I'm back from Oregon...

[snoopdogg]

Rolled out to Oregon and hunted hard for 6 days. For the second year in a row, I've been skunked. Seen some elk, but not before they seen or smelled me. Hunting partner got a shot off at a fat cow, but was short in his shot, but, unlike me, he got himself a shot.

The elk were not talking in my unit, which was expressed by many locals as unusual because I've been told they start yapping about the 10th of September. Hell, we even had rain prior to our arrival on Monday and the day we boogied back to Cali on Tuesday. The high in our area was about 65 and lows down to 32. However, no talking yet and no elk.

I'll get them next year.

 

[Speckmisser]

Bummer, Snoop. At least you got out there. Which part of OR did you hit?

I'm thinking seriously about hitting it up there next year. Just not sure when or where.

 

[Oregon Archer]

thats a too bad snoop. i made it out to the wilderness area a couple of weekend ago. ran smack dab into the middle of a small herd. they had no clue we were there cause the wind was in our favor and it wasnt quite light yet. if it had only been a bit more light out i could have had a shot opp but i just couldnt see my pins. ill be heading back up there to a new area this weekend and go at em again. this area holds some promise so hopefully ill get an elk out of there this weekend.

like spec im curious as to what areas you hunted this past week?

 

[snoopdogg]

Above Crater Lake. Rolled back out to the Lemolo and Mowich area, had some company, but I could have scored as much as anybody else. Guess it just wasn't to be. It's a damn shame they weren't talking, because it would have been quite a blast. The elk were there, the sneaky little bastards.

As always, still had a great time and a good hunt. I've got until next weekend, right? And then, that short late season in November. I just might roll out one more time.....

Archer, I gave you a holler Thursday night, but the phone was busy and when I thought about hitting you again, I'm sure you were already out in the Wilderness. I thought about going anyway, but I towed a trailer this year. One thing about those trailers, it's just like staying at the freakin' Ritz Carlton. I'll be taking that on more extended trips (unless I'm in the wilderness). Damn thing sleeps 6! Archer, I'm sure you'll nail one before all is said and done. Don't forget your camera.

 

[Oregon Archer]

well ill be heading back up to the wilderness area this weekend for the last couple of days if you make it up here ill take you up there. i have a little nook up there that ive been wanting to hunt really bad

it should hold a good number of elk this time of year cause they go there when they get pressured a lot in the easy accessable areas. ill PM you my cell number. if you can make it up for this last weekend we can try and hook up and go into that nook and chase some elk together

 

[MikenSoCo]

Archer, thanks for your help earlier in the year about where to hunt. I broke my ankle so I never made the trip. I did collect all the maps of the area and picked out an access point so I'm ready to rock next year( hopefully with a new bow) Good luck and post up your results, thanks again- Mike

 

[snoopdogg]

Archer, you're a good guy, I don't care what MikenSoCal says about you!

 

[Oregon Archer]

well snoopdogg and i managed to hook up for the last couple of days of season. it was very unproductive to say the least. it was just hotter than it should be. it was in the upper 80s both days. we saw ZERO elk the whole time. only saw one little doe. i was VERY disappointed as i held high hopes for this area. the elk were definately using this place on a regular basis as it was tore up with sign all up and down the canyon. we unfortunately just couldnt find them. i heard one bugle the whole time we were up there and that was when we were getting ready to hike in. we had absolutely no responses to our cow calls or our bugles the whole time. i plan on going back to this canyon next year as it is a fantastic area. great scenary and its not to rough of a pack to get into or out of either if something was to hit the ground. maybe next time we go in there snoop we can actually see some elk up there

it was good meeting you and i had fun even though i was frustrated as hell with not seeing or hearing any elk. guess there is always the late cow hunt to look forward too

ill post some pics soon. they arent the greatest but some of them turned out ok. maybe snoops turned out better than mine did and he can post some as well.

 

[hunthog]

I found all my Elk up high in the Blues. Few under 6000 ft and all were far from the nearest road or developed trail. We were up for the last 3 weeks of the season and only had one lonely Bull bugle for a couple of days, in one of our hunting areas, the 3rd week of the season. They started getting frisky the beginning of the last week after it snowed and the moon went new. I worked several Bulls on Monday and Tuesday and should have had a Bull but was never in the right position for a shot. Still, none would work to a bugle even though they were bugling and I never saw a Bull with Cows. They were all solo. They worked to a Cow call but came in silent, slow and cautious. I thought I had them figured out but my Cow walked out Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 PM to my Hoochie Mama. Couldn't resist even though my confidence level was very high for a Bull on Wed or Thurs. Confidence doesn't put meat on the table so I fired one arrow and got the Cow. She sure tastes good.

I know where to hunt next year and I never saw or heard a single hunter in that spot. Tough to get to, lonely and hard to hunt. Just like I like it.

hunthog

 

[snoopdogg]

Hunthog, congrats on the sure thing.

Oregon Archer, thanks for being gracious and letting me hang out with you at the sweet little spot. Maybe next year we'll jack a double. That was a nice area and the elk were definitely there. Now, time to concentrate on some rifle hunting here in Cali for blacktails and bruins. Archer, you have an open invite if you want to hunt in the Trinity Alps.

 

[SacFireJT]

A couple of friends and I hunted Northeast Oregon, from the 5th to the 12th, in an area I know well. When we got into our area, on Friday night, after a hike of about 2 miles, we were almost immediatly into Elk. In fact, that night we got into a herd of about 50 head, out in the open, in a saddle, with several bulls that were lit-up! The cows were talking and we heard a lot of estrus sounds. I had a bull come in snorting to my cow calling, but it was just too dark for a shot. I was really suprised by how vocal the bulls were because it was so early in the season.

The next day we had rain,sleet, and even some snow! As you guys know, it rained off and on all week. On our second day, we saw a heard of about 150-200 head moving out of a drainage, and side hilling about 350 yards away...it was just like they kept coming and coming out of that canyon.

I shot a cow on the 5th day. We had located a herd of about 15 head and set up in front of it...they moved right down to us. Unfortunatly, we had elk above and below us, and I knew it was a matter of time before we would get winded. There was a nice 5x5 in that group that was just screaming, but would not come in to cow calls, just answer. Perhaps I should have bugled at him...who knows? Anyway, we got winded and several cows below us began to bolt. I had ranged a cow at 40 yards and was at full draw. I let my arrow go, just as she was turing (quartering away) to run and hit her between the last two ribs, and my arrow completly dissapeared into her chest. We found her about 200 meters away. While I was quartering my cow, another friend...who was with me when I shot my cow...got a shot at a cow that had come in with two others, only 40 yard from my downed cow. I was shocked because we were TALKING right before we saw those cows! I got his shot on video. Unfortunatly, his hit was high, in the shoulder and we never found his cow--after an extensive search. Btw, that same morning, just before sunrise, another buddy shot over the back of a 5x5 at 60 yards, as he was moving his cows across an open ridgeline. I wish I had that on video!

I found that the Elk were less vocal during the rain and would really light up when the sun would come out. Most of the elk were bedding on North facing slopes but we did find some bedded on South facing slopes after the rain. The bulls were vocal and would respond to cow calling but would not leave their cows. The first night, I was able to bring in a bull but that was only after moving 60 yards away from the heard and making estrus cow sounds. I had been cow/calf calling for about 10 minutes, but once I used that Primos hyperlip single w/ tone converter, that bull ran to me. The elk population appears to be doing great in this area...

Overall, we heard and saw bulls everyday...I can't wait till next year.

 

[hunthog]

Nice Cow SacFireJT. I too found that they were talking but not coming to bugles. If you had bugled at that 5X5 he probably would have high-tailed it. The day before I arrowed my little Cow, I was in the same area when I heard some noise in a draw to my left. I was on a bench and set up on the left side and started Cow calling. After about 5 minutes I realized I was calling to squirrels dropping cones and at that moment I heard the distinctive heavy "thump, thump" of an Elk moving through the lodgepole on my right. Out walked a nice 5X5 who stopped right on the edge of the opening looking for the Cow he heard (me). He was 40 yards away and there were several small pines between us so all I could do is lightly cow call to try and get him to take about 10 steps so I would have a clear shot. Of course, I knew I was screwed when he stopped at the edge of the clearing looking for the Cow

but it was worth a try. He just kept looking around and finally turned to leave. I decided to bugle to try and turn him back and it looked like I kicked him in the butt when I did. Off he went.

That happened 2 more times during our hunt. Cow call and they came in silent, bugle and they would answer but finally just leave. I think they were trolling for Cows but not yet ready for a fight. All but one of the 5 bulls we worked were solo and strolling through the woods bugling their heads off. Answer them and it was instant silence. Cow call them and wait and they would sneak in.

The day I shot my Cow I heard 2 Bulls bugle. On both, I Cow called and they would bugle back. One never moved so I did and he busted me.

The other I sat and Cow called for 45 minutes, he bugled twice and shut up for 30 minutes. I finally gave up and walked 10 yards in his direction and came face to face with him 30 yards away sneaking down a trail to me.

The little Cow I got came-a-running at 1:00 PM to my Hoochie Mama. I was sitting on a log just playing with the thing to see how many different calls I could make and suddenly heard that "thump" again and there she was........meat in the freezer.

Tell me, did the deer suddenly come out of the woodwork in the area you hunted once the weather started? Man, in the Granite area we saw only 3 deer the week before the weather. Once it rained, sleeted and snowed we were seeing 20 a day. I've never been so sorry in my life that I didn't buy a deer tag. I could have taken no less than 2 legal deer in the week after the storms. Three different guys in our camp took deer the week after the storms.

Next year it's an Elk tag, deer tag and bird permit. We could have eaten Grouse every day the whole trip.

hunthog