hart mtn. bow hunt

[4on4off]

anybody got any general info or specific info. on where to hunt in hart mtn. for deer.

thanks.

4on4off

[beardbuster]

From what I have seen, its pretty much all good. I know there are some aspen groves in there and the big bucks like to stay close to those areas.

[Joe]

I've never hunted it but I understand that the success on the second hunt is not near as good as the first.

[marked trail]

I've been to Hart Mtn. Each and every trip is a treasured experience. I've hunted archery deer multiple times and bighorns once in '94.

It is now unique in Oregon for the chance just to be there and hiking and hunting without fences and cattle .

Before '93 it was fabulous, as you could hike at your whim anywhere. I hiked by setting a compass bearing and going straight from point A to B.

Cattle were removed in the mid 90's. Riparian growth has been overwhelming as I can't get up Stockade Creek like 15 years ago. The big mountain sage community is brushed up now, and overland travel is becoming hard from point A to point B. Willow thickets are real thickets.

Generally, aspen thickets hold the younger bucks, some mid-age and very nice trophies.

Specifically, forget about Poker Jim. Hunt South Hart, and the farther south the better. Intermediate hills, that means 'around the Order of the Antelope inholdings and both east and west', can hold some nice deer, but lots of hunters.

Desert rims could be the place to be if your heart is in the it for the individual chase, spot and stalk of a true loner monster. Lots of lonely country there, and they bed tight up against the rock rims.

I think that the hunt at Hart isn't about the harvest, it's about being there and taking in the uniqueness of the USFWS refuge experience. Hunt several nights from a back country camp by special self-issued permit. Hunt several more nights out of the Hot Springs camp. I'd consider camping along side of Guano creek, in the special hunter's camp.

Just being at Hart is a win-win situation. The deer tag is a bonus. Plan to spend several extra days, as leaving the refuge is a sad experience.

Now, hunting for sheep..... that's a whole different story. My best suggestion is be prepared to step on every rock on the mountain. Some rocks, twice. Go for it with gusto. Bring gauze, tape, have boot hardened feet. Good soles on your boots are required. The 3rd, 4th, 5th days of the hunt are best. You only live once, and you will only hunt Hart Mtn. once for sheep.

[Wak]

Watch the fire danger over there. Last year they closed off a lot of the area during the first season.

[huntinfool]

Originally Posted by Joe

I've never hunted it but I understand that the success on the second hunt is not near as good as the first.

This puzzles me because of the tag numbers on the first hunt. There really isn't any hunting pressure to speak of. Thirty-two tags is nothing. Hart Mtn is a HUGE place and I doubt you could ever hunt all of it even if you drew the tag every year.

My grandad started bowhunting it when it opened in 1952 until the early eighties. He took 15 bucks with a bow off of it, two which went P&Y. His biggest was 186 7/8".

[Amahnee]

Nice! I love those old photos of the older generations.

[jr5575]

that is a beautiful buck

[huntinfool]

Just an idea as to how big Hart Mtn is: when they opened Hart Mtn to archery hunting in 1952, 1600 archers signed in at the refuge headquarters. My grandpa and his party hunted a week and only saw 1 other hunter afield.