Desolation-Cow or Bull?

ORsouthpaw

Active Member
Messages
226
This upcoming elk season our party has 4 preference points here in Oregon. We have been appling for cow tags and have ended up hunting the general season spike only hunt. Now we have built up 4 points so we have a strong chance of drawing either bull or cow tags in the Desolation unit that we recently started hunting.

Our oldest party members are getting to the age where this may be the last hunt that the go on. The younger guys really want to go after a good bull but all know that a juicy cow is just as good when it come to the dinner table. As the party leader I want the older guys to have the best chance at an animal bull or not. They don't hike the hills like they used. So do you guys think the 1st season bull hunt Oct 26th-30th or the a late November cow hunt will afford the best oppourtunity in this unit. Any thoughts?
 
I believe a cow hunt might be more benificial than a bull hunt. Here in oregon it is sad that we have such a short branch bull season, very very sad. I dont know how long the cow hunt is but common sense says that the longer you have to hunt the better the chance. 4 days isnt much time especially if scouting time is little to none. If your older members are on there last leg I would do if for them. The younger members should and will understand. The desolation unit does have some good bulls(friend took 330 archery bull 2 years ago) but success is really low in the area. The cow hunt is the way to go:)
 
I HUNT THE DESOLATION OFTEN. THERE IS ALSO A COW HUNT IN THE MIDDLE OF OCT. BETWEEN DEER AND 1ST ELK. IT IS #250A1. 15TH TO 23RD.WE HAVE HAD THIS TAG BEFORE AND HAD GREAT SUCCESS.
HOPE THIS HELPS
231
 
Orsouthpaw,
Like 231N-T said, take the early cow hunt as your best bet. I had this tag a couple of years ago. I hunt the Desolation every other year for deer so know it pretty well. I also hunt it 2nd season for spike only, we actually hunt right on the Desolation-Starkey boundary for elk, on the other side of unit for deer so I see most of the unit during hunting season. If you are looking for a decent bull, you might think of some other units, Desolation has some nice bulls but during the rifle season after about the first 5 minutes of opening morning they all head into the John Day wilderness area or private property. Cows are fairly easy to find - not to say they are always easy to get one, you still need to hunt for them since Desolation tends to be pretty thick without too many openings. Anyway, let me know if you want some more specific info, would be happy to tell you what I know.
Oregonmuley
 
i agree desolation is a tough unti to hunt for cow or bull. If you are wanting elk to eat but want hunt bulls second season is the best to hunt besides cow season. Hunt the middle fork side it is a little more open and has better access. Big creek, Moquito creek area is a good place too hunt. For easy access otherwise unless you want to packin it is tough nunting. i have hunted the unit for 13 years and then some when i was not old enough to hunt. It is a good area but tough going. We huntin the NF wilderness Not tons of elk but i at least see one bull every time i have hunted there. A good place you could try that would be easier walking if you choose to hunt the any bull season is the S fork of Desolation creek. There are a bunch elk been hanging up in there. I also saw wolf tracks in there in the snow this year. I deer hunt the middle fork side of the unit in the burn. not many elk to open. Any questions just drop me a line.
 
elkslam-We also hunted over on the middle fork side during buck season. I was surprised by the number of people. It seemed like every corner had a vehicle around it and every time I hiked I was tripping over someone. We are looking at other side of Viniger Hill on the Desolation Cr. side probably more toward Granite. I think that our older guys in the party will just have deal with the tough terrain as they are pretty set on hunting this unit and there's really nothing easy anywhere except on the hwy395 side which dosen't appear to hold the elk like the rougher stuff. Thanks for all the replies!
 
I am from NV and I was looking for some info on archery elk hunts in Oregon. I was looking at the Snake River, Imnaha, Santiam and Mckensie units. I have never set foot in Oregon and plan on buying an over the counter tag. Any info to get me pointed in the right direction would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Todd
 
mtm6000- Santiam is a large unit and has lot's of potential but I've never seen enough elk that it would keep me on the west side of Mt. Hood. Don't get me wrong their in there but it can be really thick and hard to get on them in some places. I don't know about the Mckenzie. I've always thought of Imnaha as a deer unit and haven't heard about elk. Snake River would be my choice but it's also not a easy unit to hunt but there have been some decent bulls taken out of it.
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom