Sled Springs Archery with 7 resident points?

[callsalot]

I have a good problem which is years of building points all over the west. The bad news is I switched jobs and have less vacation time so am trying to be strategic of what I draw. My question is, it looks like in 2022 & 2023 it took 7 resident points to possibly draw Sleds Archery. In 2022 110 residents applied with seven points and 64 drew for 58% success. 2023 62 residents applied with seven at 46 drew for a 74% success. Am I reading this correctly that it actually got better and that fewer applied in 2023. What's your guess for this year??? Of course I have seven and this would be a good year to hunt close to home.

 

[Moe]

Hope you draw SS with your point totals. Was wondering how bad the wolfs have gotten in that area?

 

[callsalot]

Hope you draw SS with your point totals. Was wondering how bad the wolfs have gotten in that area?

I know a few guys who've drawn it in recent years. Most haven't had any issues and the hunting was still good. The issue was fires.
Appreciate the reply.

 

[Scrillznac]

Here's my take and yes I've hunted Sled before.

1.) The hunting has gone way down hill the last 4-5 years. The wolf population has exploded in that area as well. I rifle hunted it (I'm a bowhunter normally) in 2022 and put 10-15 miles a day on my boots and saw 1 cow elk during the 5 day season. Our party went 2for4 though. Maybe I'm just a crappy rifle hunter haha. Almost all of the bulls that were killed that we knew of were rag horns or 5pts. I archery hunt NE Oregon and have WAAAY better luck and success in 2nd and 3rd choice units. Now my experience was a rifle hunt so it could be a whole different world during bow season.

2.) FIRE SEASON!!!! A TON of land in the unit is Hancock now called Manulife or whatever it is. There are very few elk on the National Forest chunks that we hunted and scouted. The NF chunks that do hold a decent amount of elk are landlocked and only accessible through the timber company land. If fire danger reaches a level 3 or 4, they will shutdown ALL access to their lands whether on foot or not. This prevents access to a giant portion of the unit.

I've heard Great, Good, Bad, and Miserable stories from archery seasons in Sled. It has been a real mixed bag of stories honestly. What I can tell is that most of the bad stories have been in the last 2-3 years it seems like. You might go and have an awesome experience or you might go and be locked out of most of the unit for most of the season. Total crap shoot with all the private!

If it were me, I'd put in for any of the Big 3 for 1st Choice and pick a couple decent units for your 2nd and 3rd choices. Keep building your points or take a buddy or two to Chesnimus or something. You can find just as good of hunting or way better in any of the NE Oregon elk units as you can in Sled. I know I sound a little brash but Sled is the most overrated unit I've ever hunted in Oregon. But YES it was a rifle hunt. Just relaying my experience. GOOD LUCK in whatever you choose!

 

[lostinOregon]

Ron wold publishes predictive odds for drawing based upon not what happened last year, but what he expects this year. He is pretty accurate. He has not updated his website for this years draw

 

[callsalot]

Really appreciate your honest take on things in Sled. I've been fortunate enough to hunt a lot of states some with special draw tags. All DYI public land by the way including Mt. Emily in 2016. I know guys that have hunted Sled archery three of the last four years "different guys, not all the same guy". They struggled with access/fire but overall was good enough for me to make up my mind to give it a try. To old to wait for the big three again and I hunt NE on 2nd choice a fair amount also. If Sled sucks then you can say I told you so I have enough points to draw Unit 1AZ this year but just having switched jobs I would like to hunt closer to home with a few extended weekends and one full week. When I draw AZ it will be until I kill one or two and a half week deal with travel time and scouting. Just wondering what people guesses are on the probability of getting the tag with seven points or if I should just head somewhere else and save it for another year.

 

[WapitiBob]

Yes, sled has had reverse creep if there is such a thing.

I've been there 7 of the last 9 years, but I filed for divorce after the 2023 season. I loved that unit, my first year it was Jurassic park. I left early the 1st weekend because I didn't want to shoot one and screw up my later vacation. Each year has gotten a little bit worse but was always doable.

In 2023 I should have killed 2 bulls but I've evidently forgotten how to kill them. Very few herds, both bigger ones were on pvt. Very little bugling, I suspect because of the lack of established herds. We covered miles and would get a bugle but usually a single and he'd bugle once or twice. We looked at each other multiple times in late September and ask wtf is going on..

The other odd thing, that I had not seen till this year.... Have you ever moved in on a bugling bull, gotten to about 50-70 yards, and had 4 different hunters pop out of the brush as you moved around? Nobody made a sound, and nobody knew the others were there. It happened twice, the second time, it was 5 hunters within 100 yards of the bull.
I talked to a guy who's party has hunted the last cp years and that's their MO, move in on a bugling bull and deal with all the others doing the same thing. Not my style and not something I'm going to do.

This year, people left the big TMA and moved to the forest because the TMA was so bad.

I drew AZ unit 1 in 2013, my first year in Sled was better.

 

[callsalot]

Yes, sled has had reverse creep if there is such a thing.

I've been there 7 of the last 9 years, but I filed for divorce after the 2023 season. I loved that unit, my first year it was Jurassic park. I left early the 1st weekend because I didn't want to shoot one and screw up my later vacation. Each year has gotten a little bit worse but was always doable.

In 2023 I should have killed 2 bulls but I've evidently forgotten how to kill them. Very few herds, both bigger ones were on pvt. Very little bugling, I suspect because of the lack of established herds. We covered miles and would get a bugle but usually a single and he'd bugle once or twice. We looked at each other multiple times in late September and ask wtf is going on..

The other odd thing, that I had not seen till this year.... Have you ever moved in on a bugling bull, gotten to about 50-70 yards, and had 4 different hunters pop out of the brush as you moved around? Nobody made a sound, and nobody knew the others were there. It happened twice, the second time, it was 5 hunters within 100 yards of the bull.
I talked to a guy who's party has hunted the last cp years and that's their MO, move in on a bugling bull and deal with all the others doing the same thing. Not my style and not something I'm going to do.

This year, people left the big TMA and moved to the forest because the TMA was so bad.

I drew AZ unit 1 in 2013, my first year in Sled was better.

Thanks for your input and I know what mean. I drew Mt. Emily in 2016. It was a solid hunt but I'd had close to as good of hunts on some of, at the time was OTC tag here in Oregon. I did kill an OK 6X6 so not complaining. I do love the term reverse creep however, never thought there would be such a thing but I'm glad you verified I was looking at those draw numbers correctly. If I thought I had better than a 50/50 chance I'd probably roll the dice and try for it and hopefully hunt closer to home. If I was less than that I'd probably head somewhere else as I have enough point to guarantee general tags in Montana or Wyoming and save my AZ and UTAH for another year.

 

[Deer]

Really appreciate your honest take on things in Sled. I've been fortunate enough to hunt a lot of states some with special draw tags. All DYI public land by the way including Mt. Emily in 2016. I know guys that have hunted Sled archery three of the last four years "different guys, not all the same guy". They struggled with access/fire but overall was good enough for me to make up my mind to give it a try. To old to wait for the big three again and I hunt NE on 2nd choice a fair amount also. If Sled sucks then you can say I told you so I have enough points to draw Unit 1AZ this year but just having switched jobs I would like to hunt closer to home with a few extended weekends and one full week. When I draw AZ it will be until I kill one or two and a half week deal with travel time and scouting. Just wondering what people guesses are on the probability of getting the tag with seven points or if I should just head somewhere else and save it for another year.

Wish I had enough to draw unit 1 in AZ that’s a good problem to have as I only have 17. I have hunted Sled several times and guide in NE Oregon. Can’t say it’s much better than anything else I’ve hunted or guided in and not worth the points but what is. Anyways, look forward to hearing how you do.

 

[callsalot]

Thanks Deer, I have 21 points for AZ. So I think that gives me a good shot at unit 1 but if I hunt other places a few years I could move to 3a/3c but that discussion is for AZ forum not Oregon I guess. Once I figure it out I'll let you know if I end up with a Sled tag this year or not.
Appreciate the response.

 

[HoofsUp]

I hunted Sled in '22 and our party went 2 for 3. A rag 5x5 and a big 6x6. We spotted the 6x6 before season and he was shot opening morning. We hunted hard everyday the rest of the season and saw a few elk, but it wasn't easy. We were camped ~8 miles behind the gates and it snowed a night or two before season opened. We camped at the top of a meadow and had wolves less than 50 yds from our tent at night. They were chasing a bugling bull that came through the meadow with a small herd. The elk passed through just as it was getting dark 2 nights prior to season opening. We tracked the wolves and they followed the elk into the timber and then back tacked through our meadow and out the way they came in. We heard them howling in the meadow, but never heard them just above the tent.

 

[callsalot]

I had a similar experience in 2016 when I had the Mt. Emily Tag. I heard wolves within a couple hundred yards of my camp at night at two different locations. One seemed to be following a bugling bull. I've even heard wolves in the northfork wilderness a couple of years ago. Unfortunately wolves are part of the NE Oregon equation now. Appreciate you sharing your experience Hoofsup.