2022 Oregon Archery Elk Proposal

[trazerr]

Thought some of you may be interested in what archery elk may move to in 2022.

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EO archery deer went 100% draw for the east side this year. It looks like they will handle EO archery elk a bit differently.

 

[Cameron.25]

Not sure how i feel about it still but this seems better than the last proposal. Looks like the unit i usually hunt would be general but the one adjacent would be controlled. The elk move between the 2 units all the time but the one i don't hunt was INSANELY overcrowded last year, multiple trucks at almost every possible spot you could park. Wonder if my spot would be the new cool spot lol. But at the same time something should be done to make it less crowded in certain places for sure. Im guessing it'll effect non residents the most if they've been hunting a place that would become controlled unless im mistaken on how many controlled tags they give to non res

 

[Smokeslider]

I'm a Rifle hunter primarily but starting to get into Bow hunting, elk specifically. With that said I have no issue with the proposal regarding the eastern Oregon units now becoming controlled. This will effect my hunting plans slightly but not so much that I'll have heartburn over it. I'm super interested in some of the other proposals and am curious to see where they go with them.

For instance, the idea to get rid of the early spike elk hunts in the Wenaha and Mt. Emily. I'm all for getting rid of those.

I think we in Oregon need to figure out which side of the fence we want to be on and understand we can't have it both ways regarding opportunity vs. quality. I'd like to see Oregon head towards the quality side personally.

 

[wapitibob]

Facebook’s lit up. Typical ranting from guys that want unlimited opportunity then with the next breath bitch about low game numbers.

Nr overcrowding will be a non issue in the new draw units; 5% nr cap.

 

[Cameron.25]

I was one of the hunters they reached out to for a survey before they proposed the draw for both elk and deer in eastern Oregon. I told them i was for it for mule deer as they are not doing well currently but was concerned about my opportunity for elk and felt like they were being lazy to judge eastern Oregon as a whole. I was also concerned i would basically no longer be able to build points towards a primo tag if i wanted to hunt rocky mtn elk with a bow every year.. i dont like to hunt rosies as much personally. This proposal is much more reasonable for elk in my opinion. You're right, we need to pick quality or quantity and we cant really have both. I feel for the non residents but i think the residents should always come first

 

[Oregon]

I’m a guy who applies East every year. That same unit is now in a controlled bow area. (Proposed)
This unit I like usually has a tag in my pocket every 4th year, I wish it was a better draw.
I also grouse hunt during bow season. The amount of camps are in incredible. I’m only seein 15% of the season length. How many people leave after a week and an entire new crew comes in? I bet it’s staggering.
If anything, I would think the bow hunters would appreciate a cap on arrow slingers. from my own observations and 2 buddies I know who bow hunt there, that bow season is way more crowded than rifle season.
I think it’s a win win.
I just have to assume since the bow hunters kill less bulls(on average) than rifle hunters, they won’t put a low # of tags out for draw. Most folks who want to bow hunt still will.

Hopefully and selfishly, I hope people realize drawing a bow tag will be easier than a rifle tag, thus using their 200 series pick on the bow hunt.
Making my rifle maybe a 2-3 year draw?

 

[541hunter]

I’m a guy who applies East every year. That same unit is now in a controlled bow area. (Proposed)
This unit I like usually has a tag in my pocket every 4th year, I wish it was a better draw.
I also grouse hunt during bow season. The amount of camps are in incredible. I’m only seein 15% of the season length. How many people leave after a week and an entire new crew comes in? I bet it’s staggering.
If anything, I would think the bow hunters would appreciate a cap on arrow slingers. from my own observations and 2 buddies I know who bow hunt there, that bow season is way more crowded than rifle season.
I think it’s a win win.
I just have to assume since the bow hunters kill less bulls(on average) than rifle hunters, they won’t put a low # of tags out for draw. Most folks who want to bow hunt still will.

Hopefully and selfishly, I hope people realize drawing a bow tag will be easier than a rifle tag, thus using their 200 series pick on the bow hunt.
Making my rifle maybe a 2-3 year draw?

The points it takes to draw your rifle tag will not change. True archers will stay archery. The archers who only archery hunt when they don’t draw their rifle tag will continue to do the same. I could see it even increasing the points to draw your rifle tag. Some people may ask themselves why burn points on a lowers odds archery hunt? All this will do is leave less area to spread the pressure.

I’m against as it is currently written, I’d be more open to it it if I drew a “controlled unit” I could still hunt the general areas as well. Which is currently how it works. This would decrease harvest and pressure in the controlled units but still give opportunity.

We are kidding ourselves if we thought this was actually about populations. Most the units that are now proposed to be controlled were just reopened to any elk harvest in the last few years.

 

[Cameron.25]

I’m a guy who applies East every year. That same unit is now in a controlled bow area. (Proposed)
This unit I like usually has a tag in my pocket every 4th year, I wish it was a better draw.
I also grouse hunt during bow season. The amount of camps are in incredible. I’m only seein 15% of the season length. How many people leave after a week and an entire new crew comes in? I bet it’s staggering.
If anything, I would think the bow hunters would appreciate a cap on arrow slingers. from my own observations and 2 buddies I know who bow hunt there, that bow season is way more crowded than rifle season.
I think it’s a win win.
I just have to assume since the bow hunters kill less bulls(on average) than rifle hunters, they won’t put a low # of tags out for draw. Most folks who want to bow hunt still will.

Hopefully and selfishly, I hope people realize drawing a bow tag will be easier than a rifle tag, thus using their 200 series pick on the bow hunt.
Making my rifle maybe a 2-3 year draw?

I noticed that a ton of people just plain give up after a week or 2 lol. And some dont even start until later. Pretty drastic difference in the amount of camps and people in my area after the first week or so either way. I think there's a good amount of guys in the front country areas that dont take it seriously and just party, which is fine with me. When i asked the ODFW about how many tags last year they claimed that the number of tags available would match current participation trends they see in each unit so idk. Im just glad they didn't go through with their first proposal for elk, that woulda been real shitty.

I agree with you 541hunter, it would be nice if the general areas would still be open to controlled tag holders. They should at least let us hunt the west side lol. With all the fires we had this year i could see how you could just end up SOL if your whole area got shut down from something like that. It was another one of my main concerns with the first plan they proposed cause that issue would've been way more likely to screw a person

 

[slick]

It’s about pressure and bull:cow ratios.

It’s not because of an over abundance (cow tags or any tags)

It’s seeking out healthier herds, higher quality hunts - more bulls and less hunters.

Allowing all controlled archery tag holders to also hunt general would create shitty pockets of over pressured areas (that will already happen in the general areas anyways)

But I get it’s more opportunity, I’m still torn about that proposal.

Tag numbers will be interesting to see.


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[YBPS]

I think you should have to pick between archery and rifle up front. This way there are not extra people putting in for rifle tags that “just go bow hunting” when they don’t draw. I think this would mean less bow hunters and then less applicants for controlled rifle hunts which would increase opportunity for gun hunters.

I don’t know the actual numbers but I bet at least 30-40% of bow hunters are really just disgruntled gun hunters who didn’t draw a rifle tag. On the flip side probably over 90% of bow hunters are involved in the draw competing with the gun hunters who really are not committed bow hunters.

 

[Dirtscoots]

I also would like the idea of being able to hunt general with a drawn tag. Especially fires was a very good point.

 

[slick]

My guess is they would re-instate points and offer you the choice of a general tag given widespread fire within a given unit.

That’s what they did this for for folks fighting fires and affected by them


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[wapitibob]

I think you should have to pick between archery and rifle up front. This way there are not extra people putting in for rifle tags that “just go bow hunting” when they don’t draw. I think this would mean less bow hunters and then less applicants for controlled rifle hunts which would increase opportunity for gun hunters.

I don’t know the actual numbers but I bet at least 30-40% of bow hunters are really just disgruntled gun hunters who didn’t draw a rifle tag. On the flip side probably over 90% of bow hunters are involved in the draw competing with the gun hunters who really are not committed bow hunters.

The number is about 14% crossover.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'll be damned if I'm gonna burn my elk points on Archery or to shoot a cow.

And if you don't think the over crowding is just going to shift your crazy. Were all just gonna pile into the next best area. Then there will be more bitching from the lazy ass road hunters that all the elk are on private and within a few years the entire state will be wall to wall draw.
Then I'll probably move out of state or give up hunting because I'm not gonna stay in this good of shape and have all this gear laying around for a tag once every 5-10 years.
I want to hunt and eat elk.

Id rather see a first come first server with caps.
Pick a unit or block of 3-4 a zone.

Split the season, ether early or last.

Separate Cow points like doe deer.

Heck I'd go entire state traditional bow only just to keep my opertunity.
I'll just work even harder to be successful.

You'll see this year when all the hunters pile in on the Western deer tags.

Points are a crock of crap and point creep just keeps getting worse and worse. How does anyone expect to recruit youth?

 

[Dirtscoots]

I live on the coast. My biggest complaint to East going a draw is the added pressure it will bring us. Don’t get me wrong I like to spend a week East every year in a unit that will now be a draw. However I hunt here as well and it’s getting to be pretty populated already. I can only imagine what our general season will bring.

 

[wapitibob]

You're assuming they're limiting the tag numbers in those new draw units. The last ones I saw were pretty much matching the OTC tags.

 

[Dirtscoots]

If there is no limit to tag numbers wouldn’t it defeat the purpose of a draw?

 

[BRTreedogs]

You're assuming they're limiting the tag numbers in those new draw units. The last ones I saw were pretty much matching the OTC tags.

Unless I can draw it on second choice.
But then hunting just keeps getting more popular so it will point creep.

 

[BRTreedogs]

If there is no limit to tag numbers wouldn’t it defeat the purpose of a draw?

It would contain you to one unit.

 

[Dirtscoots]

Gotcha that makes sense. I don’t have enough points to draw anything really cool but I do have enough I sure as heck ain’t goin blow them on something I hunted the year prior.