Hunting/Scouting Reports July

Rauly · 07-01-2005, 05:28 PM

Well we all know what tags we drew. Now it is a matter of preperation. I drew NOTHING so I don't have to prepare. Wrong, just makes things change a little. I'll be hunting closer to home in the coast range.

Were are you all hunting this year?

Rauly

AnnaDraMoss · 07-01-2005, 06:28 PM

I'll be scouting the northside unit at my regular haunts just after the 4th. Get there early AM, stay one night. I will report after I return. I drew any bull, first season.

baltz526 · 07-03-2005, 06:51 AM

high cascade deer, i'll be hunting the mt theilson wilderness mostly from the east side.hiking up ridges toward the top of the ridge of the cascade summit then crossing to a ridge to the north or south each hunt and making the loop back to the starting place, be it camp or the truck parked at pull outs bordering the wilderness boundry. this is our plan. after august 1st i'll start hiking into this area with my bear tag in my pocket and 308 on my shoulder to do the pre hunt scouting. the bucks should be in the areas they will be, in september when the hunt starts.so if i cut sign of large bucks or see some i'll be fairly sure the deer will be in the general area at the season start. in my opinion it is to early to start scouting deer on the east side in most units. they are all in velvet right heading into the summer range. in a couple of weeks they will be in the areas they will be untill october.

sliverpicker · 07-03-2005, 07:11 AM

This last week I saw two large herds of elk high in the Cascades while going to work in the mornings. They were all cows and calves. One herd had 25+ elk and at least 12-14 were calves, the second herd had about 20 elk and maybe 10 calves. I've been seeing ALOT of calves this summer!

The elk population looks like it will double in size this year. Around here anyway! :smile:

Also been seeing velvet bucks almost every morning going to work!

sp

baltz526 · 07-03-2005, 07:22 AM

the bucks in velvet are crossing hwy97 heading to their summer range right now.been seeing bucks everywhere in the upper deschutes unit headed west, the water is all gone east of 97 except guzzlers and paulina creek,

Beeatease · 07-04-2005, 12:09 PM

Hopefully I can find time to head out to the Ochocos before the Archery season starts

sinkerhead · 07-05-2005, 05:42 PM

My 15 year old son and I got Sumpter Buck tags this year. We're really looking forward to it after trying to get one with a bow last year in Desolation. From what I've heard ... it doesn't sound like the deer herd is doing to well over there, maybe this wet spring will help down the road. Hoping to get over there a few weeks before the season (for the weekend) to see if we can scope some out. Where we hunt the deer seem to arrive after a few days of hunting so I don't usually put alot into scouting.

ehunter · 07-06-2005, 03:24 PM

Hey Batz526 I am heading over to the Fort Rock in 2 weekends to see what I can see. How are the deer numbers this year? What are you seeing in the way of doe and fawn numbers.

I have seen lots of elk almost every trip in the coast range not any real monsters yet but a few bulls.

ehunter

jokester · 07-06-2005, 04:45 PM

Heading over to the Ochoco Unit this weekend to scout for antelope. Hopefully bring back some good pics.

-jokester

baltz526 · 07-06-2005, 05:45 PM

now i know a lot about the fort rock unit, bow or rifle, bow i'm guessing so in two weeks will be a good time to scout. the deer will be in the same areas in two weeks as they will be in september basicly. in september it is all about water in the fort rock unit. if you check your map due east of the hwy58/97 junction you will see sellers marsh, jacks creek, stimson meadow,parker butte, tea table mt, sugarpine mt, on the north of klamath marsh. these are in the heart of the big buck areas of the fortrock unit. another area to hunt is west of 97 north of 138 on the south side of miller lake/creek. i'll be hunting the mt theilson wilderness in sept in this area.

Red Opossum · 07-06-2005, 08:20 PM

Will be scouting the Owyhee in preps for rifle deer season. Hunted alot of Muleys but never been in that neck of the woods. Anyone have any suggestions on areas to start scouting.

baltz526 · 07-06-2005, 08:34 PM

i have never hunted it but i would start at mahogany moutain, because it is the highest point and it would give you an overview of the surounding country. great first post

jokester · 07-08-2005, 02:39 PM

Edited with pics...

Just got back from the Ochoco's a little bit ago. Ran into a METRIC BUTT TON of deer! Saw a lot of fawns too, so that's promising for the future

I'll apologize for the fuzziness of the pics. Most of them were taken through my binocs! Came out decent though...

Here's a couple young bucks in velvet. The 2nd one, I got to within 15 yds of before he decided that was close enough :grin:

Oh yeah...antelope...right, that was the purpose of my trip! :grin: Ran into a few heards. Saw some nice bucks and i'll be keeping an eye on them over the next few weeks. Didn't get to talk to any land owners, but plan on doing that the next scouting trip. Didn't get a pic of the biggest buck we saw...I'd guestimate he was around 14-15" with some pretty wide prongs!! The pics are of a couple of smaller bucks we ran into. The goat in the 2nd pic ran right out in front of us across the road, and then turned around and ran right back across to the side he'd just come from within 5 seconds!!! I guess he decided he didn't want to be on that side of the road anyway

Will be back in the next couple weeks to keep an eye on things :grin:

-jokester

RoscoeP · 07-08-2005, 09:56 PM

Thanks for the pics! That's a pretty decent Lope!

gamoshot · 07-11-2005, 02:27 PM

went up to saw mill ridge this morning and seen a bunch of chipmunks, 1 beaver, and a lot of old tracks i wonder where all the deer and elk went

{sarcasticly speeking}

STRUTTIN-1 · 07-12-2005, 10:04 AM

Snake river here I come.

mcknerkneykak · 07-12-2005, 06:28 PM

So--Well---Backpack?,Horsepack, Roadhunt? Hike out of Basecamp?, Hat point area? Cow Cr. Area? Sit at the boat ramp at Dug Bar and pass shoot area?. C'mon Struttin-1, this is one of my favorite places. Don't leave me hanging.

McBaine · 07-16-2005, 07:53 AM

Good to see some nice pics. I'll be going up to Diamond Lake area for rifle elk. Deer though will be local for me, Rogue unit. I'm thinking of picking up a trail camera. What do you guys think? Film or spend the money for a digital one? The idea of having the greater pic storage is appealing. hehe

Rank Amateur · 07-16-2005, 01:17 PM

Go digital! Well went out nosing around this morning and wouldn't you know it, I left the camera at home. Spotted two real nice 6 pts about 10 minutes from the pickup. They must have seen me as I rode my bike up the road, they didn't spook, but they just ghosted off into a reprod patch.
Saw 2 cows, 1 yearling spike and 2 calves in another spot. Got within bow range of the 2 cows. Spotted 3 cows and 1 calf and then 2 raghorn bulls appeared from another direction in another place. Saw 4 individual Does, no fawns and when I rode back out I jumped a forked horn buck, right where the two bulls were this morning. All horned critters were in full velvet. Also saw one coyote, running like heck! No forage issues in this area, next time I get up there, I'm going to take a picture of this reprod patch, I don't think you can walk through it because of all the trailing blackberry.

ehunter · 07-17-2005, 06:50 PM

Just came back from Fort Rock it is still green and the deer are pretty scattered. Saw a dandy 4 point but took the photo on a standard camara. Saw quite of bit of elk sign too. The mosqitoes are terrible right now.

Jeremy · 07-19-2005, 01:18 PM

Saw this guy last weekend in Washington, too bad i got Oregon tags this year he could grow in to a pretty nice 3 point:

Abalone · 07-20-2005, 08:25 AM

This past weekend I saw Four different Bucks. Two where nice big four points. One was I donno, his antlers were all clustered around it's ears. Saw a spike deer. Thought it was an Elk at first because they were so tall. Seen no Elk but lots of fresh sign. I think this heat has em laying in heavy cover someplace.

Trask Unit !

So I am startig to wonder ? As the rut gets nearer and the Bulls start selecting their harams do the herds get re-organized or do the bulls go with what ever they can round up. It appears the various cows co-mingle. The herds will merge and split up. Do cows change from one group to another ?

The more I get around Blacktails the more futile it seems to kill one. There's no sneaking up on them that's for sure. While watching some bucks about 300 yards up a hill I could hear a doe in the brush next to me Hissing, warning all the other deer in the area I was there. She had to be 150 yards away and I never saw her.

Hopefully I'll get to scout again this weekend. Sure wish I owned five or six Stealth cams.

Myles · 07-25-2005, 06:47 PM

I went out with nwsteelheader from this board scouting for elk in the Saddle Mtn. unit and found a herd of mostly bulls; about a half mile from where I bugle in a bull every year. I just never got to seal the deal yet

There were about ten bulls and at least four that were 4 pt or better and a couple of them were huge and several cows. I've got a few more weeks to get to know the area a bit better and hit it hard. Anyone who says that bulls in the coast range don't bugle is wrong, but you need to get away from the roads a bit.

Good luck to everyone.
Myles

uhmw · 07-29-2005, 10:08 AM

I will be scouting between hepner-and granite to hang my archery stand. hunted this area for years but just need a excuse to get out. Saw three bears in 15 min last year so Im taking my grand dads 8mm mauser and a bear, couger tag not to mention my fly rod and float tube. With much regret I will have to leave my wife and three kids behind. I think they throw a party when I leave any way. playing home less in the woods alone -cant wait almost as fun as our week long opener hunt. will try and post a pic. of the unlucky bruin Im hopeing to get.

sliverpicker · 07-30-2005, 04:37 PM

Out snooping around early this morning. Saw four nice blacktail bucks, two were DANDIES! Checked on some huckleberry patches, found some ripe Timberberries but the little Huckleberries are still mighty tart! A couple more weeks and there should be enough to start picking. A lot of elk sign in several locations, mostly cows and calves.

Ras · 07-30-2005, 07:32 PM

Hey Sliver, nice finds. Was driving home from Olallie 2 nights ago, and had the privilege of seeing 2 nice ol' nocturnal bucks about midnight; one browsing right on the shoulder of the hwy.

Looks like another good rack year :grin:

Ras

sliverpicker · 07-31-2005, 06:30 AM

Ras...I think you and I agree, good racks are NICE!

Have you made it into the elk swamp yet for a looksee? I was just below there yesterday. There must have been 5000 Lance Armstrong wannabes on 26 and 35 Saturday! They were droppin' like flies on the hills.

sp

Rank Amateur · 07-31-2005, 01:41 PM

Tell me about Lance Armstrong, I took my bike out this morning for a little elk/deer scouting and Lance Armstrong I'm NOT!

The morning started out foggy!

then I spied this little gal

then I saw one of her soon to be boyfriends

I saw eight Does or yearlings and five bucks, three of which were bigger than forked horns, the above although you can not see it, is going to be a 4 pt.

I continued on my ride and kicked a 5 pt. bull out of the road, the picture did not turn out. I kicked some more elk out of the road further on and did not get to see them, just the crashing above me. I found two bulls in a creek bottom but could not get a good picture of them either, looked like two raghorn 5 pts. Finally I got a bull to hold still a little closer

he's not very big, but would be meat in the pot. Actually there was another branch bull and a spike in this group and a few cows and calves. These are the same two bulls I saw a couple of weeks ago. Heres the same bull with a future bull, I hope!

I started making my way back toward the pickup and decided to check out a spur. Look what I found!

Could you see him? Try this!

That would have been a good time to pull the trigger! Then things went south.

He made me, I was probably 70-80 yards away with the wind in my face, but he knew something was not right. My white shirt probably did not help!

Then it was off to the races!

I counted 6 pts on both sides and he was heavy. He definately will be one to pull the slack out of the trigger on.

Does this look like good elk/deer sign?

And there is not shortage of food, this stuff is everywhere!

It was a good morning, 8 Does, 5 bucks, 7 bulls and a handful of Cows and calves. I did not see one fawn though, that does have me a little concerned, they should be following mother by now.

jokester · 07-31-2005, 02:06 PM

Good report RA!! Nice pics too

-jokester

Abalone · 08-03-2005, 11:20 AM

Fawns ? I have seen lots of Blacktails on the coast including this past weekend and now that you mentioned it no fawns. Two weeks ago I found a hind quarter. Looked like a very fresh kill right near the cabin from a very small fawn. But I do see a lot of fawn tracks on the trails and roads near the cabin.

blacktail519 · 08-04-2005, 11:43 AM

I will be Archery hunting close to home (Scappoose) for the most part, including the saddle mountain unit. I may make a couple weekend trips over east towards the latter part of the season, it's just hard to leave this area where there are so many elk to be had..... Just takes a little work. Good luck guys