Jimbo's Eastern OR ElkBow

[easymoney]

orelkbow,
Yeah chukar are very tasty, but probably the hardest upland bird to hunt. They say that the first bird is for the table and the rest you shoot is for revenge.
They run up hill, and fly down hill and live in the steepest nastiest country you can think of. If you saw some you saw the country I am speaking of...
Sounds as if you have a hunter coming up and will have your hands full...
Good luck.

 

[hunterdoug]

Didn't know they had a LS deer hunt. I asked someone that question when I was down there last year and they told me there's no deer hunting season in LS at all. We saw lots of quality bucks and also named one of them "Superman Buck". Well, good luck to ya.

yep there's a 35 tag quota for LS sat, sun and mondays only in october there are some dandy bucks usually chasing does by now.
It's been four years since I've drawn last time, it's fri am trying to hit the road by 2:00 after picking up my daughter from school. she'll hang out with here best friends up there she's as excited as I am, (she's 10)

 

[ORElkBow]

orelkbow,
Yeah chukar are very tasty, but probably the hardest upland bird to hunt. They say that the first bird is for the table and the rest you shoot is for revenge.
They run up hill, and fly down hill and live in the steepest nastiest country you can think of. If you saw some you saw the country I am speaking of...
Sounds as if you have a hunter coming up and will have your hands full...
Good luck.

Yep. Know what you mean about those country. Especially Hell's Canyon along the Snake River breaks. I think my first chuckar I shoot will be for revenge LOL.

 

[ORElkBow]

yep there's a 35 tag quota for LS sat, sun and mondays only in october there are some dandy bucks usually chasing does by now.
It's been four years since I've drawn last time, it's fri am trying to hit the road by 2:00 after picking up my daughter from school. she'll hang out with here best friends up there she's as excited as I am, (she's 10)

Thanx for clearing that up for me. I think I was lied to.

 

[Orygun]

Had a chat with a co-worker who packed in with horses in NE Oregon. His group has hunted this area for quite a while and they nearly always get at least one elk in their group. They saw many, many wolf tracks. There were two dozen or so hunters in the area they were in and not an elk to be seen.

Harvest in that area from what he saw was a couple deer, 6 bears, and a cougar. He said there was lots of elk sign, its just that the elk are changing their behavior in response to the wolves. wonderful.

 

[easymoney]

Many of the ranchers are concerned about the wolves. I heard of one that got hit and killed near John Day. ODFW claimed they haven't crossed the Snake River, yet...

 

[hunterdoug]

Ok ORElkbow wow catching up is hard after a week in the woods. man I love oregon. there were some fires in medford as I pulled in mon afternoon, quite the show with four big tanker planes and three heli's, anyway got to camp and set up Scott and Toby walked in at dark from hunting around camp and told of the elk moving around the area. made plans for tues. By the way I believe your elevation rules to be true we were always around 4-5000 ft give or take. Tues am went with toby to the backside of the ridge from camp where they got into them the day before, lots of tracks didn't find any animals, split up and worked our way back to camp for lunchbreak. they told me that sunday eve right at end of shoot light scott was just above camp and heard a group of elk coming to the creek by camp he bugled and they shut up and left. He said he's never had luck bugling in that area and we think it's because there's a small number of bulls there not much competition, but there are some nice ones. wed, calling isn't working watching trails isn't either, they're not sure what to do so I ask if I can just walk find fresh tracks and see where that gets me, ok. leave camp dark thirty climb to the ridge and start walking the old skid roads, 8:30 find fresh tracks on scotts tracks from yesterday, follow where they leave the road and head to timber. I know I'm getting close when I find a puddle of pee she just did, paint up spray down start looking, 11:00 still no sign at the edge of the timber that divides the spring area from the clearcut above I'm gonna back out refill supplies in pack and come back for the afternoon. start down, hit the skid road at 11:15 look to my left and what is THAT a steer no, shes got a small head so I know shes a big cow, wow, I start shaking, I HATE when that happens, range here at 38 yrds, feeding, she looks forward theres anotherone that I can't see, ok here goes stand up draw move a little left to get a clear shot, as I draw she spots me at half pull, keep going!!, dam she's got me ohwell, pins 20...30..40... right behind the shoulder breathe, dam she's looking and doesn't like me, sqeeze the release... I see a slow motion snap shot of the vanes heading to the sweet spot and she spins hard left, all in a split second, arrow passes right past here shoulder as she makes an incredible u turn. blasts through the tree and is gone, her friend takes off never to be seen and I hear one behind me blast off too.
Get to camp tell toby, decide to go look for my arrow just to make sure, I looked after waiting for a half hour didn't find it did a circle around the area. we get back to the spot can't find my arrow no blood but as we're tracking her toby say hey doug come look at this, the other tracks from behind me are LARGE with dews DOUBLE DAM, big bull !!, oh well. rest of the week was slow, smoke from the fires at the divide came in. hunted two other areas never saw any other hunters. got on some more elk sat am called them into a spring area, but not in good position,they never called back just went to where they wanted to go. scott busted a bull from his bed walking back to the truck went back on sun am nobody home but he did find a bear, made a nice shot about 50 yrds, choc bear with a light snout, real pretty, I slept in, packed up, and was on the road by 10:00. can't wait till next year, learned a lot about them critters. practice my calling. saw some fringe areas they didn't get to, want to try those areas next year, big canyons, timber, clearcuts, food, trails just got to find a player who wants to sing back at me. had a good time at LS last weekend will post that prob in the bowhunting section. good luck to you guys in the second season too far for me to those units.

 

[ORElkBow]

hunterdoug,

Sounds like an eventful weekend to ya. Nice to end the season with more knowledge of these critters. Well hopefully next year you'll get into more action and I'll watch out for your pics. I'm not sure if we're gonna go out for the second season at all, at least I'm not. I'll be out trying to fill my deer tag that time. Giving myself some alone hunting time.

Thanx for sharing your story.