2016 - Oregon planning

Travisitguy

Member
Sep 9, 2014
128
1
Bend, Oregon
I got my Sportmans-Pac the other day. I am sure getting excited for this years hunting opportunities. Hoping to for some looks at a bear and cat obviously not at the same time.


Travis
 

Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
What are you putting in for Travis?
Here are my plans for Oregon this year;
Spring Turkey (Cant say where as its public ground and nobody hunts it!)
Spring Bear in the Coos Bay Area
I will put in for Walla Walla archery elk and it will be luck if I draw. Thats okay cause I will hunt Imnaha Archery Elk in the Eagle Caps for about 10 days in September - Plenty of Elk there with some pretty good Bulls.
I will put in for East Beatty's Butte Antelope but again I need a lot of luck to draw this.
600 series for Whitetail Doe in the Wallowa Valley on private land - probably will not draw as it normally takes two points and I drew it this last year.
I will again shoot for the moon and put in for Desert Bighorn in the Owyhee's and Goat in the Elkhorns. Maybe one of these days before I die!
I will draw a late season Muzzleloader Whitetail Buck tag near Sumpter in mid to late November. I am looking forward to this one.
I will of course carry with me a lion tag just in case.
Chukar in the fall and early winter will fill in the blanks.
Out of state will be a 14 day hunt in July in South Africa for Buffalo and various plains game, Axis Deer on Maui in early June, Pigs and goats (archery) on Kauai in August and Mouflon Sheep and goats (rifle) on the Big Island in late October.

How about the rest of my fellow Oregonians?
 

Timberstalker

Veteran member
Feb 1, 2012
2,242
6
Bend, Or
For myself it will be Chesnimnus archery elk, I should have drawn last year! I will have my name in the hat for Metolius rifle deer with my one point, not likely.

My youngest daughter has about 50% chance at Metolius rifle, and the same for her second choice High Cascade deer. I'm going to have her name in for Mt Emily late rifle elk. We're going to need some luck on in the draws this year for her.

Then there are the new premium hunts, applications will be in for units scattered all over the state.

No spring hunting in our family, to many basketball games! I'm going to have a very busy work schedule this spring too.
Iron Mike, I need to pick your brain on the Hawaii hunting, my daughters and I would really have fun with that!
 

Tim McCoy

Veteran member
Dec 15, 2014
1,855
4
Oregon
For Oregon: My son has a great shot at a 600 series buck hunt. If he gets it we will try for one of the 4 real big ones we found there last year. On Mt. Emily we plan to take 2-3 cows on depredation hunt LOP tags and also hunt the Spike season. I have enough points for the big bull tag, rifle or archery, but am going to wait to learn the area better. We are also holding onto our Buck points, not sure what we will do with them. Late Metolious or Trout Creek or late MT. Emily would all be 100% for 3 of the 4 of us (one is a NR), probably wait a few years then clear our points on a hunt. Within a point of a decent Antelope tag, but like Iron Mike, will probably put in for one of the Beaty's Butte tags and not draw. One can always hope on sheep and goat...I usually put in for Cali Sheep in the Owyhee, not sure where Iron Mike is finding the deserts there, think he meant to say Cali's in the Owyhee desert?

Out of state, should get an early rifle Bull tag in UT, then am done with UT, and will probably just buy points in NV and AZ due to the UT hunt. Have been on a mission to cash in points and hunt the past 3 years, done chasing points in 8 or 9 or what ever states. It has gotten to not be fun anymore for me, and the costs are adding up. Doing more hunts I can do often vs chasing trophy draws. Will have to take a hard look at AZ with their recent changes, may cash in some deer/elk points there to stop that madness, but max deer points have keep me around. We found a ranch to lease in MT affordably last year, and 6 of us plan to go back in Nov. Costly deer tag, but open country WT's are fun and very good to eat. As long as MT tags stay easy to draw, this one will be an annual hunt. It has large WT's and small mulies all over, fun hunt. Have lottery odds for sheep in a number of states. Sitting on max WY antelope points, but likely to put that off to 2017. Hopefully in 3-5 years I be down to just 2-3 out of state draws for sheep/deer, MT deer annually, WY antelope every 2-3 years and OR annually. Have 4 grandsons coming up and am focused on planning out hunts for them, not chasing tags with points.
 

Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
Yes Tim - California Bighorns in the Desert! Oops.
I would jump on that Metolious Tag soon if you are thinking about it. Seems to be starting to not be as good as it used to be. I have some theories as to why but dont want to post them here! I live on the border of that unit and Upper Deschutes. Wish they would open a late season Deer there - some of the bucks I am seeing behind where I live in November are mind boggling. I would love to rifle hunt Big bulls in Mt Emily, but I my heart is set on archery Elk . There are some toads coming out of there now. Trout Creek seems to be improving every year and your out of state hunts have got me jealous! Have fun!!!

Timberstalker - Hawaii goats are a great hunt and fairly easy. Let me know...
 

Tim McCoy

Veteran member
Dec 15, 2014
1,855
4
Oregon
Iron Mike, appreciate the bump on Metolious deer. Would have to bone up on archery. We'll see, as I love the high desert and lean towards Trout Creek with a rifle. There is one late season upper Deschutes deer tag under the premium hunts, 9/1 - 11/30 season. Take some luck, but someone has to draw it.

Have fun in Africa!
 

Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
Iron Mike, appreciate the bump on Metolious deer. Would have to bone up on archery. We'll see, as I love the high desert and lean towards Trout Creek with a rifle. There is one late season upper Deschutes deer tag under the premium hunts, 9/1 - 11/30 season. Take some luck, but someone has to draw it.

Have fun in Africa!
Love being in the Trout's - I do chase Chukars there on occasion. Is that 1 tag as in "ONE ONLY"? Had not seen that but will look!
 

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,568
73
59
North Umpqua, Oregon
Here's what we are thinking of for next fall in Oregon:

Deer: Blah blah

Elk: Who whoooo, who whoooo

Sheep: You will all apply in the Owyhee unit next year (using my best Jedi mind trick)

Spring turkey: The first one that walks through our yard.

Fall Bear: Hopefully "Big Fatty" shows back up on our place

 
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Tim McCoy

Veteran member
Dec 15, 2014
1,855
4
Oregon
Love being in the Trout's - I do chase Chukars there on occasion. Is that 1 tag as in "ONE ONLY"? Had not seen that but will look!
Yep, with very few exceptions, one tag per unit each for deer, elk and antelope. Go to page 16 of the fancy new shiny color regulation book. No points are used, darn it anyway. But there will be some smoker hunts for the lucky few.
 

gonhunting247

Veteran member
Jan 21, 2014
1,161
730
I will donate my $24.00 just to get my name in the hat:) for the premium hunts.
As for the rest of my OR strategy, it's kind of opportunity lower point type hunts that I am drawn too.
Deer:Late MZ blacktail with my regular second choice and Traditional Trout Creek tag as last choice.
600 Series Deer:Late MZ Whitetail
Antelope: Should be close to an MZ tag.
Elk: Should get my limited entry bull tag, but have general archery as a great back up.
Bear: will be same as usual with Spring for the Snake and Fall locally.
Turkey: two spring tags and put in for NE Fall
Cougar: I'll definitely have one just in case I get lucky!
Mt.Goat: Hat point
Sheep: John Day
Should draw Sheep and Goat;)
Good luck to all of you in this years draw!
 

DRUSS

Very Active Member
Jun 22, 2014
536
157
nw oregon
deer: blacktail trip
elk: coast archery
antelope: 15 pts just not sure about this year yet???
600: point
sheep/goat just a hope but someone has to draw...
sw spring bear
and I will also try some of the new premium hunts. might as well donate $24
 
Haven't really settled on a strategy for 2016 yet. We've talked a little about trying an out-of-state hunt this year, but it doesn't look like the right time for us. I think we'll end up with several hunts in Oregon as in past years. My planning is complicated by two things. I have double-digit points for elk, but not enough to draw the big three. That keeps me on the treadmill of second-choice or general seasons for several years yet. Also, my wife hunts, and my daughter is now also old enough to draw her own tags. The older of my boys can hunt in the Mentored Youth program, and the younger one can in 2017. This means I'm basically juggling 5 hunters, plus a couple of other kids I occasionally hunt with. In the end we'll hopefully get two or three good family adventures during the fall. It's a good problem to have....

And yes, I think we'll be in for sheep/goat/premium hunts. Any of those would probably change our plans.

QQ
 

Travisitguy

Member
Sep 9, 2014
128
1
Bend, Oregon
you guys have some great hunts planned for sure.

Elk points/hunt got used up last year so I imagine an OTC spike hunt out east more than likely.
Antelope: I have double digit points and will probably also put in for W. Beatys unit.
Deer Buck: I only have a few points so I also was thinking Metolious since its close - if that fails local BlackTail will be viewed thru the scope.
600 Series: going to put my hat into this pool first time this year.
Turkey: will probably spend some time down on my brother in-laws ranch in ShadyCove
Bear and cougar both are more if they stumble in front of me.

I am excited for the This new tag offering, good luck to all who put in for that.
Those white tailed hunts up near enterprise look cool although with all the private land is it difficult to get permission? I strictly rifle hunt
My son is 11 so we will partake in the mentored youth program.
 

Tim McCoy

Veteran member
Dec 15, 2014
1,855
4
Oregon
Travis, there are affordable trespass hunts for WT in the Enterprise/Joseph area. 100 series rifle tags. We paid $1,500 each for the entire rifle season for two hunters for exclusive access to a ranch that held MD and WT. Saw the biggest WT there I've ever seen in the wild, later killed near by, 184". My brother and I hunted the ranch for two consecutive seasons and only stopped when we got the MT lease. My brother took a 168" Mulie, our sons took smaller mulies and a WT. If you are interested I can put in touch with the holder of the lease, he's in OC too. He also has great access for the later WT Muzzleloader hunts, but I suspect the price is higher.
 

Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
Travis
If you did your homework in advance you could probably get permission for the 600 series doe WT - especially if you were hunting with a youngster. I do hunt rifle for this one on a friends ranch and it really is just a meat hunt, the last two I got took all of 10 minutes apiece, but there is not a whole lot better eating then a grain fed WT Doe! Almost all the ranches in the valley are loaded with them and they are eating their grain crops. Usually takes 1 point to draw. The buck tags will cost you but as Tim says not a lot comparably. I am hunting muzzleloader in a different unit and there is plenty of public land there.