Trout Creek Traditional

NPHunter · Mar 30, 2021

I am putting in first choice for trout creek traditional in 2021 so I will draw it for sure. I am planning to do the hunt every other year to line up with another hunt I'm doing. I have never spent any time in the trout creeks but have spent a lot of time hunting and finding mule deer in high desert canyons.

Any advice or pointers would be very much appreciated and PM's are preferred. I will be sleeping in the back of my truck or in my pop-up tent, I have good tires, a spare, onboard air, and will be packing extra fuel. I also have a TW200 I am contemplating bringing if it would be useful and will be going down scouting in July if everything works out as planned.

Thanks in Advance for any info or tips.

Togwotee · Mar 31, 2021

That would be a tough hunt. I've hunted pronghorn on the refuge several times and didn't see very many deer. most were around the hot springs not much of anything down in the flats. I think if you hunt up higher around the aspen there will be a few deer .

Neat place to hunt though, no other place quite like it . I'm not anti grazing but to see the high desert in it's natural state it's a real eye opener it's just something you don't see .

bonepicker · Apr 1, 2021

Should be a fun hunt however it turns out! It will be tough for sure but I’m sure you know what you’re signing up for, there are reasons that it’s an easy draw. You probably won’t get a buck very often but if you hunt it regularly over the next several years, you will have a better chance of getting one and when you do it will be pretty rewarding!

Extrapale · Apr 4, 2021

Togwotee said:
That would be a tough hunt. I've hunted pronghorn on the refuge several times and didn't see very many deer. most were around the hot springs not much of anything down in the flats. I think if you hunt up higher around the aspen there will be a few deer .

Neat place to hunt though, no other place quite like it . I'm not anti grazing but to see the high desert in it's natural state it's a real eye opener it's just something you don't see .

It sounds like you are talking about Hart Mt refuge.

He is talking the Trout Creek hunt in the Whitehorse.

OP, the hunt should be more enjoyable this year. It had got a little crowded the last few years. There are bucks there to stalk. Not a ton, but enough to make it interesting. Killing one with trad gear is definitely a challenge.

NPHunter · Apr 4, 2021

Extrapale said:
It sounds like you are talking about Hart Mt refuge.

He is talking the Trout Creek hunt in the Whitehorse.

OP, the hunt should be more enjoyable this year. It had got a little crowded the last few years. There are bucks there to stalk. Not a ton, but enough to make it interesting. Killing one with trad gear is definitely a challenge.

Thanks,

I figure with it being the only deer opportunity now there should be quite a few less people. I’ve been wanting to do it for years anyway and figure now will be as good of time as any to start.

I will be happy if I can find a few bucks to stalk.

LIK2HNT · Apr 10, 2021

Wish you luck. Have thought about that hunt for years, but feel I am not good enough with traditional gear. Keep us posted.

NPHunter · Apr 11, 2021

LIK2HNT said:
Wish you luck. Have thought about that hunt for years, but feel I am not good enough with traditional gear. Keep us posted.

Thanks, I actually just ordered a new hoyt satori bow specifically to start doing this hunt. I’ve been wanting to do the hunt for years and am finally committing to doing it. I’ve been out shooting my older 38lb black hawk and feel like I could do very well out to 25 yards with it. The new bow will be about 10lbs heavier and should be a lot faster, I can’t wait!

Togwotee · Apr 11, 2021

You're right my bad . not sure why I jumped to Hart .

The Trout Creeks would be tougher than Hart . I can't imagine hunting the Trouts with a bow it's tough with a rifle. I spend time Chuckar hunting in there while the deer are rutting and I see deer but only a fraction of what I used to see..

I would advise finding another hunt but if you're looking for a challenge you found it.

NPHunter · Apr 12, 2021

Togwotee said:
You're right my bad . not sure why I jumped to Hart .

The Trout Creeks would be tougher than Hart . I can't imagine hunting the Trouts with a bow it's tough with a rifle. I spend time Chuckar hunting in there while the deer are rutting and I see deer but only a fraction of what I used to see..

I would advise finding another hunt but if you're looking for a challenge you found it.

I'm looking for a hunt where I can find older-age class deer and attempt to stalk in and kill them, I hope this turns out to be that place even though I will have to use a traditional bow to kill one.

I like hunting deer in the open country and every unit I've been in it is hard to find a big buck during the second week of Oct.

August will be much easier if it's anything like any other area I've ever hunted mule deer in. I will have a much better idea of what to expect after my summer scouting trip.

I would love to know what unit you would advise? Feel free to send me a PM if you're willing.

Thanks for your input,

Togwotee · Apr 14, 2021

how many points do you have ? resident or NR ? bow only ?

The Trout Creeks are not a great hunt by most standards, but by OR standards they're good. it's more a matter of big open country with few deer and a recurve bow. to me that says run away, but maybe others would feel different.

NPHunter · Apr 14, 2021

Togwotee said:
how many points do you have ? resident or NR ? bow only ?

The Trout Creeks are not a great hunt by most standards, but by OR standards they're good. it's more a matter of big open country with few deer and a recurve bow. to me that says run away, but maybe others would feel different.

I live in Oregon and have Zero points. I defiantly know what I’m getting into. I could do a wilderness hunt and use my compound and do OK I’m sure or some of the desert hunts near home. (Cove) I really feel like I will have a better hunt there since I will be committed to deer hunting after driving all that way. Around home I always end up chasing elk since they are plentiful and the season is at the same time. Last time I dedicated a day to hunt mule deer with my bow in the desert I ended up killing a nice 6 point bull.
I decided I’m going to start doing the TC hunt every other year and muzzle loader hunt the years in between for mule deer. I think I will do pretty well hunting the same units for several years and dedicating time to mule deer only. I shot a pretty decent mule deer last year with my muzzleloader. I haven’t had a rifle tag for myself for years in OR my boys have been filling them with the mentor program and now this year they are both old enough to have their own tags.

Took seven days of glassing to find this buck last year. We found a similar buck the day before my buddy killed. This spot was over two mile from the rig which was over 1K feet above me on top of those ridges. We talked to several people during the hunt that had been doing it for years and have never killed deer.
I figure I should be able to turn up much better bucks in TC with that much glassing, it’s just a matter of killing them with a stick bow.

bonepicker · Apr 15, 2021

Nice! Keep us updated on what you see and how you do on that hunt.

NPHunter · Apr 15, 2021

bonepicker said:
Nice! Keep us updated on what you see and how you do on that hunt.

I will most likely put a brief description of the hunt on this thread and let everyone know if I was successful. I will PM the folks who I've been contacted by with a more detailed report. If it's an awesome hunt and I kill a giant I most likely won't be posting it on this particular thread.

I really had got a lot of blowback in the form of nasty PM's a few years back after I posted a big success story of on an OTC Archery hunt I did in Idaho on a different forum. Since then I really try to do most of my detailed communication through PM's

bonepicker · Apr 15, 2021

Yeah I get that! Its crazy how some people respond to someone else's success. I've seen it on here a few times as well, there are just certain personalities that feel the need to "put someone in their place" with criticism of the size of your animal, the ethics of your hunt, the place you hunted, how you hunted it, your gear, etc. I don't know if it is jealousy or arrogance or discontentment but there are always a couple naysayers to stink up a success thread. Good luck on your hunt! Hopefully its a great trip for you!

Padfoot · Apr 17, 2021

They were probably upset that one of their honey holes was outed. Loose lips sink good units.

NPHunter · Apr 17, 2021

Padfoot said:
They were probably upset that one of their honey holes was outed. Loose lips sink good units.

Rightfully so, I defiantly learned a lesson on that one. Was just excited for a successful hunt but defiantly should have been more discrete.

NPHunter · Jul 8, 2024

I never did follow up on this hunt. I only hunted for a day and my wife dog got sick and ended up at the vet and I had to leave early. It was kind of a bummer, I had high hopes for the hunt. I did get to put a few unsuccessfully stalks on bucks.