What to do?

[hayden3006]

I am looking to hunt Oregon,in the near future. I have 11 points for Elk,Deer, and Antelope. I do not know anything about hunting Oregon. Any advice would be great. I have a liite info for CO,WY if you need to know about any units I have hunted. I have read alot of post of how bad oregon is but I have to many points to just stop now. PM me if you want or email me.

Thanks John
[email protected]

 

[440sixpack]

You have too many points to throw away, and you're years away from drawing what by Oregon standards are the top tags.

For elk I'd draw next year in one of the central eastern units, take your pick there isn't much difference.

For deer look at the stats and put in for the hardest to draw unit you think you can get, and it won't be very good. the type of terrain you prefer will be the main factor, don't worry about quality you're going to be lucky to find a 150 buck. think of it as a camping trip you take your gun on.

For pronghorn take a so so tag or spend years letting Oregon hose you for more points. look at the stats, the more points it takes the better the tag 99% of the time.

Oregon has the potential for quality hunting but we have two problems, lions we can't control and hunters who are content with the way ODFW mismanages the herds. I don't see any change on the horizon in either case so my advice is burn your points and stop getting screwed.


Stay thirsty my friends

 

[baltz526]

The first thing to do is look at your odds. http://sites.google.com/site/oregontags/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------support your local guzzlers. OHA life member,lapine oregon

 

[oneaway]

Well put 440! I 100% agree with everything you said!!

 

[bonepicker]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-24-12 AT 12:07PM (MST)[p]John,
I'm not quite as jaded as 440 and some others. It's true that Oregon has lost a little hunting quality the last few years but there is still some good hunting out here and things are looking up, I have seen more fawns (and many twins) this year than I have in a very long time. I think we'll see some recovery the next few years in the deer herds. Elk herds are doing very well from everything I have seen and antelope are doing very well also.

For deer, you might do well to wait a few years to see if herds recover. You have enough points to get basically any tag you want, there are some special tags that you won't be able to get but you can still get some good ones. Look for the tags east of the Cascades that take 5+ points to draw and you will have a good hunt, this year or in future years.

For elk, you can get many good tags, a few of the elite tags will still be a few years away but you can get some good tags, the east or west Murderers Creek unit for one elk, Beulah for one elk, east Northside for one elk, those would all be fun hunts, you could hunt for a bull but take a cow if you wanted. I wouldn't hold out any longer for elk unless you really want one of the best hunts (wenaha, walla walla, mt.emily, starkey experimental forest) which will probably be a few years out for you. Think about Wenaha in 2014, (no tags for nonres in 2013) but if you'd rather have a good hunt sooner, apply for one of the "one elk" tags (just not the "High Desert" "E Beulah" or "Bully Creek" tags)

Antelope will probably also be a few years away but there are many good units, pick one that you like and just stick with applying for it, it will be worth the wait.

Hope that helps!

 

[BCS]

pm sent

 

[440sixpack]

The elk herds are down from where they were 10 years ago . I own land in the Grizzly and Ochoco units, elk numbers are definetly down once you leave the low lands near the hay fields. but still Ok.

The deer situation is a trainwreck, I won't go so far as to say they aren't starting a comeback but they have so far to climb it's pure speculation . in places I used to see hundreds of deer in the winter I can go for days without seeing one. deer used to eat my hay fields up all summer, now I have a few here and there.

Maybe at 50 I'm an oltimer, but I remember the days as a kid I could go up on the forest and kill a 4 point any day I chose. or I could stay at home and kill a dozen wormy bucks out our fields. maybe to know how bad it is you have to have been around here long enough to remember how it was.

I've hunted deer in most every state in the west. what I can tell a non res hunter looking to come to Oregon is this, set your expectations lower than any state you've ever hunted and you're still going to be overly optimistic. It really does suck, sugar coating for corn flakes

Stay thirsty my friends

 

[elkliver]

apply with me as a party, my 1 point for elk and your 11 will even out so that we will both draw one of the decent units(northside, desolation, Murderers, etc)

Then i'd be really forthcoming about where to hunt

Seriously, even if it isn't me. apply with someone you want to go hunting with, pick a decent (nontrophy) unit and go hunting.

 

[hayden3006]

Thanks for the help guys. I will look into these hunts.

 

[muleyman]

PM me for some info...

muleyman

 

[hayden3006]

Muleyman pm sent.

 

[Crunchy]

OTC tags are pretty good for elk. Dont see too many deer but I hunt the eastside of the state for archery elk. Starkey, Desolation units are pretty good. Even with a blank canvass you can get into elk probably everyday you hunt.