stuck" on the west side, I'll have to stay there for atleast two years. Not that big of a deal, and I may have a better shot at getting to the east side from there as well. Just picture the Spokane side as more outdoor/horse friendly than the west. I think hunting is much, much better on the east, but I've never been to either side. Just things I am picturing in my mind. Ready for a change, but concearned about the horses well being and "depressing" climate. Hear that suicides are high due to lack of clouds. True or just what people want to believe???

If you can't find what you want in Washington state, you haven't looked. From rain forest to desert, it's here. Curlew! Great area, and if you don't like it, just an hour or two from somewhere you do like.

I have dug clams on the ocean early in the AM, caught high mountain Cascade trout in the PM, and had them all with fresh picked corn on the east side for supper, in my younger days to be sure.

Having to own horses, live in Curlew, there must be something illegal about that cause it sure sounds fun. Best to you!

BTW, you do like to hunt, fish, ride horses in the mountains, live in relative solitude, right?

[ 07-13-2003, 21:11: Message edited by: 8MM OR MORE ]

Sure, all of the outdoor stuff. Only problem is I am still happily married.......to the wrong woman. She's not into solitude, riding my horses, shooting guns, watching the dog work, or fishing. Catholic girl from the east coast with 8 other siblings and tight family. Might as well be the Moon. She's an ER RN, and will need a hospital. If I draw the wst side, not a problem. The slim chance I have at Curlew could be a real problem. Colville is listed as 50.7 miles from Curlew. Thought if it happens we could live in between and both drive 25 miles. Yahoo says the travel time is 1 h 21 min?????

Guess we'll wait and see what the cards have in store.

My 3 yo boy will have no problems. Dad's off today and he's up and ready to erradicate jackrabbits in his Cabela's hat at 6:45 AM. Thanks for all of the WA info. We'll see.

Jesse,

Maybe some of the locals from the NE will chime in but the ER hospital employment opportunities would be best in Spokane, probably another 1 hour and 21 minutes beyond Colville. Spokane has the large regional hospitals and serves as the medical center for the Inland Empire, as it is sometimes called. Winters can get quite long up in the mountainous area that you are looking at with snow lasting for months in some years. Long winter, short spring, hot summer, short fall. Now on the west side, the I-5 corridor has many hospitals and many more people, and the job opportunities and social contacts that your wife might need.

Marv

Yep, we have a huge suicide rate, although I think it is from haveing to deal with people from California myself. It's not as bad as residents make it out to be. That's just our way to discourage new residents.

Don't let the fact that WA has more huntable species of native Big Game than any other State in the Union influence you. We also have the largest population of Cougars and Black Bear in the lower 48.

I have had horses for 30 years and other than buying feed they have no more problems than anywhere else. Being in Lynden you will also only be, depending on the customs wait, 3 hours from the interior of BC. All you need is a vets certificate to transport your horses across.

Jesse,
My parents home where I was raised is only about a mile from the USBP station in Lynden. I left W. Wash. for WSU in '76 and have no or few plans to move back to that area. I visit family and friends enough to know that the congestion would get to me quick. I have not hunted there since the 80's when I took my dad up into the Nooksack Drainage for elk. That elk herd has gone to hell and no one knows why for sure. There's still some good blacktail hunting there in the foothills, mtn. goat (if you can get drawn), waterfowl (if you can get permission), salmon (if you stay on top of the season and run restrictions) (or go elsewhere, like BC) and skiing on Mt. Baker and other spots entertains those who like that stuff. West side plinking and varminting would be difficult due to urban sprawl and attitude. Places I've killed coyotes, ducks, geese and pheasants are now subdivisions. And, I agree with all the others, Kesselrings is a special place. Well, at least there's one good thing about the West side. No, it's actually pretty there but it is now where I am from .

I've lived in E. Washington since WSU days. I now reside 20 minutes from downtown Spokane. I work, hunt, plink, reload, do the AR forum from Wyoming. Anyway, living in the Spokane area is great. There are lots of places with worse winter weather, trust me. Nothing better in January than sitting in my snow blind with the goose decoys in the snow and Canada's heading into them. I can shoot whenever I want to out there and have a 100 yard target and berm to shoot into. And, there's lots of plinking and varmint hunting available. The access to big game is terrific. One can drive eight hours and access any deer and elk country in Washington plus most of Idaho, Montana and Oregon. If you got a hard ass and can press on 12 hours, you can reach most of Wyoming, too.

Oh, and thanks to the Seattle votes on hound-hunting, we're overrun by cougars which are becoming more brazen and brash every year. You can take two per year now. We live in semi-rural country and had a confirmed cougar kill about 300 hundred yards from our house. That did not make my wife too happy. Each year the WA Wildlife people have to take several cats out of trees in Spokane. And, last spring, a young tom was shot in a yard on Fairchild Airforce Base.

Washington also offers two bear tags in certain areas. The very NE corner of the state has great bear populations. And, this year the dual whitetail tag deal is on again but one tag is for an antlerless critter. From Spokane, you can drive 15 minutes in most directions to get into deer country. I've seen some awesome whitetails taken by bow right next to the city limits.

On the social side, the nursing opportunities are good in Spokane. There are three major hospitals there and enough people in and around to keep emergency wards busy. Spokane has all we've needed and the area gives us our little paradise in the country. Sprawl is happening there too but it is slow coming our way.

Your other choice you mentioned was Curlew. I've only been through there once on a deer hunt. But what I can tell you is that your horses would be happy. But if your city girl can't make it in an isolated, rural, timber/ranching economy and social setting, you better head to Lynden. Curlew don't have a lot of social amenities, especially if you have need of them occasionally.

Good luck with your options!