Back country mule deer

egradyfire · Apr 13, 2018

Hey fellas,

My brother is a resident here in Oregon and we thought we'd hunt the home state. He and I have 0 points and have been looking for a back country archery mule deer hunt. I have been looking at some of the north eastern units, but wanted to get some more insight. We are in to DIY back pack hunting and I could give a ##### about antler scores as long as its a mature buck. We embrace the suck of the tough terrain as long as we can get away from roads. I prefer high country over dessert and awesome scenery. If anyone has any suggestions on cool units that fit my description, I'd be willing to share Idaho mule deer hunt info with you in return. If you dont feel comfortable posting the info for the world to see, feel free to PM me.

Semper Fi Brothers

OchocoKid · Apr 13, 2018

Honestly you're going to have a very tough go of it. the only thing I can think of that's harder than getting a quality mule deer in OR is getting one with a bow.

You're going to hear guys telling you they know great spots full of super bucks you just have to be as great of hunters as they are. ask to see the pictures and verify when and who took the bucks.

There are a few decent bucks in about every unit. A FEW. if you can get on good tracts of private land decent bucks still exist in limited quantity. overall deer numbers are very low and quality sucks . I'm an eastern OR native and a B&C measurer and I haven't even been asked to check a buck in 4 years.

These are the facts with no BS injection. but if you want to try just look at the stats they tell the story as well as anyone can. less hunters , higher success and older age class mean bigger bucks should be available. Snake River may be a good one to look at if you're willing to work for it. Steens is coming back slowly but that's some tough bow hunting.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

callsalot · Apr 14, 2018

I don't mean to be a negative guy but I agree. I was born in Central Oregon in 1967 and have never missed an Oregon mule deer season since I was 12 years old. I can tell you Mule deer hunting in Oregon literally makes me cry. I have been fortunate enough to hunt many other Western States and Oregon is the bottom of the barrel. If I can't convince you to stay in Idaho you can try the snake river area or Central Wallowa Mountains. Good luck but for this Oregon boy I'm heading to Wyoming.

Willametteriveroutlaw · Apr 17, 2018

I'd go to the pueblos or the Steens..

NE has gone down hill pretty bad.

OchocoKid · Apr 17, 2018

Good luck with that. hope your bow is sighted in for 800 yards.

Tough county to bow hunt. not impossible but tough. deer numbers are low there too . last year in many chuckar hunts out of Fields in the Steens, Pueblo's and Trout Creeks I only saw a handful of bucks worth a crap even in the rut.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

egradyfire · Apr 18, 2018

Dam,
Everyone seems to be saying the same thing but in different words. Sounds like the mule deer took a hit. Thanks, I appreciate the honesty.

OchocoKid · Apr 18, 2018

They took the hit in the winter of 92-93. not only have they not recovered they've actually lost ground. the winter 2 years ago put a lot of hurt on them again in a good swath of eastern OR.

The OR mule deer situation is dismal at best. anyone who was here 25 years ago or more will conform this . in my hay fields during the winter I haven't seen more than 15 deer at one time in years, lots of the time it's zero. when I was a kid I remember counting 370 one time and 150 was normal. this is the case in all of eastern OR.

T I get ticked off when the pilgrims say it's not that bad. not bad compared to what ?

If you want to hunt eastern OR my advice would be to focus on elk.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

callsalot · Apr 18, 2018

Ochoco Kid and I don't agree on much but on this we agree 100%. Where I would see 50 to 100 deer in one alfalfa fiend in Central Oregon as a kid and more in other area's in Eastern Oregon now you see a handful. Since the early 90's fish and game says the mule deer population has been cut in half. I don't believe it for a second I would say it's far worst. Those who say different just didn't live here in the 90's like I did.

OchocoKid · Apr 19, 2018

I lived here in the 60's 70's and 80's and it was better the farther back you go. the old timers said in the 40's and 50's there were so many deer their groups were tagged out by noon opening day with 4 point and better bucks.

I was too young to hunt in the 60;s but I remember we went up to my uncles camp in Heppner opening weekind and they has 23 bucks in camp and only 3 were smaller than a 4x4 by the time we got there. they had no tags left so they sat around and drank beer for a few days.

We will never see that again, and we'll never see the plains full of buffalo again either. I get it. but saying the Oregon mule deer situation is not that bad and we should accept it is a 100% guaranteed assurance it will never even be okay again.

Hunters need to revolt on ODFW and get useless yes men organizations like OHA to put their knee in ODFW's back and say do something NOW. but I don't see that ever happening. too many pilgrims and pacifists are content going on deer camping trips because they don't know any better.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

Willametteriveroutlaw · Apr 19, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Apr-19-18 AT 11:12AM (MST)[p]>Good luck with that. hope
>your bow is sighted in
>for 800 yards.
>
> Tough county to bow hunt.
>not impossible but tough.
>deer numbers are low there
>too . last year
>in many chuckar hunts out
>of Fields in the Steens,
>Pueblo's and Trout Creeks I
>only saw a handful of
>bucks worth a crap even
>in the rut.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Stay Thirsty My Friends

I've killed several bucks in the desert with my bow. One of my good buddies kills a mid 170's or better buck every year in the desert with his bow. You just have to be a little more sneaky. The low deer densities are tough, but if you find a buck there is a good chance it will be a stomper.

The numbers aren't as good as they used to be, but some how we went 13 for 14 last year with 3 bucks over 180 and 2 more over 170.

Year before we killed 3 bucks on draw tags over 170 in the desert.

I think Oregon suffers from shitty hunters more than shitty opportunities..

OchocoKid · Apr 19, 2018

Yeah, I kill a booner every year too. but I never put them in the book and I won't show any pictures because I don't want everyone else to know how great the hunting is. or how great I am.

I know what a 180 buck looks like you can't pull that one on me. you should have kept your story more believable. when I said there were 23 deer in camp that weekend in 1969, not one of them broke 180, maybe 2 made 170. few did even in those days. now it's very very rare.

it's hard to imagine a bunch of Portland hunters know more about eastern OR deer than the guys who grew up hunting here. I guess we're just all shitty hunters.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

callsalot · Apr 19, 2018

I agree quite frankly I don't give a crap about one 180 class mule deer. I want to see lots of deer and for mule deer herds to do well
as a population, not that one guy camped out for a week bordering private property waiting for one good deer to final cross the fence.
I keep hearing people say "well I heard of a 200 class taken" anywhere can produce one great buck but the ODFW has sacrificed mule deer herds in general for the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

elkliver · Apr 19, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Apr-19-18 AT 09:38PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Apr-19-18 AT 09:37?PM (MST)

Anyone who says there isn't a problem and you just have to hunt harder is ignorant. This is why the problem keeps getting worse. Instead of admitting there is a problem they inflate their egos with stories of how good a hunter they are. While i can likely find a buck if i hunt hard thats not the point. The deer population is in serious trouble and ODFW won't admit it. And as long as there are folks who blame it on poor hunting, They won't have to

OchocoKid · Apr 20, 2018

EXACTLY. less deer makes ODFW's life easier . if stupid hunters don't mind having no deer why should they ?

Lots of deer without quality bucks seldom occurs . if you have enough bucks a few will live to be older and those who want quality win just like the dink shooters do. it doesn't have to be either or.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

Willametteriveroutlaw · Apr 20, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Apr-20-18 AT 09:40AM (MST)[p]>Yeah, I kill a booner
>every year too. but
>I never put them in
>the book and I won't
>show any pictures because I
>don't want everyone else to
>know how great the hunting
>is. or how great
>I am.
>
> I know what a 180
>buck looks like you can't
>pull that one on me.
>you should have kept your
>story more believable. when
>I said there were 23
>deer in camp that weekend
>in 1969, not one
>of them broke 180,
>maybe 2 made 170.
>few did even in
>those days. now it's
>very very rare.
>
>
> it's hard to imagine a
>bunch of Portland hunters know
>more about eastern OR deer
>than the guys who
>grew up hunting here.
>I guess we're just all
>shitty hunters.
>
>
>
>Stay Thirsty My Friends

The big one is 235" and came off public land last year, the velvet buck broke 180 and came off OTC public land archery last year. The 187 buck came off BLM last year and wasn't within 5 miles of a pivot.

I got a ##### load more pictures of big deer from Oregon over the last 5 years if you'd to keep running your mouth.

Yes the numbers are down and it's not as good as it once was, but there are still plenty of big deer available to kill if you have the drive and are willing to put in the effort.

Living in the past doesn't help this years success.

lostinOregon · Apr 20, 2018

13 for 14? all of you hunting together as a pack. I get there are a few big deer in Oregon. I have pictures from last year of two 200 inch bucks from Oregon, both dead in the photos. I wasn't with them, but I have the pics. Do I count those as my posse and say what my group of friends did. I also have a picture of a giant wide frame 4x4 that is still alive that looks like a freak of nature. I am here to tell you that it still sucks big time, we don't have a healthy deer herd in Oregon, period.

Do we have a few good deer left, absolutely. Is Oregon deer managed to recover, no friggin way. For someone to just show up in Oregon, no scouting and just happen on to 180 deer would be a freak accident. No one is living in the past, it is just the truth.

Rich

OchocoKid · Apr 20, 2018

Anyone can post pictures . I can show you 10,000 if that's all this is. yes deer like that are taken every year. by a few hunters all over the state. the best one I've seen in years came off public land in the Heppner unit, a solid 190 net typical he won't officially score because of a conflict over who's buck it was. the odds of that anywhere in OR are insanely low but it happened. but it didn't happen every year to the same guys.

Who was the B&C measurer on the 2 of the 3 in the pictures that could be scored ? I know most of them. if he says your group is knocking it out of the park I'd believe you . otherwise go find someone who wants to hear your bragging I'm done .

Anyway, back to OP and the real world. I honestly don't know what to tell you for deer. I don't even know what I'm going to do . I'm not a bow hunter but some of the locals here live for it and they focus on elk and if a decent buck gets in the way they hunt deer. that might be your best bet too.

callsalot · Apr 20, 2018

I think part of the problem is some guys turn every topic into a contest. I've seen this so many times it's kind of pathetic. The point isn't if you hunt your butt off and scout like crazy and put in the time you can't kill a great buck. The point is that just because a few guys kill some nice deer the herds in Oregon are still in deep trouble. Put your pride aside and let talk about how to help Oregon deer herds because our kids and grandkids deserve a chance at seeing better deer herds. The deer deserve it also IMO.

egradyfire · Apr 25, 2018

Ok, thanks fellas. Maybe I should stick to elk. Any recommendations on where to start with the elk draw?

OchocoKid · Apr 25, 2018

bow or rifle ? unless you have a pile of points there aren't a lot of options with a bow. rifle either for that matter, but there are more hunts with less points.

Lots of the state are open to bow hunting with an over the counter tag. plenty of good areas depending on what kind of country you like to hunt. but over the counter has it's downside, you won't get lonely.

As far as a bow draw with no points the Ochoco unit would be good, and your chances are better than they'd be with most bow draws.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

egradyfire · Apr 26, 2018

really appreciate the advice. let me know if i can help you out in any way. i've hunted a few idaho units.

OchocoKid · Apr 26, 2018

Good luck, and don't let those herds of 180 bucks mow you over out there.

Stay Thirsty My Friends

callsalot · Apr 27, 2018

If you've hunted Idaho I would go back if you had any luck there. Having first hand knowledge is huge. Oregon has plenty of elk unlike mule deer but hunter density is bad due to rifle tags are very hard to get so everyone bow hunts now. If you want to see plenty of elk and hunters go almost anywhere in the Blue Mtns. If you want low hunter density but not as many elk I would look at the Cascade Range.

Good luck, I'm heading to Wyoming to bow hunt myself.

Kaseyfield · Dec 20, 2018

Ive killed several 180 to 190 bucks with a bow. I see atleast 5 every bow season and get themin camera too.

Dont see what your problem is, not everyone downloads pictures and se ds them around as there own. WRO is a solid hunter and knows what he is doing, like myself. I guess you can always wish we are lying? Dunno

Kasey

manny53 · Dec 27, 2018

>Ive killed several 180 to 190
>bucks with a bow. I
>see atleast 5 every bow
>season and get themin camera
>too.
>
>Dont see what your problem is,
>not everyone downloads pictures and
>se ds them around as
>there own. WRO is a
>solid hunter and knows what
>he is doing, like myself.
>I guess you can always
>wish we are lying? Dunno
>
>
>Kasey

ok as was already said put aside ur ego and look at the point these guys are bringing to the table oregon mule deer are in short supply n are suffering even more today, be it predators or disease, think in the hole heard terms maybe this can help you a bit.

you younger generation have never seen it in the hay day so to you everything is fine but in reality it's not only a handful of people get respectable bucks or even see decent bucks.

i'm retired and a muley fanatic i look at alot of pics daily and have had my hands on a few nice deer but what people call hogs today makes me laugh...

now this is a hog, but even if you had 100k to offer you'd be hard pressed to find another like him on public ground...

N_Corey · Jan 1, 2019

What year was that buck with the horseshoe drop tine shot.

ByeByeObamas · Jan 2, 2019

On the initial topic, I have a friend that lives in Astoria and he has sent some pics of deer in town that are impressive (blacktail).

On that note, ive been hunting the wenaha unit for deer for 10 years or so. Get the tag every other year or so, but some of my friends go years I dont. Something bad is going on there for sure. I hunt harder, better optics every year and have gotten to the point where I dont plan to go back. This year, the guys got dinks which didnt help anything.

lostinOregon · Jan 2, 2019

Kasey and WRO can teach us how to hunt big mule deer cause we can't find them. Maybe you youngsters could get your own YouTube show called Oregon Monsters and be internet masters. I only hang out on MM so I can learn how to find these elusive deer with your help. Maybe you could help us old clueless guys out?

Rich