Deer opener
- Thread starter Jgill19
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I've seen a couple 160-170 type bucks in pictures in my part of the state. most guys are getting a good tan in this 90 degree weather but seeing few deer.
ODFW will blame the low success on the weather , and it's not helping to be sure. but the real problem is super low deer numbers everyone who knows anything knows that.
I'm heading out tomorrow for the rest of the season I know some good spots and I have some private to hunt. hopefully most of the yahoos have gone back to Portland. I won't shoot anything under 160 so I expect another pot of tag soup.
ODFW will blame the low success on the weather , and it's not helping to be sure. but the real problem is super low deer numbers everyone who knows anything knows that.
I'm heading out tomorrow for the rest of the season I know some good spots and I have some private to hunt. hopefully most of the yahoos have gone back to Portland. I won't shoot anything under 160 so I expect another pot of tag soup.
NPHunter
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This is an Oregon buck. Lots of bucks this year. I have a dozen or more pictures on my phone from friends and several are of good mature deer. I’ve seen a couple of really big deer come out of SE OR.
Lots of 3.5yr old deer and a few 4.5yr old deer this fall. There was one buck around I believe was bigger than this buck but we weren’t passing on a 5.5yr old 185”buck for a 13yr old.
Lots of 3.5yr old deer and a few 4.5yr old deer this fall. There was one buck around I believe was bigger than this buck but we weren’t passing on a 5.5yr old 185”buck for a 13yr old.
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Jgill19
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Good stuff boys! I don't have a deer tag in Oregon this year, so Im just living vicariously. Of the buddies I've talked to that have been out hunting, it's been pretty good so far this year. Of course, I haven't talked to most the ones who are still grinding it out. lol
Switchback00
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Opening day. Group went 4 for 4.
BradA
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Congratulations let’s see the other three
Just got back , only hunted a few days but couldn't even find any tracks in my honey holes. talked to a couple long time camps that had been there the whole season and one knew of a forkie taken and the other didn't know of any deer taken. never heard a shot the whole time I was there. never seen so much feed. the scabs look like hay fields at all elevations so the chance of winterkill this year is slim even if we get a rough one . deer are flat pathetic but lots of elk end of story..
talked to my taxidermist friend and the biggest buck he's taken in is a 170 class buck off a big ranch in the Ochoco. a few other okay private land deer and the usual dinks.
There were many thousands of tags put out. a few bucks will always be taken but that doesn't mean chit, how many and how big is what matters. success this year is going to be awful, I've talked to hunters from all over and the story is the same. ODFW will blame the weather and it certainly has contributed to the poor harvest, but as always the deer aren't there that's the fact of it.
It took me 25 years but I drew a late CO tag and I'm going to see some deer next month. it'll be like the old says when we had deer and that's going to be sweet.
talked to my taxidermist friend and the biggest buck he's taken in is a 170 class buck off a big ranch in the Ochoco. a few other okay private land deer and the usual dinks.
There were many thousands of tags put out. a few bucks will always be taken but that doesn't mean chit, how many and how big is what matters. success this year is going to be awful, I've talked to hunters from all over and the story is the same. ODFW will blame the weather and it certainly has contributed to the poor harvest, but as always the deer aren't there that's the fact of it.
It took me 25 years but I drew a late CO tag and I'm going to see some deer next month. it'll be like the old says when we had deer and that's going to be sweet.
Jgill19
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Deer situation is not good in Oregon, ODFW needs to pull their head out of the sand. It certainly doesn't all fall at their feet but, the deer need help and ODFW doesn't seem to be interested in providing it. How can they keep telling us everything is ok...
Good luck on the CO hunt!! Enjoy it
Good luck on the CO hunt!! Enjoy it
NPHunter
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Well here’s my picture of a mature deer from my hunt. Unfortunately for me Oregon muzzleloaders have to shoot caps and black powder and when I pulled the trigger the gun went click instead of boom. By the time I got a new cap on he was out of range. I would have loved to harvested this big old 24”+ wide forked horn!!
Been talking to someone who's in my unit in CO hunting 2nd season now. hasn't been seeing many monsters but dozens of 3 and 4 points Oregon hunters would pee themselves over . hopefully the rut brings them out in a couple weeks.
And CO is way off of their prime , but still 100 times better than OR. sad.
And CO is way off of their prime , but still 100 times better than OR. sad.
elkassassin
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Hey dude!
Colorado Has Done Their Deer Herd No Favors!
Best Of Luck!
Hope You Find The Big One!
Colorado Has Done Their Deer Herd No Favors!
Best Of Luck!
Hope You Find The Big One!
Thanks Bobcat, I agree Colorado is trying to screw their deer up too but they have a long ways to fall to catch OR.
I'll be back there next week and start looking around. I've eaten a lot of tag soup and I will again if I can't find a good one. not exactly sure what good is now days but I think 180 is a high bar even in CO today.
I'll be back there next week and start looking around. I've eaten a lot of tag soup and I will again if I can't find a good one. not exactly sure what good is now days but I think 180 is a high bar even in CO today.
callsalot
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I would love to take this subjected up and I mean know disrespect, but it's been bad for a long time and it's been hashed over on this site and others a million times. Mule deer in Oregon, Colorado, Montana, etc. etc. suck. Colorado is overall still probably the best but not near what it used to be. Just got back from SE Montana which is traditionally a strong hold and it was poor. If we want deer number back we need predator control, Limit it to four point or better a few years and probably limit some technologies used in hunting if the goal is more deer and more hunter opportunity. Maybe someday.
I can confirm Colorado is 100 times better than Oregon today, but nothing like it used to be. I saw lots of bucks OR hunters would pee themselves over but not the big buck I'd hoped to find after burning 24 points.
Still it brought back fond memories of what Oregon used to be when we had deer. but there's hope for CO that doesn't exist for OR, because CO hunters know there's a problem and they want it fixed. Oregon hunters are content with crap hunting so ODFW has no incentive to do anything.
Still it brought back fond memories of what Oregon used to be when we had deer. but there's hope for CO that doesn't exist for OR, because CO hunters know there's a problem and they want it fixed. Oregon hunters are content with crap hunting so ODFW has no incentive to do anything.
muleybeast
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Wow that’s sad news about Oregon.
New Mexico is pretty piss poor as well.
New Mexico is pretty piss poor as well.
It is so sad for Oregon as back in the late 60's, 70's, and early 80's the Steens and Hart were compared to the Kaibab. The genetics are there, sadly so are the cougars that probably outnumber deer. I have been lucky to meet and talk to some old timers that hunted it, it was amazing.
Yes it was, so were the Trouts. there were big bucks in every unit back then, I was just a kid so I'd take the first 4 point I found but today I'd hold out for a really nice buck .
but those days are gone and never coming back. I'm not sure we could ever bring them back even if we tried, but we're not even going to try that's the saddest part. too many OR hunters think chitty is as good as it gets and ODFW loves them.
but those days are gone and never coming back. I'm not sure we could ever bring them back even if we tried, but we're not even going to try that's the saddest part. too many OR hunters think chitty is as good as it gets and ODFW loves them.
In the late 90's they were still killing 180, 190, and 200 plus inch bucks on the Sheldon in Nevada, Hart Mountains sister refuge. I hunted it in early 2000's twice, just not the same or even close. Predation dam near killed everything.
Nevada does pred control except on Federal Refuges. Oregon started pred control on Hart Mountain as most sheep and deer are dead.
I'm not sure what unit has the most lion but they're all loaded.
ODFW has the legal authority to thin them but they don't want to spend any money so they won't. if they started a campaign to bring the numbers down the number of hounds men would explode and they'd get it done nearly free. but again why ? OR hunters think it's all great so there's no incentive to do anything.
ODFW has the legal authority to thin them but they don't want to spend any money so they won't. if they started a campaign to bring the numbers down the number of hounds men would explode and they'd get it done nearly free. but again why ? OR hunters think it's all great so there's no incentive to do anything.
Jgill19
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They should start an optional donation on hunting apps for a cougar specific predator control program. If the didn't gain the support needed it would be pretty telling as to whether sportsman as a whole (not just this site) really care about our herds. We might end up disgusted. Either way it would be a win/win for ODFW. They either get the funds they want/need provided separate of budget, or shed some of the criticism onto us.
I do think funds should be directed with/in budget to make it happen but that's a whole different ball of wax.
Losely related... I used to sell self propelled sprayers to a guy who main business focus was air application. In the winter he flew for ODFW doing coyote control. He said its a joke how inefficient the operation is. Just a lot of lollygagging and protocol crap, thought they could/should be killing a lot more coyotes for the time and money. A hell of a good time for him though, and really good pay for the work.
I do think funds should be directed with/in budget to make it happen but that's a whole different ball of wax.
Losely related... I used to sell self propelled sprayers to a guy who main business focus was air application. In the winter he flew for ODFW doing coyote control. He said its a joke how inefficient the operation is. Just a lot of lollygagging and protocol crap, thought they could/should be killing a lot more coyotes for the time and money. A hell of a good time for him though, and really good pay for the work.
