Oregon elk 2017 bow season

[Westfir]

Looking for a new hunt partner or team for 2017 elk bow season. I'm a good caller and carry a bad ass decoy that more than proved itself last season. I like to pack in for a few days and pop out to resupply. I will be doing a lot of scouting early this spring and throughout the summer. Hoping to have a heard located before opening day.

 

[kjack_74]

I should be drawing my rifle tag this year so I'm out. But just curious are you hunting east side or west side (and chasing Roosevelt)

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

 

[Westfir]

That all depends on how much scouting I get to do. Primarily, east side. I live in the Cascades and have had some cool encounters close to home without the crowds that you see way east or during rifle. I hunted eagle caps last year for bow. There were a bunch of people out there.

 

[Westfir]

When I hiked deep there was no
body!

 

[541hunter]

I have done some hunting in the cascades around Roseburg area.

 

[kjack_74]

Yeah the eastside gets crowded we have all the locals and all the folks coming from the westside so it does take some effort to deal with that much pressure, we actually use it as a tool for rifle season ... Not as effective during bow so getting deep is a must. I was hoping you were chasing Roosevelt I need to get one one of these days and have no clue on hunting for them ... I need a friend on that side of the mountain (he said all sad and pathetic).

Sent from my XT1565 using Tapatalk

 

[Embarger]

I've been going solo the last couple years but pm me if you'd be interested in looking into the west part of the Silvies unit I have access to alot of good country through private land on the ranch I work on.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[dec0y]

I'm in Oregon, Portland area. I usually hunt solo as well, prefer backpacking in. Not sure what my plans are this year, but I'd be interested in hearing what others are up to and joining up if it makes sense.

 

[Westfir]

I don't know the Silvie's. I'm not sure where that is. I like the idea of going in with a team to get it done. I don't care who in the team fills their tag first. I'm not a shot hog at all. (No pun intended) I feel that meat on the ground is split up equally to all members of the team. With the choice cuts going to the shooter. This way nobody looses incentive after there tag has been filled. I am also not a trophy hunter at all. If we're in a unit that allows a cow, if I'm stalking my way to a bull and a cow steps in front of me. Cows dead! I'm into the meat. I can't eat antlers. But I can find them laying on the ground in the spring time. Don't get me wrong. I would love to kill a monster some day.
If anyone wants try and put there heads together I'm all for it. But we have to adopt at least a similar strategy according to experiences and knowledge.

 

[wasatchcomm]

If we're in a unit that allows a cow, if I'm stalking my way to a bull and a cow steps in front of me. Cows dead! I'm into the meat. I can't eat antlers.

love that, your my kind a hunting partner

 

[Beendare]

Hopefully you get some PM's from open minded guys.

I met my now good friend in Co in a similar way about 30 years ago. I wanted to hunt...he said you can join us. Now we are lifelong friends that have killed many elk and other game together. It can work.

 

[jlrichesin]

I am inc central Oregon. I am open to joining the group if one is formed.

 

[Westfir]

Roger that. I have a good friend in Florida that I hunted and fished with for many years. He now tries to fly out for opening two weeks of elk if he is able. I'm going to be doing lots of scouting starting next month. If you guys like, we can get together sometime in the near future. We can meet somewhere around Bend or? If anyone has any suggestions to another location. Bring your gear and some maps of areas you may want to scout. With the gear we can make a plan on what we collectively will need. I'm also planning on some fall bear hunts, coyote hunts, ECT. If time allows, and we make this work. We can buy tags for Idaho and extend our season. I'm pretty good at calling, and I think all should be able to at least imitate a cow. As a team we can pull in even the most skeptical bull if we have the wind. I like having more than one decoy in the group. The movement catches and keeps there eye.

 

[SquidHC]

love that, your my kind a hunting partner

Don't forget, cows birth more elk. You kill a cow, you also eliminate every elk that cow would have birthed in her life. You kill a bull, you kill one animal. Not saying I'm against it or too good or too ego driven to kill a cow. I'd happily kill a cow or a spike; not overly concerned about antlers. Just something I try to think about.

 

[nphunter]

Hopefully you get some PM's from open minded guys.

I met my now good friend in Co in a similar way about 30 years ago. I wanted to hunt...he said you can join us. Now we are lifelong friends that have killed many elk and other game together. It can work.

Same here, I was looking for info on a hunt in the frank church a couple years ago and a guy from PA sent me a message and asked if he could join me since i was planning on going solo. He did and even know the hunt was a bust we had a good time and became good friends. He came back last year and hunted archery elk here in OR with me and is hooked now. He is coming out to OR again this fall for 2 weeks and back again in Nov. to hunt ID with me for late season elk. It is nice to find someone who is as passionate and dedicated as yourself and has the time off to hunt when you do.

I have also found a couple duds online that just couldn't hack it in the woods, at least they did not have the dedication to get things done and gave up when the going got tough.

 

[Westfir]

I found out the hard way that elk hunting is all about dedication. If your not willing to put in the hard work for pre season, put in the hard work to get into elk hunting fitness, and put in the hard work to locate a herd, then your just spinning your wheels. You can get away with road hunting deer and bear. But elk is a different story. Not to say that there arent any successful road hunters out there. I like the packing in. As far as shooting a cow. The odfw allows cows to be taken in areas for management purposes. I'm not sure how it benefits the herd. As far as getting together to set up a bow elk team. Let me know who wants to get something together, when and where would you want to meet. After that first meeting, we could possibly plan some scouting excursions. That would give us time to see how we would work as a team. It would be better to find out how we work before the season. I'm not to worried about a team of 4 or 5. If that is the case the plan is to split up, cover more ground and locate the herd.

 

[Sam Allen]

I'm also in the Portland area and archery solo in the coast

 

[Swede]

I too live in Oregon, but will be hunting another State most of the season.
I wanted to comment on a previous post that said killing a cow is like killing their offspring. What is often not understood is that ODF&W is required to maintain elk populations in the management units at a certain level as best they can. That number in the Silvies is 2,100 if I remember correctly. They also try to maintain a bull cow ratio. If you the hunter legally kill a cow, you are in essence helping to maintain a healthy herd.
If you choose to pass on a cow, that is your right, but it just means more tags will be sold. Anyway you look at it the herd size in the Silvies and other units will be kept trimmed down. The landowners do not want large numbers of elk. ODF&W negotiates with them.

 

[macrosse1]

Hey all, I'm headed out from Silverton tomorrow to bow hunt the Silvies unit. I'm hunting solo right now but could use a buddy or two. Let me know if anyone is headed out for opening weekend. If I don't see anything the first few days, I might swing up to Starkey. Good luck hunting!