Deer--4 bonus points

[larrbo]

Hi guys, I have 4 points for deer in Oregon. Have hunted Beulah twice and Owahee 3 times in the past. We don't want to return to Beulah and and haven't been to Owahee for 7 years. And suggestions on other areas that might be good with that amount of points. Thanks.

 

[440sixpack]

If you had twice that I wouldn't have any good suggestions. the Owyhee has gone to crap, I have relatives who have hunted it for 3 generations and they're about to give it up. Murderers Creek and Ochoco are my home turf and they suck beyond what I can discribe compared to what they used to be.

If you're going to keep paying the unfair license price so you can apply for other species my advice would be to keep building points and hope things get better and you can draw a good tag before you're tripping over your beard. if you want to cut your losses and be done with Oregon I could suggest some units with beutiful country, great camping and the chance at a dink.

If I sound negative it's because I'm bitter about what ODFW has let our deer herds degrade to. yes some of it is out of their hands but if they stopped pretending it's all OK and selling tags where there are no excess deer to harvest it would force the issue to a point it couldn't be ignored any longer.

I'm willing to help you PM me if you'd rather I hunt out of state and I welcome NR hunters to my state , but the truth is your prospects are very dismal as are mine and every other Oregon deer hunter. if anyone tells you different they either have good private land, were lucky as hell, they're full of crap, or they weren't here when we had deer so they don't understand how bleak it is.

 

[muleyman]

sending you a PM...

muleyman

 

[larrbo]

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[finnman]

I don't want to say it out loud....but it sounds like Silver...

 

[Snag23]

Totally agree with your remarks 440sixpack! I am a native Oregonian and everyone knows (including the Eastman boys) that we manage wildlife the worst of any western state. Period.

 

[440sixpack]

You have to give ODFW credit though, they've lowered expectations to the point many hunters don't see the problem. those hunters are the reason we're going to have a hell of a time getting the support it will take to force change.

 

[bhunter]

Oregon has become a a bad joke in regards to their deer management or lack of it. It was not too bad just a few years ago now its a mess and if we have a bad winter going into spring it will be gone. The BT are going down big time especially here in NW Oregon as well.

If there is any proof of a man in a hunt it is not whether he killed a deer or elk but how he hunted it.

 

[larrbo]

I was surprised when I looked up the current draw odds for Oregon a few days ago. Areas that you could draw with 2 points several years ago now take 4 to 5 points.

 

[bonepicker]

I agree with you 440sixpack. Not alot of good deer left. After waiting 3 years for a tag, I finally drew a Malheur River tag. 6 of us in the party and between us we only saw 5 bucks, 4 of them were spikes or forkies. Out of the 6 tags, we got one buck, a little 3 point. This was not the way it used to be. next year I'm getting a landowner tag with a rancher friend of mine but even that won't help, he didn't get a buck last year either.
I enjoy hunting enough to not be sucessful but the thing that drives me crazy is all the other yahoos running around all over the place. That makes it miserable. We could not get away from people, it felt like an anthill out there.
Pretty discouraging and here in Harney county (Steens, Juniper, Malheur River, Silvies units) we are having a wicked winter, already 26"+ of snow on the ground IN TOWN, -25 below nights all week last week and alot more winter left. What deer were left are getting killed off by the weather. The ones the weather doesn't get the cougars will.
It's hard to find the positive.

 

[440sixpack]

You nailed it with the winter situation,if this continues it's going to be a disaster in some areas. considering our deer numbers today and the fact we haven't had a real winter since 92/93 do the math on what next year is going to look like in some units.

ODFW may be forced to face reality when the mule deer in Oregon qualify for ESA listing.

 

[NickW]

What if I used my 10, with your 4 and split the difference? We will have to share camp!
We have a friend in common that has vouched for you and I'm thinking he might do the same for me!