I'm in Tacoma, in WA state, and it turns out that hunter's education is offered/required here, which is nice! For those who mentioned hunting/fishing is not going to be cheaper than going to the grocery store, I'm not really looking to make a "profit." I'm mostly looking for a hobby that my fiance and I can share that is outdoors and active. Currently our favorite hobbies are playing video games and quilting (his and hers) and there's very little overlap between them and neither is very active. He really likes archery, but needs a push to get back into it. I'm interested in homesteading, being independent, and gathering/growing my own food. Seems like fishing or hunting are activities we could easily share together. For hunting, from what yall have said it looks like hunter's education classes, online forums, and youtube will at least get us started.
I'm still unsure about fishing. How do I know which fish to keep? How do I know where it's ok to fish? I'm walking distance from a few spots on Puget Sound marked Public Fishing. Would I be wasting my time at some place so public and urban? Anyone have any favorite youtube channels for fishing, or should I just nose around (can't go to youtube atm because I'm at work). An elderly gentleman on my dog walking route fishes, and has wanted several times to take our dogs to the park together. Maybe I should ask to go with him on his next fishing trip?
Also, I know it's probably silly, but I feel like I'll go out there and do everything wrong and everyone will laugh at me because I'll look like an idiot. I've had this problem with other hobbies I wanted to take up in the past, but I've been able to overcome it because I could practice quilting, sewing, gardening, painting, etc at home where no one could see me screw up. Does anyone else ever feel self conscious when starting something new? I feel like as a female entering what seem to be male dominated hobbies, I run an even higher risk of looking like an idiot. Am I being an idiot even worrying about this?