ukiah 1st season spike tag

NASCAR88 · Nov 8, 2009

Day 1- 17 degrees 4 inches of snow, good hunting conditions. Never cut a track never heard a shot. didn't even see a deer.

Day 2- Went to plan B, seen two branch bulls a five and a six point running together just off the experimental forest game fence. Must of been a couple they let out that wanted back in for the winter feeding. (free groceries). Cut a few elk tracks, small groups of 2 and 3 heard a couple shots seen 12 deer no bucks. Found half eaten calf elk with 6 inch cat tracks around it, should of went back and just hunted the cat the rest of the season.

Day 3 and 4 same as day one

pretty poor animal numbers but still better than work.
( I keep telling myself anyway )

440sixpack · Nov 8, 2009

About the same situation a guy with a Sumpter tag told me, he said until this year last year was the worst season he's seen since he was a kid in the 60's.

The cats are taking our herds out, believe me now or believe me later.

HKShooter · Nov 9, 2009

Wholly crap...you saw some deer!

HK

NASCAR88 · Nov 9, 2009

Yes I know it sounds unbelievable but yes I seen a few deer but none of them were bucks so thats what makes my story believable. In the past we would see 5-10 good bucks during the elk season. No more.

440sixpack · Nov 9, 2009

I hunt the Ochoco unit when I draw and we used to see deer by the gob, now it's not uncommon to go all elk season without seeing a buck. even down here on my ranch the elk out number the deer most of the time, in the past in the pre rut like this I'd see hundreds in the hay fields, this morning there are about a dozen.

The secret to hunting Oregon is building points in other states so you can hunt there and camp here.

HKShooter · Nov 9, 2009

Last year I went with a buddy to the SilverLake, Interstate, and Sprague area. There were about 7 different tags total and about 10 guys playing in the woods. We totaled our deer numbers over about 28 hunting days (7 x 4) and it was something like 180 head with 2 breeder bucks. That is a ton of country covered and a ton of guys spending all day in the woods...Pretty pathetic and remember this is their wintering area.

Just and idea: How about ODFW hire some of us guys who are in the woods to do their counts. Hell I'll do it for free.

HK

440sixpack · Nov 9, 2009

They can't be as stupid as it seems, they have to know the numbers are so low season should be closed in most units but the budget is the only factor they manage for.

Take the Ochoco unit for example, they drop bull tag numbers then up the cow tag numbers, then the herds start dropping so they switch from standard cow tags to ag tags and northside private land tags, nobody can get a place to hunt on so they go back to the USFS anyway. one way or another they sell the same amount of tags, game managment is secondary if even a factor at all.

The deer numbers are so bad they figure what the hell, as long as idiots buy the tags we'll sell them. if there's no deer that's their problem we didn't put a gaurantee on the tag so go cry to someone who cares.

As long as Oregon hunters don't venture outside to other states and figure out how bad our hunting sucks nothing will change. I'm willing to pay more, get a tag less often, work to get ODFW to use the right they have to control lions through contractors or whatever it takes. until then I'll keep hunting out of state and seeing what real managment can do, others may think their game dept's are incompetent but they'll never know how good they have it until they give Oregon a try.

HKShooter · Nov 9, 2009

Very true 440.

I've hunted nearly all the elk states and Oregon for 20 years with a bow....Oregon sucks...errr ODFW sucks. I love my state, and have killed a pile of bulls, but I'd rather hunt most any other state for elk and deer. WA is excluded as it is not a state

HK

carterj16 · Nov 19, 2009

we see more elk in ukiah now then we did when we started hunting it 20 years ago. i guess its those 9 scouting trips we took last year before season. the elk are there so enjoy it now, soon as the wolves from idaho move in it will be a different story. real quick i think we averaged 4 bulls a yr the last 5 yrs with a bow. this yr we hit 7 out of 8, a new record.