Oregon’s change to controlled archery deer

[wapitibob]

The only thing ODFW can control is the number of tags/hunters. Effective predator management is off the table due to legislation. They really need to cut both archery and rifle Deer tags in half or more. There is no easy fix; Deer herds are down all across the west and nobody seems to have the answer.
I will say, those hunters complaining about their lost OTC opportunity might spend a few minutes looking at the new tag numbers. There are more archery Deer tags for 2021 than there were when it was OTC and that's the problem now, still too many tags for a dwindling resource.

 

[CamoPirate]

Can you only hunt them with a bow? Folks here in the Black Hills have had good luck tracking them in fresh snow and once close running a caller to get them to step out. Then shoot them with a rifle. Bow seems like a waste of time.

It's just I only have a bow, and I'm not going to go buy a rifle just for the super random chance that I'll get a cat to come into an e-call. Rather buy tags to hunt out of state.

Edit: Also, who's coming to Oregon and paying out of state fees to hunt here when Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana are closer? Seems downright dumb.

 

[Fatcamp]

It's just I only have a bow, and I'm not going to go buy a rifle just for the super random chance that I'll get a cat to come into an e-call. Rather buy tags to hunt out of state.

Edit: Also, who's coming to Oregon and paying out of state fees to hunt here when Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana are closer? Seems downright dumb.

IDK who hunts Oregon, but if there are a bunch of cats I would have a coat if I lived there.

Planned on starting here in SD this year but stupid covid is probably going to get in the way.

 

[Baddog]

It's just I only have a bow, and I'm not going to go buy a rifle just for the super random chance that I'll get a cat to come into an e-call. Rather buy tags to hunt out of state.

Edit: Also, who's coming to Oregon and paying out of state fees to hunt here when Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana are closer? Seems downright dumb.

I'd say there's lots of reasons to own at least one rifle. But it'd be rad to kill a cat with a bow. Hope you do!

 

[DRP]

believe me we shoot them with our bows too...

 

[Fatcamp]

believe me we shoot them with our bows too...

What method? I've seen them shot out of trees bayed, but never called in.

 

[DRP]

I was hunting elk and crossed a small creek to a north facing slope, as I started up the slope the cat was 18 yards away facing me and started growing. I took a couple steps back thinking the cat would run off. Nope, she continued to growl and stare me down so I put an arrow thru her. I buy a sportspac every year which comes with a cougar tag, and bear tag.

 

[Oregon]

Edit: Also, who's coming to Oregon and paying out of state fees to hunt here when Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana are closer? Seems downright dumb.

As far as elk. It is amazing the amount of Washington and California license plates around for bow season.
As far as deer going to an archery draw...I have zero clue if this is good or bad. I will admit I’m not smart enough to determine if this will hurt or help the animals or myself as a rifle only hunter.

I do have an opinion on all of Eastern Oregon going draw for elk. My HS education tells me I will draw rifle more often.
So in my selfish ideology. That would be a great thing.

 

[Fatcamp]

I was hunting elk and crossed a small creek to a north facing slope, as I started up the slope the cat was 18 yards away facing me and started growing. I took a couple steps back thinking the cat would run off. Nope, she continued to growl and stare me down so I put an arrow thru her. I buy a sportspac every year which comes with a cougar tag, and bear tag.

That is awesome!

Our season runs outside of big games seasons unfortunately.

 

[541hunter]

I have talked to quite a few people in my area and it seems to me that rifle hunters support it (both deer and elk) while archery hunters do not. For some reason rifle hunters seem to think this will give them more opportunity, which it wont. After pretty much the entire West side being shut down to fire this year, I could imagine there was a lot more pressure on the east side of the state. It should be a good lesson to why we shouldn't go to a everything being controlled season on the east side. Unfortunately for deer it is to late, and we will never get it back. Yes, you may run into a few people but I would rather have that then not be able to have choice of where i want to hunt. I would be in favor of a choose your weapon system. If you put in for an archery tag in the spring, you hunt archery in the fall.

 

[PLhunter]

I know a couple folks who get a couple cougars a year in Oregon with effort. Some use the persistence hunting method of tracking in fresh snow and one guy uses an e caller after locating fresh tracks. He uses cat in heat all season long with success.

 

[wapitibob]

The new regs are for hunter management, not game management. The same thing is going to get passed later this year for Elk. Archery hunting branch bulls on unlimited otc tags while rifle hunters have to draw is coming to an end. "Choose your weapon" doesn't address that inequity and as such, isn't an option.

 

[SkinnyPete]

This pretty much sums up how I feel....
Example of the new tag numbers are tiny...
Beattys butte rifle: 138 tags
Beattys butte bow: 55 tags

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[Sanchez]

The new regs are for hunter management, not game management. The same thing is going to get passed later this year for Elk. Archery hunting branch bulls on unlimited otc tags while rifle hunters have to draw is coming to an end. "Choose your weapon" doesn't address that inequity and as such, isn't an option.

I looked at the stats and it seemed archery deer success is something like 15 % while rifle deer tag success overall is about 25 %. Rifle hunters can also hunt every year in eastern Oregon as many units are undersubscribed.

Overall per year statewide it looked like archers took about 4 or 5 k deer while rifle hunter took 25-30k deer.

WapititBob where is the inequity?

Rifle hunter take the vast majority of deer with a substantially higher success rate. Additional archery restrictions will simply push more hunters to rifle where success rate are higher. This will mean fewer bucks survive the season, and/or fewer hunters able to participate.

This is a lose-lose, not a logical measure to address an inequity.

 

[wapitibob]

Pretty simple, otc vs draw for branch bull rifle. If that draw for rifle hunters isn't a big deal, draw for archery shouldn't be a big deal either. But it sure becomes a big deal when the shoe's on the other foot. Elk is next in line and it can't get here soon enough.

 

[Sanchez]

Pretty simple, otc vs draw for branch bull rifle. If that draw for rifle hunters isn't a big deal, draw for archery shouldn't be a big deal either. But it sure becomes a big deal when the shoe's on the other foot. Elk is next in line and it can't get here soon enough.

First, I am talking about deer, not elk. You changed the subject because your point of inequity does not make sense with deer.

Rifle hunters get a substantially bigger cut of the pie on a per hunter basis, yet they still think they are being treated unfairly??? That wrong, and I am a guy who almost always deer hunts with a rifle.

You got duped by an agency and state government that wants to tighten regulatory control off hunters. .

 

[FI460]

First, I am talking about deer, not elk. You changed the subject because your point of inequity does not make sense with deer.

Rifle hunters get a substantially bigger cut of the pie on a per hunter basis, yet they still think they are being treated unfairly??? That wrong, and I am a guy who almost always deer hunts with a rifle.

You got duped by an agency and state government that wants to tighten regulatory control off hunters. .

Nobody got duped. The squeeky wheel got the grease. Bow hunters have been complaining about crowding and this is the tool ODFW has to address that. It may have been a vocal minority doing the complaining, but they were heard.

 

[wapitibob]

Of course they want tighter control of hunters. You could have 10,000 bow hunters in a single unit on any given day under the old otc policy.
Im waiting for the proposal to increase the nr allocations. I don’t see to many nr buying a non refundable $170 hunting license for a chance to draw a tag with a 5% nr cap and the worst hunting quality in the west.

 

[541hunter]

Pretty simple, otc vs draw for branch bull rifle. If that draw for rifle hunters isn't a big deal, draw for archery shouldn't be a big deal either. But it sure becomes a big deal when the shoe's on the other foot. Elk is next in line and it can't get here soon enough.

Except the success rates for rifle are much higher, so it’s very different. Pretty sad when someone supports something because “it’s not fair archery has more otc opportunity”. Sorry if my paraphrasing of your comment is inaccurate but it’s what it sounds like. You can also dedicate yourself to a more primitive weapon and take advantage of the opportunity it presents, just have to put in the time and work.


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[wapitibob]

Some of these proposals address social issues and every game dept in the West manages for social issues. If it was about game management they wouldn't have more draw tags this year than the otc tags they had last year. Both the Deer and Elk proposals are about hunter management.