north eastern oregon

[sierrastocker]

New here love the site, hope someone can help me out.

Drew an Oregon spike bull in the starkey unit. Didnt want to put in with a party because I had more points and thought neither the party or myself would draw but I had a better chance alone. Well we had a miscommunication and the party all drew bull tags in the murderous creek unit and I drew a spike in the starkey. So now im going off to a unit that I have no clue about. Im a non res. and was hoping somone could point me in the right direction up there. I dont like going into hunt blind but I guess thats how you learn out of state terriorty. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also any tips that I can pass on to my buddies going into murderous creek?
Here's a buck I killed in Oregon last year. Owahee unit. got very lucky, just checked out an area we've never been and found him. The pic is bad (tall sage), he scored 181 net 176 gross.

 

[SacFireJT]

Nice buck...I have hunted both units...and I am leaving in the AM for Starkey...Send me an email in a about a week and I can give you guys some ideas on general areas to hunt in both units.

 

[sierrastocker]

that would be great, good luck to ya.

 

[easymoney]

Nice buck,
Tall tines and thick... I drew an eastern OR buck tag this year and will be having a great time. I always see loads of nice bucks.
Nice camo shirt...

 

[Orygun]

I hate my dad for teaching me right from wrong. Had one of thoe shoot or don't shoot mopments right out
Outdoor Life. I get a elk tag every year but it's a secondary thing to deer. Just don't put much time into it. Deer and elk run concurrent so I carry both. A couple weeks back I got a tip on an area from a timber manager who bowhunts. Gave me the intersection of two forest roads and said to start there. He said yopu'll have to walk a mile or two to get there. Not a problem.

So I leave the truck just before daybreak, Hardest part was finding the right roads in the woods. The area is a mix of public/private so you have to be reaaal careful where you are at all times.

I passed on a little spike buck at a doable range. It was legal, but it wasless than an hour into opening morning. I start up through this massive year old clear cut. FInd a bunch of recent elkk tracks and start following them. They connect with another road and head into a stand of fir. It's at the edge of my map. IO dohn't want to go any further than the map but I decide to walk up into the trees a little.

I'm about to pull the map out of my pocket and there is noise of something scraping on dirt. There's a slight bend in the road and an enbankmenent behind these two 6 inch wide firs with brush between (remember the brush). I look just past the trees and watch part of the embankement slide. Only it ain't no embankment. It's an elk, a freakin huge multi-branched bull.

I count at least 5 tines on the right antler. Not much mass per se, by lots of tines. He's rubbing a fir, looks like a kid with a huge lollipop. Doesn't see me and I'm at 35yds or less. I got him broadside and 2/3 of him is in the clear, Guess which part is covered? Cue Eric Cartmen "Son of a B&$^%#!"

The WHOLE KILL ZONE and nothing but the kill zone. Theres branches form dried brush forming a nice web. I could slip a Thunderhead through but who knows where it would careen off to.

It's breezy and the wind is going every which way. I hold my position for 5 minutes. Then I try slowly sliding up and away from him to get an angle. Then to my right unseen an elk or two start blowing through the bursh away from me. Mr Bull doesn't care, keeps on rubbing. I'm getting ansy, pulse is racing and I'm having trouble standing, just shaking. I draw back and look to see if there is any, any pie plate opening, opening or gap I've missed seeing so far. Nothing.

I inch ever so close to my shooting angle. I get the feeling I'm being watched, A spike is 15 yds to my left. I got his neck head and undivided attention.

Right about a tiny camo clad figur pop up on my shoulder. He's got horns, a pot belly, and a little goatee. He's saying "Shoot, shoot him,. shewwwwwt em. Darn it, take the spike then, you can hit that artery, do it, do itttt." I shake him off and keep staring at Mr. Spike's direction. Just move forward 1 foot, show me that ribcage. COmeon Mr Big swing around and step out. This won't take long, I promise.

Spike boy gets up and bolts and Mr. Big starts walking away, I shift over to get a clear shot. And I have it. I have a unblocked shooting lane at his a Rosie O'Donnel-ized back end and it's walking away. I tip-toe around the corner and see there's a Y in the road and he's heading away, straight away down the road. Then the wind shifts he gets a snoot full, and all I see is a cloud of dust.

I give the next bend or two a looksee. Nothing. I stop on the way back to admire the tree he was rubbing, I look to my left and there's a spike. He's broadside in my effective range and I draw. He exits stage right and is gone.

No telling where those bulls are now but I pretty much know where 'll be my next trip out. The rut hasn't started just quite yet, but soon ever so soon.

 

[Orygun]

Oops, was supposed to be a seperate thread. Anyway, sweet bcuk. For Murderer's Creek. Hope there's snow and not too deep. Then put two ridges between you and the roads if you can. My boss hunts there whenerever they draw and they've been scoring at least 2 out of 2 tags when they do go.

 

[sierrastocker]

I leave in 3 weeks, still looking for some ideas to where to start in the starkey unit.

 

[snoopdogg]

Can't help you there, but that's a smoker buck--congrats...

 

[wmidbrook]

I hunted before in the La Grange watershed district. There are definately elk in there. There are others who hunt it too but it is walk-in only. You can escape the crowds in there for sure...very thickly forested for the most part. Not sure it's what you want for rifle.

There is an old burn south of there all the way towards Anthony Lakes...the ridgeroad gets crowded.

The part I hunted was from road 900 into the watershed district along the top...it borders the burn.

 

[Arrowslinger]

send SacfireJT an e-mail, he just got back from there w/ good spike.

 

[sierrastocker]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Arrowslinger @ Oct 4 2006, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

send SacfireJT an e-mail, he just got back from there w/ good spike.[/b]

I've sent him 2, just waiting for a response.

 

[Arrowslinger]

He's out hog hunting today......i'll give'em a call for ya.