Is it just me or is this just a terrible year to be an elk hunter.It seems almost everyone I have talked to have not seen any elk this year first or second season. It is very frustrating as a hunter to see the elk numbers where they are at. I think that oregon needs to think about how they are managing the elk and deer herds at least on the east side. I find it funny that I saw an article in the newspaper about how hunter numbers are down and the younger generation is not interested. Hmm lets think about that one ? Lack of animals year after year = lack of interest = People hunting out of state where game is more plentiful. Maybe if hunters in oregon would boycott until the odfw allowed cats to be hunted with dogs and bear baitng they just might open there eyes when there pay check comes with 000 on it. Sorry to go on so long just wondering if there are any other hunters experiencing the same affects in the unit you hunt. I am about ready to throw in the towel and spend my money on tags in a different state and I know I am not the only one.
oregon elk hunters !
- Thread starter elkslam
- Start date
Unfortunatly, the anti's took the management of Bear and Cougar out of ODFW's (and our) hands by putting it up for vote to the general public (who have no clue). I would like to see a measure on the next ballot that would only put game management into the hands of trained Biologists. This measure should have never been voted on by the GP.
I think alot of the slow season can be blamed on the weather. My B-I-L said it was 70 degrees in LaGrande at one point during his elk hunt. There is a lot of high country that holds alot of elk and I think the elk just stayed high. According to Jason at Carters Hunters Service, game harvest is slow across the west.
I think alot of the slow season can be blamed on the weather. My B-I-L said it was 70 degrees in LaGrande at one point during his elk hunt. There is a lot of high country that holds alot of elk and I think the elk just stayed high. According to Jason at Carters Hunters Service, game harvest is slow across the west.
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pigbulls
Guest
ODFW is a big joke!!!!
We have the second largest Elk population in the nation and the hunting is marginal at best, go figure.
Low Elk and deer #'s are 100% contributed to the increase in cat and bear populations sice mesure 18 passed. My suggestion is to apply to all the states you can and only hunt Oregon when you have to.....
We have the second largest Elk population in the nation and the hunting is marginal at best, go figure.
Low Elk and deer #'s are 100% contributed to the increase in cat and bear populations sice mesure 18 passed. My suggestion is to apply to all the states you can and only hunt Oregon when you have to.....
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manny15
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Nov-10-06 AT 09:58AM (MST)[p]hunted w, murds crk this week only saw two elk in four days...
western deer herds suck big time... just figure if you gotta draw for a tag you otta see more game then non-draw hunts..?...
weather i'm sure was a factor it was 70 in dayville, also a friend has been hired by ODFG to trap cats he said they are planning on taking 30 state wide, only problem is there still working out the red tape.....
western deer herds suck big time... just figure if you gotta draw for a tag you otta see more game then non-draw hunts..?...
weather i'm sure was a factor it was 70 in dayville, also a friend has been hired by ODFG to trap cats he said they are planning on taking 30 state wide, only problem is there still working out the red tape.....
most spike hunters I have talked to have had a hard time of it this year. first season was exta warm and second season is extra wet with mainly rain. but they are getting some snow now so maybe the later part of 2 season will pan out for some. The contact I have at the odfw said they will be removing 30 cats from the heppner unit. They wanted to remove that same number from the wenaha unit but they got sued over it because they used fed money to do the cougar study up there.
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bakerboy
Guest
I agree that the cats and bears have something to do with it, but there are still a lot of elk out there. i saw more elk during bow season this year than i ever have. they are up in the high country that nobody wants to go to. they have stayed up there because of the weather. you just have to get out and hunt a little bit. thats why they call it hunting not killing. as for the younger generation loosing interest it might be true, but i think that another thing is everyone is getting more and more lazy. the government is closing down roads so people think they cant get in there or they walk only a mile into the area and call it quits.
i am not saying ODF is doing a great job but i like the bull numbers atleast. ever since the spike only season the big bull population has nothing but increased. people only have five days really to hunt a branch bull per year in eastern oregon with a rifle. i think it is wonderful. anyhow that is all i have to say.
i am not saying ODF is doing a great job but i like the bull numbers atleast. ever since the spike only season the big bull population has nothing but increased. people only have five days really to hunt a branch bull per year in eastern oregon with a rifle. i think it is wonderful. anyhow that is all i have to say.
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manny15
Guest
"the government is closing down roads so people think they cant get in there or they walk only a mile into the area and call it quits."
I wish the road closure was only within a mile from the summer range, not in w, murds crk area...
I wish the road closure was only within a mile from the summer range, not in w, murds crk area...
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bakerboy
Guest
get horses or ride a mountain bike, or move to a new area.
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manny15
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Nov-10-06 AT 08:45PM (MST)[p]
>get horses or ride a mountain
>bike, or move to a
>new area.
The later would be the ticket, you don't know me nor know the effort I put in this past week, there is a vast difference when you hunt the rut for bulls then the later rifle hunt.
It's funny how some one in the 10 percentile that are successful their attitude is cheerful and blinded...
You may think just because you were seeing elk that you worked harder then the lazy slob who didn't bring home the beacon... not always the case my friend!
back in the 80's when we used to hunt Colorado we would see 60 elk a day, when was the last time you saw that
What is it with rude people?
>get horses or ride a mountain
>bike, or move to a
>new area.
The later would be the ticket, you don't know me nor know the effort I put in this past week, there is a vast difference when you hunt the rut for bulls then the later rifle hunt.
It's funny how some one in the 10 percentile that are successful their attitude is cheerful and blinded...
You may think just because you were seeing elk that you worked harder then the lazy slob who didn't bring home the beacon... not always the case my friend!
back in the 80's when we used to hunt Colorado we would see 60 elk a day, when was the last time you saw that
What is it with rude people?
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bakerboy
Guest
i wasnt even successful this season. i had my chances...it just didnt work out. i was in them everyday.
the principles are still the same, go where you think nobody else would ever think about going. more times than not you will run into elk.
i dont mean to be rude, but it is funny how the people that get an elk almost every year continue to do that year after year. its all about where you go and knowing the area.....and scouting. you put in the time and more times than not youll get one.
yes sometimes your in them all the time and it just never works out and that happens a lot with bow hunting because a million things can go wrong and one thing has to go right. thats the beauty about it. that is what makes me keep going at it. i learn more obviously from my failures than successes and i have a lot of failures in the bow hunting departments.
i have done both types of hunting and rifle hunting is a joke compared to bow hunting. there is a lot of skill in rifle hunting but lets face it, if that bull is within 500 yards you have a pretty good chance at putting one in him somewhere.....hopefully in the kill zone.
the principles are still the same, go where you think nobody else would ever think about going. more times than not you will run into elk.
i dont mean to be rude, but it is funny how the people that get an elk almost every year continue to do that year after year. its all about where you go and knowing the area.....and scouting. you put in the time and more times than not youll get one.
yes sometimes your in them all the time and it just never works out and that happens a lot with bow hunting because a million things can go wrong and one thing has to go right. thats the beauty about it. that is what makes me keep going at it. i learn more obviously from my failures than successes and i have a lot of failures in the bow hunting departments.
i have done both types of hunting and rifle hunting is a joke compared to bow hunting. there is a lot of skill in rifle hunting but lets face it, if that bull is within 500 yards you have a pretty good chance at putting one in him somewhere.....hopefully in the kill zone.
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huntindude
Guest
Oregon's hunting has gone down hill no doubt about it, deer hunting has fell all the way down the hill. there are some good spots left but it will take you 4 or 5 years to draw the tag or you'll need private land or maybe have a honey hole but those don't last long. we have horses and I can honestly say getting back away from the roads seldom means getting away from the hunters anymore because everyone else has the same idea. Manny I hunt W Murderers creek for deer about ever other year and there are some elk in there but not anything like there used to be. hard work alone wont cut it anymore, I hunt the roughest least hunted areas and I haven't seen a buck I wanted to shoot in 8 years, and even with the bulls still in the rut that time of year I'm lucky to see two or three 300 class bulls a year. sure I could change areas but I know and love this one and nobody else is doing much better anywhere else. one factor against us is ODFW, all they care about is selling tags, look at your Murderers creek elk area. first you have a month of no limit bow tags, then a cow hunt, then 1st season, then 2nd season hair tags, then another cow hunt. it's crazy. add in the cats and coyotes and it's no wonder. Oregon hunting sucks, if you want to know how bad just hunt out of state, I don't even care if I draw Oregon anymore.
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manny15
Guest
Casey'
sorry I'm still reeling from this week of loosing a good bull, after three days of seeing no elk, will i apply for murds crk again probly not, i will do more home work this next time around, you have a few good points no doubt...
huntindude'
we counted over 200 deer, with 4 shooter bucks one about 180 class, 27" wide, but they were ruttin good so i'm sure thats why they were so easy to find 'eh..
sorry I'm still reeling from this week of loosing a good bull, after three days of seeing no elk, will i apply for murds crk again probly not, i will do more home work this next time around, you have a few good points no doubt...
huntindude'
we counted over 200 deer, with 4 shooter bucks one about 180 class, 27" wide, but they were ruttin good so i'm sure thats why they were so easy to find 'eh..
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huntindude
Guest
That's what keeps me going back, there's a few nice ones left but trying do dig them off the north slopes in early October is tough. Silvies and Ochoco are much better elk units in my opinion but you'll need 4 or 5 points for Ochoco even if you're a res maybe more if you're a nonres.
AWHOLELOTTABULL
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 4,357
I travel a lot to Oregon for work and I can't believe the looks I get when I talk about hunting. If I'm in the Portland area I really have to watch who I talk to about my hunting escapades. You guys really have some extremists up there. A bunch of tree huggin yuppies! I feel for you and your wildlife pursuits.
It's always an adventure!!!
It's always an adventure!!!
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manny15
Guest
>I travel a lot to Oregon
>for work and I can't
>believe the looks I get
>when I talk about hunting.
> If I'm in the
>Portland area I really have
>to watch who I talk
>to about my hunting escapades.
> You guys really have
>some extremists up there.
>A bunch of tree huggin
>yuppies! I feel for
>you and your wildlife pursuits.
>
>
>
>It's always an adventure!!!
yes they have changed the way hunting is done here in oregon, they affected bear, mt lion and deer hunting...
>for work and I can't
>believe the looks I get
>when I talk about hunting.
> If I'm in the
>Portland area I really have
>to watch who I talk
>to about my hunting escapades.
> You guys really have
>some extremists up there.
>A bunch of tree huggin
>yuppies! I feel for
>you and your wildlife pursuits.
>
>
>
>It's always an adventure!!!
yes they have changed the way hunting is done here in oregon, they affected bear, mt lion and deer hunting...
AWHOLELOTTABULL
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 4,357
...and if you affect bear and lion you can't help but affect everything else. Nothing will change up there until one of those tree huggers gets eaten by a bear or a lion.
Calling all Oregonians....FEED THE BEARS! A treehugger a day keeps the antis away!
It's always an adventure!!!
Calling all Oregonians....FEED THE BEARS! A treehugger a day keeps the antis away!
It's always an adventure!!!
jvgunner
Active Member
- Messages
- 159
I agree hunting is down in oregon for both deer & elk, due too anti's,cougers,bears and politicians(crooks) I hunt as much as i can in other western states & accumulate bonus points in oregon & hunt late season bow for deer. this year we went 5-6 in wyoming for deer & 8-8 elk & 8-8 deer in montana this year. I'd give you a $100.00 bill if you can show me that in oregon.
Hit the nail on the head there, out of state much better for hunting. It doesn't matter if you pack or not anymore. The last 3 years that I have drawn a tag not consecutively and not including this year we have packed to get away from people. It doesn't work because there were so many trailers at the trail head horses everywhere. There were 25 guy told in the area we hunted the sad thing is only two spikes killed out of evryone in there. Oh and no I am not lazy I get out and hoof it and glass. Out of those years saw 1 bull for a split second. The next year never saw an elk and last year saw 2 cows after I had walked 14 miles. I hunted Idaho this year for elk and shot a 6x6 first day hm the second bull I was into that morning elk tracks everywhere. This year I hunted a new area scouted quite a bit found some elk but with a rifle everything changes. Only saw one set of elk tracks thats it no live animals. Time to save some points for a quality unit. My dad talk to a guy who hunted the ukiah unit found 4 dead deer and three dead elk on was a nice bull it had hole where its skull had been pierced by teeth guessing it was a lion. Oh this will top it off the guy son also shot a cat that was going to pounce on him. The guy also saw 5 wolves running together yes tht is what I said they were not coyotes they got a good look at them. Just an update.
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huntindude
Guest
A gal here in town shot a lion off of a calf elk it had just killed last week while they were hunting . if we don't get a handle on the lions here in Oregon our hunting will keep going down hill until it's over, banning the use of dogs was the greatest victory the anti hunters could have ever had. take away the game and the hunters will go away with them. now with our peice of crap governor re elected I don't see much hope of anything positive happening there.
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Hawkk33
Guest
how is banning the use of dogs a victory? people are still able to kill lions without dogs since the ban went into effect. Or is it the ease of killing a cougar your after ?
If you don't like hunting Oregon then don't hunt here!!!!
If you don't like hunting Oregon then don't hunt here!!!!
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huntindude
Guest
If you think killing lions without dogs is a practical form of control you haven't hunted much. I love hunting in Oregon it's the lack of game that I don't like, if you do hunt you must not have been here when it was good, you don't know any better would explain your ignorant comment. I'll still hunt here when I can get a tag but it's more of a camping trip than a hunt, I'll do my hunting out of state.
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manny15
Guest
>how is banning the use of
>dogs a victory? people are
>still able to kill lions
>without dogs since the ban
>went into effect. Or is
>it the ease of killing
>a cougar your after ?
>
>
>If you don't like hunting Oregon
>then don't hunt here!!!!
did you vote for the ban?...
there is no ease to hunting cats with a dog you still gotta walk your arse off, they just make the hunt more sucessfull, and not to mention thats the way it's been done since we came to this island over two hundred years ago.
can't you see the drop in game in the last few years or what?
>dogs a victory? people are
>still able to kill lions
>without dogs since the ban
>went into effect. Or is
>it the ease of killing
>a cougar your after ?
>
>
>If you don't like hunting Oregon
>then don't hunt here!!!!
did you vote for the ban?...
there is no ease to hunting cats with a dog you still gotta walk your arse off, they just make the hunt more sucessfull, and not to mention thats the way it's been done since we came to this island over two hundred years ago.
can't you see the drop in game in the last few years or what?
Oregon is about like every other state. There are great units, good units and crappy units. That is the way every state is. And in every unit there are great, good and crappy areas. To me the key to success is finding those great and good areas before the season starts.
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huntindude
Guest
Go ahead and think that way, I'll have less competition for the nonres tags in my other states.
The good, the bad and the ugly. The good will take you a lifetime to draw the bad at least 6 points and the ugly at least 1 point. Anybody who thinks you can hunt cats with out hounds and still keep the population in check needs to do a little research. There are honeyholes but very few consistantly produce. I can the hunter being the endangered species if the antis keep getting their way. Licensed hunters should only be allowed to vote on wildlife issues not the tree hugging granola heads. No one will stand up and say this is enough ! I have a great idea though, split western washington and western oregon off and add them to california and combine eastern sides to make another state. Then we wouldn't have to worry about being out voted. I hope colorado, utah and idaho appreciate my nonresident dollars.
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huntindude
Guest
elkslam,
Right on.
Right on.
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bigbulls1
Guest
it is unfortunate that managing wildlife gets put in the voters hands, and our wildlife population suffers because of it.
what I dont understand is why the commission does not vote to increase spring bear tags. biologists readily admit that bears in snake river, sled springs, ches, mt. emily, and weneha have a huge impact on elk calves. Why does it take three years to draw a sled/ches bear tag? make it over-the-counter. more spring bear hunters will kill more bear, and more cougar during the spring season.
Why not reduce cow tags? why not go draw only for all elk and deer hunts? Colorado's deer population rebounded after going draw only. the best elk states are all draw only; utah, arizona, new mexico, wyomiong. I know oregon hunters like the ability to hunt every year, but lets face it, since we cant control predators, we have to limit hunter harvest. I know it sucks, but our state wildlife commission is handcuffed, and wont seem to pull the trigger on necessary changes for better hunting.
what I dont understand is why the commission does not vote to increase spring bear tags. biologists readily admit that bears in snake river, sled springs, ches, mt. emily, and weneha have a huge impact on elk calves. Why does it take three years to draw a sled/ches bear tag? make it over-the-counter. more spring bear hunters will kill more bear, and more cougar during the spring season.
Why not reduce cow tags? why not go draw only for all elk and deer hunts? Colorado's deer population rebounded after going draw only. the best elk states are all draw only; utah, arizona, new mexico, wyomiong. I know oregon hunters like the ability to hunt every year, but lets face it, since we cant control predators, we have to limit hunter harvest. I know it sucks, but our state wildlife commission is handcuffed, and wont seem to pull the trigger on necessary changes for better hunting.
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huntindude
Guest
I agree with every word you guys have said , problem is Oregon hunters have forgotten what quality means and ODFW is only concerned with selling tags. if I didn't hunt out of state I might think things aren't that bad myself after so many years of worse and worse hunting here, I guess some get used to it. still it's great to hear from a few Oregon hunters that get it, not many do.
I agree 100% will Bigbull! double the spring bear tags across the state. Let who ever wants to hunt spring bears do it. get rid of all cow hunts and what people do not talk much about is make archery a draw or cut back there season. four weeks and five weekends are just wiping out all of the forked horns along the roads.
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Hawkk33
Guest
I hunted elk with a bow again this year and finally killed my first one. I called two bulls in for my nephew. He pulled a rookie move and didn't come to full draw as they came in. Owell, he learned a lesson he will have a year to think about it but we saw elk everyday we were out.
Went out with 2 first time elk hunters (rifle). My cousin shot a nice 6x6 bull on the opener. Wife was sitting next to him when the herd moved uphill. She was more amazed at the size of them (I got the hunt on film, cept for the kill shot)
A week later I found 2 bulls for her, she did not/could not make the shot.(got that on film too)We are not allowed to discuss it though ..LOL
She ended the year with no elk but your not gonna convince me there is nothing out there to hunt. I do agree with the overselling of tags to non resident just to make a buck, that's not good for anyone nor for the herds.
Went out with 2 first time elk hunters (rifle). My cousin shot a nice 6x6 bull on the opener. Wife was sitting next to him when the herd moved uphill. She was more amazed at the size of them (I got the hunt on film, cept for the kill shot)
A week later I found 2 bulls for her, she did not/could not make the shot.(got that on film too)We are not allowed to discuss it though ..LOL
She ended the year with no elk but your not gonna convince me there is nothing out there to hunt. I do agree with the overselling of tags to non resident just to make a buck, that's not good for anyone nor for the herds.
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huntindude
Guest
I wouldn't blame the nonres hunter at all, Oregon treats them like crap. we give out the lowest percentage of nonres tags of anyone and our quality is poor, other than sheep and pronghorn. if other states treated me like Oregon treats them I'd be SOL.
I agree nonresidents are not the problem. Archery season is a little different than rifle. Elk let their guard down during archery. But yes their are always going to be animals killed by someone out there. But ask yourself this question, How many spikes did you see ? and how many calves were in the herd ? Have cow hunts every other year but they must be drawn for archery or rifle. You never can win there are lots of opinions which everyone is entitled to their own.
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drannan
Guest
all the guys i know that are over 50 and hunt a lot have never seen a lion before 5-7 years ago. now they have all seen them. ive seen 6 in oregon in the last 3 years. i usually hunt the sled springs/chesnim spring bear hunt every year. a group of us go, about half have tags evey year. its a fun way to start the years hunts. last year alone we saw 19 bears,1 lion, and 3 bobcats. 5 years ago in the exact same spot we saw 3 bears, 0 lions, and 0 bobcats and a lot more deer and elk! each hunt was 7-9 days and was a lot of walking and glassing. every guy i know that hunts is very convinced the deer and elk hunting will suck and only get worse until the predator problem is addressed.
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Hawkk33
Guest
I was talking about non resident with regard to the prices they, the non resident pay for tags here. It seems that the higher dollar amount is what the F&W people are more interested in.
Another prime example of quantity over quality.
Another prime example of quantity over quality.
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bigbulls1
Guest
dont for one second think that revenue from non-res tags has to do with anything. Oregon discriminates against non-res so bad, that any revenue they do get from them is pennies compared to any other income.
Also, archery hunters have little to no affect on the deer and elk herds, but making archery season a draw would increase the quality of the hunt.
My personal feelings are to (first) increase spring bear tags, (second) decrease rifle cow tags, and (third) make archery a draw only (deer and elk) for eastern units.
On another note, the wenaha study that involved fed $ was an elk predation study, so if the state wants to take cats out of the area, I don't undersand what the problem is, since fed $ went toward proving what we already know, cats eat elk!
I sure am glad I live in Idaho now, but there is something about going back to a place you've always hunted, so I would like to see some positive changes in Oregon.
Also, archery hunters have little to no affect on the deer and elk herds, but making archery season a draw would increase the quality of the hunt.
My personal feelings are to (first) increase spring bear tags, (second) decrease rifle cow tags, and (third) make archery a draw only (deer and elk) for eastern units.
On another note, the wenaha study that involved fed $ was an elk predation study, so if the state wants to take cats out of the area, I don't undersand what the problem is, since fed $ went toward proving what we already know, cats eat elk!
I sure am glad I live in Idaho now, but there is something about going back to a place you've always hunted, so I would like to see some positive changes in Oregon.
I was told that ODFW limits the spring bear tags to "ensure a quality hunting experience" number 1 and to also limit the amount of people out in the woods running around while fawns and calves are being born.
Real reason? Probably a lot of pressure from the furry-friend lovers, is my guess.
And, yes, Oregon is probably the toughest state on NR hunters around. In some ways, too bad, there's a lot of money to be made. On the other hand....there's way to many CA license plates running around as it is!!
My .02
kh
Real reason? Probably a lot of pressure from the furry-friend lovers, is my guess.
And, yes, Oregon is probably the toughest state on NR hunters around. In some ways, too bad, there's a lot of money to be made. On the other hand....there's way to many CA license plates running around as it is!!
My .02
kh
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Hawkk33
Guest
true that about the cali plates.
