I've been on the westside of the state now for a few years. This year, I decided to grab a sportsman package and try my luck.
While I know it's not the best or preferred unit... from what I've read, I will be in the Santiam Unit for sheer convenance. I'll be using Google Earth for the most part to identify areas to check over the course of late Spring and Summer. I saved up some cash, I plan to buy the best spotting scope I can.
I've seen quite a bit of Elk sign on the Forest but I have yet to see more than one animal in the flesh. Plenty of deer seen when driving along 7-digit Forest roads. Most snow, as I post this is gone, so I am going to start using my weekends to scout higher elevations (primarily to get away from vine maple/blackberry).
Anyone have fairly recent info or tidbits of knowledge they'd like to share? A "good luck with that" response... while a reasonable take isn't helpful.
If I can find a lefty shotgun before April 15th - I'll try to get that Spring turkey hunt in as well.
While I know it's not the best or preferred unit... from what I've read, I will be in the Santiam Unit for sheer convenance. I'll be using Google Earth for the most part to identify areas to check over the course of late Spring and Summer. I saved up some cash, I plan to buy the best spotting scope I can.
I've seen quite a bit of Elk sign on the Forest but I have yet to see more than one animal in the flesh. Plenty of deer seen when driving along 7-digit Forest roads. Most snow, as I post this is gone, so I am going to start using my weekends to scout higher elevations (primarily to get away from vine maple/blackberry).
Anyone have fairly recent info or tidbits of knowledge they'd like to share? A "good luck with that" response... while a reasonable take isn't helpful.
If I can find a lefty shotgun before April 15th - I'll try to get that Spring turkey hunt in as well.
