New Hunter in Oregon - Elk Bow

[goodhunting]

Hi all, been dinking around on the site for a bit and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the level of knowledge, enthusiasm, and respectfulness everyone seems to carry here. Anyway, I have never much been into hunting--just always enjoyed looking at the animals more than anything else--but for some reason I have caught the bug and am picking up bow hunting. Maybe it's that I've got kids now and want to fill the freezer. Either way, I am super excited.

I'll be heading out with my brother-in-law to bow hunt elk/black tail in Oregon this fall for the first time. Although he has bow hunted before, he is new to Oregon so we're both pretty green when it comes to hunting here in Oregon. I was originally thinking of hunting a cascades wilderness area (Sky Lakes, Rogue Umpqua Divide) because I'm all about the wilderness experience, but the stats for those units don't look great the last few years. So now we're thinking of heading down to one of the southwestern coastal units. Sixes has good stats (though I'm hearing the private lands are way more productive than the public lands), and I've also heard good things about Alsea. I'm not looking to creep on anyone's game, but if you've got any tips that could help make this first time a memorable one we would be grateful. Private message me if you don't want to broadcast your intel but don't mind sharing some knowledge on a one-on-one basis. I live in West Linn, so if you're nearby and want to grab a beer that'd be great too. Cheers!

 

[blackdog]

Any reason you're heading west instead of East? There's quite a bit of wilderness to explore in either Hells Canyon or the Eagle Caps or even NF John Day and in my opinion, the hunting over east is much more preferable to hunting the coast. Tough to get away from it all on the coast for the most part (and you have a strong chance of being shut out of the woods for fire season on private timber lands again) plus the brush is something you have to experience for yourself to probably realize it's simply not that fun.

For reference, I live in the Beaverton area and while I do hunt the Wilson and Trask units for both deer and elk occasionally, I certainly don't plan any long trips in those units. They're simply quick one day adventures.

Good luck!

 

[goodhunting]

Thanks blackdog. I'd say the biggest reason. We were looking south was fewer hunters and a dry good return rate comparatively. Sixes unit has come in at 30%+ theat few years, whereas most other units seem in the low teens and even many of the cascade units in the sub 10% range.

Another big reason is simply lack of familiarity with the areas you've mentioned. But you've certainly piqued my curiosity. Like you say, many lands will likely be closed off on the coast. Someone else gave a tip to hunt the borders of where private and public lands intersect, so that's what I've been researching so far. Can you describe the areas you mention a little more? I know eagle cap, but didn't think of the other spots you mention as very wilderness-y. But maybe I'm just betraying my lack of experience. Would love to hear more. Again, I'm not looking for angone to give up their secrets. Just a little insider info to help narrow down the search. Thx

 

[blackdog]

Hells Canyon is VERY wilderness-y!! It's a massive section of land starting up top in the Wallowa's and leading DOWN to the Snake River. Lots of great elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and bear country in there but due it's nature of being huge, and steep, it's not for the faint of heart. Quite a bit different from the Eagle Caps with it's classic high mountain, alpine type country, Hell's Canyon is more long steep ridges with timber on one side and open on the other.