Where do I start?

[LiveLarge]

I am new to hunting in Oregon. I grew up in SE Idaho hunting big Mule deer and elk. I took a few years off from hunting and now want to give my son the experiences I had hunting with my dad. I opted not to hunt this year and spend the next few months getting in better shape and bringing my shooting skills back up to where I believe they should be. (I have a problem with people that practice on deer) I have a few questions that I hope you guys can help me with.

1- Where can i find a rifle shooting range near Hillsboro? I would like to be able to practice out to 500 yards, but at this point would be happy with 200. I don't mind paying for a membership to shoot at a clean range that encourages shooters to clean up after themselves.

2- Where should I start when looking for a place to scout? I have limited time and want to make the best of it. I don't mind doing some research, I have just never had to do this before.

[Gun Rod Bow]

I don't know how many longe range places there are to shoot in Hilsboro, but Tri-County in Sherwood has longe range and I think Douglas Ridge near Estacada does too.

If you want to hunt every year, you will be have to learn about Blacktails. Way different than the Mulies you are used to. There is some decent Mulie hunting to be had in Oregon. But you will need to draw for the tags.

You may be better off driving a little more and hunting your home ground.

[toas243]

Nice I wish I knew where to send you ,I`am sure the ifish peeps will send you right

[Legend21]

Glad to see another fellow Spud! :tongue: I grew up in the great city of Coeur d' Alene myself so I can relate to your "big" deer and elk tales I'm sure. Anyway I know that HuntingNavigator.com has some great links to various gun clubs throughout Oregon where I'm sure you can find one near you. There is a Hillsboro Trap & Skeet Club listed there, but I think it's only like the the name sounds..."Trap & Skeet" but it's worth a look.

Anyway look here http://www.huntingnavigator.com/SROR1.htm and I'm sure you'll find one near you to use. If you don't mind the drive, the Four Corners Rod & Gun Club in Salem is an awesome one! They have top notch folks there, great facilities, and they do a cheap $6 site-in service during the entire month of September every year. http://www.fourcornersrodandgun.com/

Good luck and go Vandals...okay maybe not.

[ampersat]

I'm in the process of learning how to hunt deer in Oregon myself so I'm looking forward to what others have to add to this thread. I'll share a few things I have stumbled across so far.

Learn about your prey. Western general season is all about blacktails and their habits are likely quite different from what you might be used to. Everything on the eastside is under a draw system using points; the more points you have, the more likely it is that you'll get the draw you want. Eastside will have the mule deer that you are more familiar with as well as white tail.

Once you know some things about your prey, google earth and a good topographic software program can help you narrow down your choices a bit in terms of areas to hunt. I plan to do plenty of "google scouting" in the coming months.

ODFW has some information available on their hunting pages. I'm not sure how valuable you'll find it to be since so far I have found it slightly better than no info and somewhat hard to turn into useful info. They also have maps available either via the web or through your local office for a small fee. They may be of use to you and they may not. I haven't seen them yet.

Use some time this summer to get out and do some scouting with your son. It's part of the process and will give you valuable time together in the field getting you both in shape for the hunting you intend to be doing.

[LiveLarge]

Legend21

Thanks for those links. I am still trying to find someplace close, but really like the looks of the Four Corners facility. Might have to get another .44 just so I can get my moneys worth. I used to be a member of a silhouette club in Idaho and really had a lot of fun. Rams at 200 meters are a challenge even with a scoped revolver. At one time I kept 5 100 round boxes of .44 mag ammo loaded and spent a couple of hours reloading every couple of weeks. I got about one yard of bullet drop from 100-200 meters with a 300 grain bullet.

[baltz526]

practice local, hunt blacktail in off years from eastern oregon mule deer. on big hunts go home to idaho. there big game management is better than oregon. and you know the country. the real world revolves around deer hunting and a year with 3 tags is near perfect

[ehunter]

Hello I live in Hillsboro as well. I am not aware of any shooting ranges out this way other than the one in Tualatin we usually just go up to the coast range. Not sure how old you son is but be sure to check out some of the youth opportunities here in Oregon. Hunting opportunities abound in the coast range. There is some state land and lots of private timber companies that allow access. You can PM me and I will be happy to spend a spring day showing you some of the areas in the coast range. Or pm and I can talk about the maps. A good idea is to get a hold of the state unit maps that helps when people start taking about different units as well.

Originally Posted by LiveLarge

Legend21

Thanks for those links. I am still trying to find someplace close, but really like the looks of the Four Corners facility. Might have to get another .44 just so I can get my moneys worth. I used to be a member of a silhouette club in Idaho and really had a lot of fun. Rams at 200 meters are a challenge even with a scoped revolver. At one time I kept 5 100 round boxes of .44 mag ammo loaded and spent a couple of hours reloading every couple of weeks. I got about one yard of bullet drop from 100-200 meters with a 300 grain bullet.

[scottishsetter]

Read the 'draw' process several times and again. You don't have to have points to draw.

Get to know a good unit east and scout it till you are familar with it. Put in for it, if you do not draw then go to your west side place; scout both so you know what you'll want to hunt if/when you draw. Try to pick a place away from the "crowds". Good Luck

[LiveLarge]

My son is nine, and not yet ready start hunting, but I want to start taking him with me. He is eager to learn and loves to hear my stories of hunting with grandpa and his four uncles. I came from a large family and the outdoors was a big part of my youth. I remember being very young and having to follow in my dad's footsteps through waist deep snow on a late elk hunt. It seems like I didn't really appreciate it at the time, but those memories are are something I hope I never forget. Along with the times when I thought I would freeze to death on a frozen lake sitting on a five gallon bucket trying to keep ice out of the hole that had taken me an hour to drill with a hand auger. It doesn't get much better than that.

[Hunt'nFish]

LiveLarge, I'm with ehunter....coast range is where I do my shooting.
Never cared for the formal gun ranges, too many restrictions, range use schedules, interuptions and distractions.

Maybe it's time for an IFish Westside "Boneheads" field trip?
Hunt'nFish

[Rank Amateur]

Originally Posted by Hunt'nFish

LiveLarge, I'm with ehunter....coast range is where I do my shooting.
Never cared for the formal gun ranges, too many restrictions, range use schedules, interuptions and distractions.

Maybe it's time for an IFish Westside "Boneheads" field trip?
Hunt'nFish

Did I hear my name?????

We are lucky to have a local guy who lets us shoot on his place, but it is only 100 yards, it has a great bench though. To shoot long, I now have to drive for 20 minutes, set up my own bench and shoot across a large dip. Can get 400 yards. The westside is missing a good long range shooting range. Private timberlands frown on target shooting, so that leaves only the state land to shoot on.