I am a lifelong Oregon resident, hunter for the last 42 years. I am completely frustrated at ODFW and their management or lack of management of wildlife. If you have not ventured out of the state of Oregon to hunt your eyes have not been opened. I hunt in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado almost every year and Nevada and New Mexico if I draw a tag. Oregon is by far the worst state, hands down, not even close. It is so obvious that Oregon manages for the almighty dollar,nothing else. When you look at buck to doe ratios, bull to cow ratios and then compare them with other states you will be shocked. I don't care if the cougars and bears are killing all the deer, it is the 5000 tags in one unit that is the problem. You can manage for opportunity if that is what you want to call it, but if there are very few mature animals in the herd you are not doing your job.
ODFW only manages antelope and sheep they way they should, everything else is horrible. How many big deer came from Oregon this year, I know of one out of the steens, that is it. I talk to tons of people about hunting and this year and it was awful.
You can defend ODFW all you want, but if opportunity is seeing one spike deer in seven days of hunting, you can have it.
The only thing new in every synopsis is more red hunts for private land, nothing new for the guy looking to hunt for a quality animal, I am not talking trophy just quality which to me means a mature animal, I'm not talking scores.
I can see over 20 mature mule deer on a daily basis on a colorado hunt on public land during season. I have not seen 20 mature bucks in Oregon in the last 10 years.
If ODFW is managing for opportunity the opportunity to kill a mature animal should be there and it is not. I couldn't look myself in the mirror and know that all of my decisions are based on tag money, not what is in the best interest of the animals that I am supposed to be managing.