Mt.Jefferson Wilderness Rifle Deer

[stick flicker]

I bet some of you are getting ready for the high cascade rifle hunt for some of those cagy benchlegged monsters. What my question to you is do these deer hangout high in the wilderness high country during the general rifle season until the snow pushes them down out of the high country. I would like to plan a trip into the wilderness near the begining of the rut anyone interested?

[Salmo trutta]

Oh right a wilderness hunter...cool!!

[Special K]

My old man & I have been hunting the early season for 15+ years. We have always talked about hitting it for the general rifle season just for kicks to see if the deer are still up that high.

Been all talk and no action, though. Go get em!

[Ni!]

One of the main reasons I got interested in using trail cameras was a presentation I saw by ODFW of a study they did of the migration patterns of blacktails coming down from Crater Lake to winter around Medford. They got some HUGE bucks on these cameras, and if I recall correctly, most of these bucks were down out of the high country by about the 15th or 20th of October.

I don't know if migration around the Mt. Jefferson area would be the same or not, but I would imagine they'd still be there in the early part of the season at least.

Ni!

PS - The presentation was at a Blacktail Foundation banquet, and that room full of blacktail hunters was gasping at the size of those bucks. It was unbelievable how many giant deer were traveling those trails without getting shot. Really makes you think.

[baltz526]

i hope you all realize what gets these bucks moving out of the high country. a little snow, no. a little cold, no. phase of the moon, no. sunlight level, no. they smell the reason to head off the high ridges. when that wind blows up that ridge from where all the does are, and they smell the does going into esterous, they come off them ridges in the rut. so in the early season most of these mature bucks will be on the ridgetops, waiting for this sent to swirl around. this is also why it is so hard to be successful tagging one, there spending all there waking time testing the air for this sent, so when they smell something new they are on alert instantly.

[fishin]

I don't know if you can get into the high cascades close to the rut. Probably depend on the year. My family used to hunt the high cascade hunt and opening weekend in the high cascades. Take the horses in about 8 miles. Some years opening weekend was tee shirts others you couldn't pack enough clothes to stay warm becuase of the rain and snow. Some great stories and maybe one or two nice bucks taken by the group :grin:. Could get hairy up there the 1st of November !