Oregon Elk

[hunthog]

'Bout 6 years ago the hunting was pretty tough. After a week of hard hunting and more miles of walking and climbing over dead fall we came face to face with a bull and his small herd in their beds one morning. The cows and calves went roaring down the hill but the bull just trotted away uphill. When I bugled, we heard him stop about 150 yards away. A couple of bugles and a few cow calls later I looked at my partner and said, "heck, he saw us, he won't answer". As soon as the words were out he bugled. He bugled again and it was obvious he was trying to circle down wind (which was blowing up the mountain). Since my parner was the worse caller I know I sent him running up hill to cut the bull off and maybe get a shot as he tried to circled me.

I watched my partner get set up in a great spot about 100 yards up the hill and started cow calling. The bull walked past my partner at about 20 yards. I saw him draw 3 times and watched his arrow fall off the string each time. He finally lowered his bow about the same time the bull winded him and crashed up the hill. I really thought he had had a serious case of bull fever and started laughing. I'm sorry, but it was funny

watching that arrow fall off the string every time he drew while the bull stood there and watched, dumbfounded.

When my partner came down the hill disgusted he was carrying his arrow in one hand and his arrow knock was still on his string. You see, when he drew the bow the knock snapped off the arrow and he tried to draw 2 more times before he decided stuffing the knock on the arrow and trying a shot was not a good idea

. It never occured to him to put another arrow on the string

. After he got over being pissed at me for laughing so hard we both had a good laugh

. I, for one will never forget the look on the bull's face as he watched my partner make a fool out of himself. It was a classic that I wish I could have video taped. A classic, "that's why they call it hunting" situation.

Hunthog

 

[hunthog]

Well, it is not going to happen for me in Oregon or anywhere else this year. All my pre-planned partners bailed on me in the last minute after I spent 8 months getting in shape. Glad I waited before buying my tags. That would have really hosed me good. I hope all of you hunting up there have as good a hunt as I had last year.

Call 'em up and knock 'em down.

Hunthog

 

[Kim]

Sorry to hear about all your plans going down... I was really hoping to hook up with you after reading your about your hunt 6 years ago I was laughing about your buddy with elk fever. Well if you should find a way to go lets do keep in touch. How's the bear and deer situation over there from your experience? I hope you get to put some kind of hunt together this year.

 

[hunthog]

We didn't see hardly any deer until it rained ans snowed. Then they came out of the woodwork. It was nothing to see 15 - 20 deer on the way to town after it stormed. I could have taken several legal bucks if I'd have had a tag. Several guys around camp got a buck the week after it snowed and never saw a one before it stormed. We saw one bear during out miles of treking through the woods and not much sign.

Good luck up there guys. I WILL be there next year for certain. Save me a 6 point.

Hunthog

 

[hunthog]

Yo Kim,

How'd the hunting in Oregon go? Did ya' get an Elk?

I kept looking at the weather up there and was just dying here at home.

I would think it might have been a pretty good based on the weather. I was up in Central Oregon around mid season working on my property and saw a couple of pretty good fronts come through. If you were up high I bet you may have seen a little white stuff like last year.

Go ahead and send me a report so I can kick myself some more for not getting to go

Hunthog

 

[Kim]

HuntHog, I just got back a few days ago and the hunt went just fine. No elk though, but I did take a nice small little buck deer. This was my first time up there and boy is there alot of dead-fall, really makes trying to stalk very tough. There was no real heavy weather change when we were there, so not much change in animal activity (kinda slow). I did jump a really nice 4x4 buck deer at around 40 yards, I had no chance for a shot, but the deer ran right by another hunter within 10 feet of him and he did get a shot off and hit him right in the big arteries in the hams. I helped him track it and it was a huge deer, 27 inch spread and 225-250 lbs. on the hoof. He was so excited and shaking I thought he was going to cut himself while dressing it out. I used those new radio/gps (rino) and called my buddy for help, those things are real sweet my bud came right on to us in 15 minutes. We saw only about 4 elk, my bud is not much into hiking in to the hills or waking up early, so we saw them close to the road.
I'm planning to go again next year and defintely will change hunting techniques to get an elk. Met up with some real nice local people up there. I like it there, alot of history in those small mining towns. Like always the trip is too short.

 

[hunthog]

If you're going again next year we will definately hook up. I know the spot for the Elk in the Granite area and, no one else was hunting there. I saw Bulls every day the last 3 days before I shot my Cow. I also now own property in the Bend, LaPine area and when I was up there during the season I saw Elk right near my property and talked a lot with the locals. It seems there is a sizable Elk herd in the area and very accessable.

I think I told you about the tough hunting conditions around the Granite/Sumpter area. Lots of dead fall, lots of climbing, closed roads, walking in a couple miles before daylight straight up the side of mountains, springs, marshes, thick stands of Lodgepole both standing and much of it down. A real %$tch. My shins looked like someone was wacking on them with a stick for 2 weeks. I actually bought a set of soccer shin guards I was going to wear this year to protect them.

I'll send you a PM with my E-Mail address and phone number and we'll keep in touch. I'll probably need a partner next year since it seems my current ones are completely unreliable.

Hunthog