I get a great deal of inquiries where to hunt every year and sometime, I am just another lead to the hunter along with the rest of the information they get from others. It is good that when it comes to hunting that hunters try to gather as much information as they can, including getting information from the local biologist for the area they plan to hunt. Many biologist are hunters themselves and want to see hunters successful. In Oregon the ODFW have some very good biologist and a couple I have know for many years.
Getting on with Linda’s hunt, she made contact with me early on about getting a Trout Creek Mule Deer tag. Tough unit to draw for, as it takes at least 10+ points to get drawn. The Trout Creek Hunt is in the Whitehorse Hunt Unit, bordering Nevada. There are some monster bucks that live in the arrid country, but hard to find.
I gave Linda some waypoints that were given to me by an old hunter that I had known for more than 20 years that hunted the Trout Creek Mountain and harvest many a big monster buck. Bud Lucas was his name and he lived in Klamath Falls, OR.
Bud Lucas with one of his Trout Creek Mulies that he took over his years of hunting! Miss this man! Bud still hunted though it took a long time to walk a 10O yards. Had MS…
He shared his stories and pictures of the bucks that he harvest of the years.
L.K.J.’s before 50 Trout Creek Mule Deer 2011
LINDA’S STORY:
I was Mule Deer hunting in the Trout Creek Mountains. Got my buck day 2 of the hunt. It was great! I wish I could hunt there every year. I went several days early and put bucks to bed. Found them in the morning. It was good I got my deer early as it began snowing a couple of days later. What a great experience I will never forget. I saved points for 10 years and wanted a tag before I was 50 (next year), now I think I may get another one before I am 60!
Happy Trails,
Thanks for the interest and encouragement!
This hunt took place on the last day of the archery season in Oregon and it was my last and final effort to harvest a Blacktail Buck after a great deal of hunting during the season. It also would be the first time I exposed my young daughter to an animal of majestic qualities to her dead to look at and touch!
An extremely large buck just stood there looking at me, probably wondering why anyone would be down in a hole like this! This deer hunt was the end of a long Oregon deer season for me. Earlier that season, I spent four days at HartMountain in southeastern Oregon looking for one of the famous big mule deer bucks that dwell there. My vacation time had been changed and I was not able to hunt the first part of the season with my group. So getting that early jump on a big velvet buck was gone. I’d seen as many as 14 bucks in a group at one time prior to the season. Truly the big bucks had been stirred up by earlier hunters and were keeping their distance.
I found myself seeking a buck to take home on the last day of the late November hunt in the Santiam Hunt Unit in Western Oregon, just west of the National Forest Boundary in the BLM. It seems on the last day we (empty-handed) will do some strange things. The trip in itself was similar to my earlier trips in which I covered innumerable miles looking for greener pastures. I must have traveled 800 miles in three days only to find myself hunting in dense forest 30 miles from Portland, Oregon my home. On this trip, I was by myself, my partners having had their fill of hunting for one season. With the heavy rain & wet snow coming and going, I’d just about had enough myself. Then by mid afternoon it started to snow and by 3 PM there was about 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground. I was glad I’d missed a 60-yard shot at a small buck I should have not taken with the wind blowing. The small buck seemed to be playing king of the mountain standing on a ledge overlooking a deep canyon. If I’d hit him, he surely would have taken to the canyon below – what a pack out that would have been.
So, like any other sane bowhunter, I went down into the canyon. I decided to walk the naked alders and fir trees, which seemed to surround the small creek that wound through the canyon. I noticed some large deer tracks in the snow and told myself they must belong to a big Blackie. I hadn’t covered more than 100 yards when I just about stepped on a deer. I was so busy stepping over downed limbs and following the tracks that I didn’t even noticed the deer bedded under a fir tree. The most beautiful Blacktail I’d ever seen jumped up and ran out 30 yards and turned broadside to me and gazed back at me. Not taking time to count points, I was already at full drew with my Martin Cougar Magnum, set the 30 yard pin on the buck’s chest, and let fly. One would have thought I was shooting with fingers, ah I was shooting with fingers. The buck was no longer just standing, he’d flat busted out of there. He moved so fast I just shook my head and wondered if I’d missed. I went to the spot where the buck had been, no blood. Now the snow was really coming down and the wind had picked up in the canyon. My heart pounding in my chest, all I could do was follow the tracks in the direction he’d gone. I started to notice some foamy blood spots and walked about 80 yards on the blood trail, stopped, and looked around. There, in the ferns just below me, was the butt of a deer. He must have taken one last leap in this last breath! The broadhead had done its job; my shot was a bit high barely missing the heart. I was able to find a small road out of the canyon, thus was able to drive my truck with chains forward and aft down into the canyon. The buck was a heavy load to pull up into the bed of the truck, especially since I was wet, tired and the snow being everywhere.
My Columbia Blacktail had one of the most beautiful basket sets of horns a person could want, a very symmetrical four point with eye guards. He scored officially at 129 7/8 P & Y Net (Pope & Young). Never wait so long to get an animal scored! If he had not had a small chip off of the G-4 on left side, it would have made the B & C (Boone & Crockett) book along with the P & Y book during that time frame. Now in B & C is at 135 to be listed. I’ll bet that a great deal of hunters do not know that you can list your Archery harvested animals in Boone & Crockett also if it meets their standards. Double the pleasure of being in both Books! Sometimes it pays to do the unexpected at the last minute.Hmm! Now I will check out the head!
You can see from the expression on my daughter’s about her thoughts of seeing a dead animal lying on the ground. In the future I found she would not want to harvest an animal, but would get involved with the field dressing of animals on trips that I took her on.
I thought I would do some updating on this post since I did write it in 2011. I am a firm believer in having the correct equipment and knowledge to keep legal while hunting. The other benefit of having the following tool, is that you might be able to find a landowner that let you hunt. Most farmers have great feeling about Lopes when they grow grasses…
Everyone should have @onxhunt in Mobile and or Garmin Colored GPS with the #onxhunt chip.
The tool know where you are at all times, boundaries are important to know…
In my time I have done a great deal of scouting and researching of Pronghorn or Antelope as most call this great animal from the past in Oregon and the rest of the Western States, where they roam in hunt-able numbers.
2019 Thoughts: If you have time to scout even 1 day prior, get a game plan of glassing and glassing. Everyone should have at least an A, B and C plan. Glass from afar and if possible from a rise. Lopes are habit creatures and will work the same water holes and areas.
For archery hunters in many of the Western States you have a chance to hunt every year for Antelope. Where as with a rifle you might have to wait some 12-25 years to draw a tag, at least in the Oregon. I have hunters in Oregon that are now hunting almost every year with the bow. A great challenge to hunt with the bow, but what a rush and accomplishment to harvest up close and personal. You’ll find hunting with the bow for Antelope a great sport that you won’t be able to stop doing. I have been told by my hunters that they have had the best experience hunting Antelope over anything else they have hunted in North America. It could be that they see a lot of Antelope while hunting them.
Picture taken at 30 yards from a 500 yard stalk!
I one thing I do know after all these years and not even being in some of my old haunts for many years, is that Pronghorn are animals of habit from generation to generation. They cover the same ground and do the same things from one generation to another. Most of the land in which they live never changes. There was one buck that my friends & hunters chased for about three years and never got. I really wanted him for myself is what all thought. He would be located in the same spot within a 1/4 mile and escape basically the same way. His escape route was not one you could cover and he knew it. Now if we ambushed him in his normal spot he could have been taken. He was one of the biggest Antelope I ever hunted. I did get one hunter on him at very close range with a standing broadside at 40 yards. He missed the buck and the hunt was over for him! He had told me that he was the greatest shot with bow and arrow! A few years back I went back to a spot which I hunted and guided about 20 years ago. The only thing that had changed is the B.L.M. put a solar power water pump on a water hole in one of my favorite spots. Even the old ranchers sign was still there and he had been gone for a long time. The sign had stated in so many words that you were crossing into his lands. This happen to be B.L.M. that he leased, but did not own. I have that sign now in my loft.
I once heard on a hunting program on cable that Pronghorn don’t jump through barbwire fences! Well I have to tell you that they do got through the middle at times and not always under the bottom wire. I have a blurred picture in of a buck Antelope jumping over a five strand fence! YES I DO!
Ah! They do jump fences with ease!
I have seen mature bucks standing in the middle of a back country road in B.L.M., marking the road. No, not by scratching but by urinating in the middle of road. Once someone knows some of the peculiar habits of Antelope, you can use it to your advantage. Such is the case a couple of years ago when I spot a group of Antelope in a 5 tag unit. I wanted the picture of the buck and just knew he would go around the mountain and want to get back into the hole. He did just that and my son asked how did you know?
I ambushed this buck as he came around the mountain!
I have taken a great deal of Antelope with the bow and all but a rifle kill has been from stalking. A great deal of the bow hunters I know do wait on water, but you have to have patience. One of my GPS Hunters sat for two (2) for more than 12 hours. He as been successful two (2) years in a row. I do love to stalk them and arrow them before they know I am there.
This was stalked while at a waterhole and taken at 50 yards.
Antelope do lay in the sagebrush flats and with a lot of glassing from a vantage point you can find them and stalk within bow range easily.
I followed these bucks for some time and close the distance, wind to my face!
Many of friends think I am off the wall with some of my mannerisms when it comes to all types of hunting. First off I would never relieve myself in an area that I hunt and I am going to have a wide stance so none of my scent is getting on my boots or pants. Then there is the issue with sunglasses, I will always wear sunglasses (favorite are Ray-Ban Wayfarer-easy to lift with bino’s with no bind) during the day and “Photo Grays” for the evening hunts. I felt if the game, especially Antelope can’t see my eyes or movement then I could close the gap on them even easier once spotted. I always wore a hat and a backpack with the spotting scope & tripod sticking out of the top. It is what it is with habits and wearing the same pants on every hunt! Terrible that it may be I wore blue jeans as my basic pants! Once in a while I will go full Camo, but that is on my son’s request. It has never been about hiding from animals!
Good thing I had Top Secret Clearance on this shot! This picture was taken on a military missle site. This white buck was later taken out by a car as he crossed a highway.
Most experience hunters have there ways to hunt game, whether it is from stalking, waiting, ambush or just being lucky and walking into a shoot-able animal. It is whatever works for you that makes the hunt!
There was has been a time period when I did rifle hunt for elk, as most of my partners were into the rifle hunting of elk. This particular story is about a great rifle hunt for Rocky Mountain Elk in Oregon. The hunt involved my brother Steve and one of my running partners Frank Phillips.
Frank Phillips and I had drawn Grizzly Hunt Unit -Oregon second season elk tags and poor Steve had not drawn the Grizzly tag and ended up with a general season tag and would have to hunt the Biggs Unit that lay across the rural Highway 218 that split the two units.
In those days those us that hunted the B.L.M., State Lands and some private that were encompassed within or near the “BIG MUDDY“ or to my group named the “Rajneeshpuram“, kept hunting the area as quiet as we could. Not wanting it be known about how many elk lived in the rimrock, Junipers and sagebrush land that was overgrazed by cattle in and around Donnybrook, Ashwood, and Antelope closely guard for many years. The “Bhagwan-Shree-Rajneesh“ and his followers were to thank as they kept more than 60,000 acres closed to hunting, managed the creeks, built lakes and planted crops. I believe we first sighted Elk in about 1983 while bow hunting for the monster Mulies of the area, while glassing back at the at observation towers of the “Rajneeshpuram“ (tower had 365 degree viewing, plus sleeping area for the guards).
2 Bulls with this type of antler taken out of the gene poll!
On with the story that started with Steve and myself meeting Frank in Madras, with him being dropped off by his wife as she was heading to Black Butte Ranch outside of Sisters, Oregon. Keeping a low profile we got a couple of rooms in Madras at Huffy’s Motel easy to come and good to where we were hunting (45 minutes).
Since Brother Steve was going to have to drive down to the lower part near Clarno, Oregon and head into the BLM or maybe even Sorefoot, he would be dropping us off for our hike into the interior. We started out at about 4:30AM by being dropped off at the Microwave Complex on the road and we would check out the main basin near the “Baily Ranch”. The first part of the hike in would be about 4 miles of downhill with lots of rocks to maneuver through.
In that country when it rains the going get rough as the soil is more like clay and most difficult with caking up with as much as 4’ on the soles of your boots. Now both Frank and I were in great shape running as much as 30 races a year and putting in about 150 miles a month running. If it were today and kicking our legs out to get rid of the mud, probably have to have knee surgery. It was tough and one wonders what the heck we were doing and why not wait for the ground to dry out. We had the land to ourselves and during the whole hunt never saw another hunter. A well-kept secret, plus most want to hunt first season to get first lick on the big bulls. Little do they know that the big bulls get pushed out of the National Forest to the south of this area? So easy for them to find refuge in this open country where they can lay and watch there backside.
Looks pretty good from this angle!
We reached the basin that is near the big pine, the only big pine in the area, pretty close to the head waters of Current Creek. We did have access to a number of ranches in those days. Funny all of the land owners are now gone or dead, thus today much of this is not hunt able except with hard cash in the form of 10K or more. The B.L.M. holds elk still, but not in the numbers it once did with the predation from the Cougars, plus all the fires on private land has changed the landscape and habitat.
As for numbers, let me tell you about the 250 plus elk that were spotted by Rick Baily once near the lake. After 2 hours of working into the grazing herd, Rick and his buddies were able to take 9 bulls. This area is B.L.M. and one can sit above this place near Horse Heaven and glass for hours and never get bored!
So we are in the basin and I am starting to glass, as I know the area well and would find the bulls. It is the same spot about 3 years prior that my partners got there a few days early and decided to scout, though my advice was to scout and leave it for the opener. I believe that M.J. made comments on that opener day that they jumped 16 big bulls at the black rock. Oh! Yes! At times one would not believe the bulls that we would find!
My binoculars are Bausch & Lomb Elite 12 X 50. I love big glass with light gathering capacities as that is what I need in the early and late afternoon while glassing canyons and draws. It wasn’t long before I spotted a real nice bull, I would put him at about 320″. Since Frank was my guest, I gave him first opportunity to take bull out. I figured the distance to be about 375 yards and since he has taken deer at great distance in the Eagle Cap of Oregon, it should be no problem. Funny he asked me a question on “how are we getting this bull out of here if I kill him?” Not a problem with the quad for me! Now Frank is sorting out if he wants the bull and I was looking for bigger bulls as this was going to be the last time to hunt with a rifle for me for Elk.
He did not take the shot on the bull and I am sure he was worried about get the bull out of the basin. Some years earlier M.J. killed a bull in the same basin and ended up rolling his quad and having it and the bull on top of him. So the bull survived and with hindsight, I should have just shot the bull and got it over with early.
So now I am wanting to go cross country and head towards Earl’s place near Hwy 218 and that was about 6-8 miles line of sight. We did go cross country and it took a great deal of time, as we were getting tired of stopping every 300 yards and kicking the mud off of our boots. It really sucked and we were not seeing any elk on the way, only big bucks which did help take the mind off of the mud. Lucky for use Earl had a few pieces of land that connected, as we did not have permission to hunt David D. or Lowell F. Ranches.
Now we have gotten across the DMZ and were working up into in Cold Camp Creek on our way to Maupin Butte or Hasting Butte. There was a section prior to Maupin Butte that held a lot of Elk and Mule deer. There was always running water from a spring, plus the good grass that grew in there. We were now getting the chance to use the river bed to move and no more mud. The rain had stopped some hours before and the ground was getting firmer for us.
As we reach the first draw, we were quick to spot three bulls moving quickly through the trees, with one being a rage horn and the other two being spikes. Then came along a couple of decent Mulie bucks and finally a brave coyote taking up the back of the group! At this time I figured there was someone else coming from the Cold Camp Road to the West?
We let things settle for a while and then started to work down the draw and get up on the plateau and glass again. All of a sudden I spot a big and I mean big bull with about 15 or so cows. As I am getting down to take aim on this bull that was at some 600 yards plus I hear Frank say “now if you miss I kill him with my 270”. I wanted dearly to take the shot, but with those thoughts in my mind and the conditions not in my favor, I decide to let the bull drop over the plateau. He was not going anywhere and I could find him easy.
Now I was shooting a Weatherby Mark V Left Handed Custom in 340 Caliber, 26″ Magnaport barrel, Leupold VariX II 2.5 X 10 50MM and cranking out a 210gr Nosler Partition at about 3300 at the muzzle. Not a problem for long range shots. That rifle is still around and is one elk slaying rifle and I can tell you elk have fallen at distances I can see with the naked eye.
So now we are on the move and have gotten on the other side of the plateau and figured the bull was just over the edge. Ah! No bull or any elk around! We made it a couple of steps more and I spot an elk up in a draw off of Maupin Butte at about 1200 yards I figured. The hunt is now on and I asked or more like told Frank to head to left and I was heading to the right and straight forward once I got some cover. It was long as I was running so Frank would not get to the spot before me, he gave up his chance and it was my opportunity to tag the bull. I made it to what I thought would be the best place to have cover and equal height to the bull, but it would be a cross canyon shot. When I get there it is about 5PM or close to it, low light and what I see is a side profile of a big bull. All I see is antler mass and I am on the ground without looking at this point tri-pod down and taking instant aim at the bull that is at around 625 yards. I put the crosshairs on his back and let it rip (the 340 is sighted in at my standards at 500 yards)! I hit the bull in the boiler room, but he didn’t move! The cows made quick escape of the ridge! As they say if it isn’t on the deck, keep shooting. I take another shot quickly and hit the bull in the left front leg above the knee; he now of course falls over as he is on a side hill. Now one has to remember I only saw the side profile and figured it was my big bull I had seen earlier. Frank P. and I reach the bull at the same time! “Damn, it’s the wrong bull! Great mass but the bull had a bad pedestal and the left horn was all distorted and rolled back in! I pulled my tag out and tagged the bull!
The first season, my old time hunting buddy Ben Olson had taken a bull about 10 miles to the southeast at Horse Heaven that had the same issues, his had the right horn with a bad pedestal and the left horn was a massive six point. We did need to get the gene pool out of the area.
Now while we were quartering the elk and capping him, old brother (younger brother) was hunting in the Biggs Unit. He had run into old Mary M., who had a ranch on both sides of Hwy 218, who told him a monster bull that was in her place crippled up. I can’t believe that he did not ask permission to kill the thing. All I know is he worked the line below here fence line looking for the bull. She had told him that he appeared to be heading to the river (John Day). He never found the bull!
It is now coming on darkness as we would have to meet Steve at the gravel pit (which one you ask?) at exactly 6:30 for pickup. With my Hawaiian style of quartering an elk we had the elk capped, skinned and bagged in 45 minutes. With a quick hustle off the mountain, being able to hit Earl’s access road to the Maupin and Hasting Butte we came to the gravel pit at 6:30PM and Steve was there on time for pickup.
We were tired and needed to head back to Madras, get showered up, eat a steak and relax for a while. Frank P.; say “we can get the bull out in the morning”. I said no we get the bull out tonight or I will. I remember Frank P. looking at me a strange way!
We got back and get a hot shower; head over to the restaurant at Huffy’s and have a real dinner. All pain is gone, the temperature is dropping (31degrees) and full moon is now out with the sky opening up to stars and the moon. I got Steve on board and Frank P. is now in favor of getting the bull out at night and being able to hunt for his BIG bull in the morning. There is still was that monster bull in the area for him to take.
We reach the gravel pit at around 10:30Pm, un-load the quad, Steve left the area to go sightseeing and try to talk with Mary M. and try to get permission to hunt her place in the Biggs Unit.
Frank P. and I take the road up between Maupin and Hasting and hit the fence line which we now follow-up as far as we can. Thank goodness the moon was out as we weren’t running with lights, needed to keep the secret of the hot spot. Earl hated quads anyway and only let them be used once in a while… We make it to the spot and quickly load the quarters and head onto the quad. Frank says he will walk back down and I tell him “nobody walks, get on and hold on”. The whole roundtrip took some 45 minutes and Steve was back for the pickup on time.
Steve did not get permission to find the bull on Mary’s place! We get back to Huffy’s in about an hour. Take the bull and put it the shower of one of the rooms. We did not want anyone knowing we had taken a bull. Plus I did not want to haul the elk around with us for the next day’s hunt.
Sunday was going to Frank P.’s day and I would get him in on the big bull for sure. We got dropped off at the gravel pit on Hwy 218 again by Steve and head back to the kill area. Funny where my bull died, walk about 50 feet you could see Hwy 218…
We venture down past Maupin Butte, past the swamp and into the next basin above the Bhagwan’s place. You could see the old school buses and I could see a massive amount of elk bedded down! Surely the big bull was amongst the cows bedded in junipers somewhere. For more than 30 minutes I glassed and never found him. I then said to Frank “remember those large tracks we crossed about 500 yards back in the draw” “yep” “well those have to be the bull’s tracks and he probably knew we were on him and pulled himself out of the herd”. We can get him Frank, let’s haul ass and get him in the next basin, he is going to want to re-group with the herd sometime.
This is where I was blown away on the opening weekend by my running partner. “Bubba, I got a luncheon date with my wife at Black Butte Ranch at 12:30”
Another Position!In the velvet, this is what Frank P. Sr. could have gotten!
Thus ended the hunt of a lifetime, which I know Frank P. would have killed the biggest bull ever.
The following year Frank hunted the Grizzly Unit with his boys and they got a spike out by Horse Heaven…
It’s Frank from B Young RV in Milwaukie, OR giving you another Monthly News Letter and I got it out on time for this month! Hoorah!
We did have an RV Show at Expo in September and it was a pretty nice show for all! Only complaint I had as a sales person and it was shared by all was the displays for all dealers was spread out and tough to manage with sales staff. Looking forward to the November Show when we have a whole Hall!
The RV of the Month is the all new LaCrosse & Tracer “Touring Edition” , limited run! The “Touring Edition” comes a lot of great features! I have attached the link for you to review the features: Touring Edition FeaturesLink:PRIME TIME RV HOME
2012 Tracer 270 RES - Two Living Slides - "Touring Edition"This Tracer "Tour Edition" Fireplace 270 RES
2012 LaCrosse 318BHS "Touring Edition" Has a FireplaceOutside Kitchen of the LaCrosse 318BHS (2 Slide-Outs) "Touring Edition"2012 Crusader 320RLT Front Cap
Last but not least is the all new Front Cap for the Prime Time Crusader! Hot Stuff!
Since Jeff Rank (Pres) & Chris Herman (V.P.) are the type of men that are involved daily with sales consultants and owners plus working the RV shows with customers one finds it very easy to know they have the best trailer or towable product on the market. They are always reaching out there to find ways to build their product better everyday.
I would strongly suggest that you buy an Oregon State Park Day Use Permit there are so many advantages to having one when you have an RV in the State Oregon. I believe that a Two (2) year permit is $50.00!
Couple Bulls down at the Oregon Coast! Up Close!
This month I have put South Beach – Newport Oregon as the place to go, as it close to Newport and for the most part as Oregonian we have Webfeet and can handle the rain at the coast. There are lot of shops in Newport or one can venture down to Florence. Remember Mo’s is located all the way to Florence! Link: SOUTH BEACH STATE PARK VIDEO
If you have forgotten, please remember that folks that have bought their RV’s from B Young RV are part of the Priority RV Network, which includes discounts in the Stores and being a priority customer while on the open road at other Priority RV Dealerships. Another thing you are invited to get a FREE Insurance Quote, one way to see if your insurance company is competitive on pricing. I would suggest that you contact Polly at B Young RV via her email for a Quote: POLLY
Dumps in the Continental United States. Link: RV Dumps U.S.A.
Most of my friends that have hunted with me over the years, know that I have little patience to sit and wait, though in more recent years I have found that I have grown to be more patient. Thus they know that I love to glass, find and stalk the Mulies and Lopes.
This story is about chasing Antelope in the Grizzly Hunt Unit in Oregon during Archery Antelope Season some years back. In the past one would put in for the premier rifle areas for Antelope and make the second choice for archery, knowing you would get an archery tag. I drew the Gerber Reservoir tag for many years and had a blast chasing and harvesting Lopes in the Sycan area.
Then the Grizzly Hunt Unit became a choice for Archery Antelope and the first couple of years it was easy to get the tag as a second choice. Having hunted for elk and deer in the Grizzly Unit since the early eights and seeing pretty good numbers of Antelope – Pronghorns, it was a great choice to hunt.
There were a great number of areas to hunt Lopes in the Grizzly Unit for public lands in the Grizzly Unit carried Lopes with some numbers. The National Grasslands was a great place, along with the BLM both in the Northern Sector and near Ashwood, Oregon.
Many of friends think I am off the wall with some of my mannerisms when it comes to hunting. First off I would never relieve myself in an area that I hunt and I am going to have a wide stance so none of my sense is getting on my boots or pants.
4x Globe Sight Target Style
Then there is the issue with sunglasses, I would always wear sunglasses during the day and “Photo Grays” for the evening hunts. I felt if the game, especially Antelope can’t see my eyes or movement then I could close the gap on them. I always wore a hat and a backpack with the spotting scope & tripod sticking out of the top. It is what it is with habits and wearing the same pants on every hunt! Terrible that it may be I wore blue jeans as my basic pants! It has never been about hiding from animals, only other humans.
Let’s get onto the Antelope hunt in the Grizzly Unit this time frame in my life! Realizing that story is based on a hunt in the 80’s, things have not changed other than I might hunt more waterholes now as I grow older.
My equipment in those years was P.S.E. Mach Flite 4 Bow 70# 29″ Draw, Easton Arrows, P.S.E. Brute 3 125gr. Broadhead, Stanislawski Sight (Globe), Stanislawski Overdraw Rest (Mel Built for me) and Stanislawski Superb Rest (attached to the overdraw). The length of the arrows are 25 ½’ with a speed of 340 fps!
Couple more years he would have been a dandy buck!
The weather was great and was able to find Antelope in the numbers in the area around Haystack Reservoir and Grays Butte. This was going to be a usual weekend hunt only as I could be make it their in about 1 ½ hours from my home in east Portland. On Saturday I made a number of stalks after spotting lone bucks to within 100 yards. Funny how that distance is workable with Antelope. There were not many does around to mess up my stalks. What I needed was to find Bucks that would be in areas with more cover. The area that I hunted had little water and the Lopes would range into the private for water. Saturday ended with no success, but I would make the most of the following day.
The following day I would work the area on just south of Grizzly Mountain, which was always a great area to find Antelope and Mule deer. It was a time that the road in was not gated off and one could work a lot of area. Now it is gated off, yet it is only because about 100 yards of the road touches private. If one wants to hunt it present day they will have to come around from the west and do a great deal of walking.
I found a lone buck at about 1000 yards while glassing an area that I could find Antelope at any given time. The stalk was on and I was able to move quickly, even run as there were bulldozer cuts in the land for fire lines. Settling down I was within 80 yards of the buck, which I figured to be about 14″ with decent mass making him a shooter on this weekend hunt. The wind was blowing off the mountain as it was getting late into the day. His attention was to the direction of the mountain and with the wind (heavy) I was able to move in on him to 45 yards. It was still a time that I used fingers and as I came up from the crotch position I was a full draw. I aim at this chest and released the shaft, he made no movement as the wind was making a lot of noise and his head was turned away from me. I missed the mark and hit him in the shoulder and the arrow did not pass through him, but yet looked deep enough that he would not go far.
Pretty good mass and cutters
After waiting for about 30 minutes I went to the place of impact and followed a small blood trail, he had gone about 500 yards and laid down in the trees. The area of made up of Junipers, Sagebrush and rocks.
Great way to end a weekend of hunting for Antelope and take a buck that would score around 69″!
It is funny that I don’t get many people inquiring about the West Biggs Antelope Hunt in Oregon!
I have spent much time over in the unit, which has a great deal of private land, yet there are a lot of Antelope in the Public Areas that are open, mostly to foot traffic with vantage point drive to points. The Antelope or Pronghorn love to move from some of the neigbhor units.
I have attached a link to a buck that would work both sides, plus a few pictures of a buck that I took pictures of while bow hunting for deer in the unit in August.
I knew where this guy was heading and could have waited!There was a bigger buck working the area!
It’s Frank from B Young RV in Milwaukie, OR giving you another Monthly News Letter!
August has now past and within a few days cooler days to camp in. In Oregon and Western Washington the RV Camping season can be year round. I have gone to the coast during December and even January and had a great time. A great walk on the beach during a misty day looking for glass balls that don’t exist any longer is always fun! An RV is meant to be used to escape the fast pace of today’s society of life. Turn the cell phone off and enjoy the freedom we have here!
I have decided to make the Coachmen Brookstone 295RL Diamond Edition as the RV of the Month! The Brookstone 5th wheel is the Flagship of the Berkshire & Hathaway Company. The Brookstone is a luxury 5th wheel that has a great deal more to offer over the competition.
BROOKSTONE Diamond Edition
The Diamond Edition package provides additional value added features that include an exclusive full body paint package, level up 6 point automatic hydraulic leveling system, 40 LB LP bottles, a 12 cu ft refrigerator with ice maker and solar reflective- flush mount- frameless windows. The Diamond Edition package can be added to all of the Brookstone floor plans and comes with all the great features that have made the Brookstone fifth wheel popular among retail customers; the gel coated fiberglass, 165 cu ftof pass thru storage, four step entry, hardwood hickory cabinetry, larger TV’s, one piece round front fiberglass showers, 31″ deep bedroomslides, and stackable washer/dryer ready.
Ah! It is now time for another great RV Show at the Expo in Portland, OR. Time to talk with Reps. and make a deal of a lifetime on a new RV. We as a dealer will have Tiffin Motorhomes (53%) of the N.W. Market and they only build Class A motorhomes, Coachmen Freelander-Prism-Concord, Prime Time Crusader-Tracer-LaCrosse, Keystone Hideout-Laredo, Coachmen Apex-Freedom Express, Coachmen Brookstone 5th Wheels and much more including used RV’s. September 15th – 18th 2011! Ask for Frank!
I would strongly suggest that you buy an Oregon State Park Day Use Permit there are so many advantages to having one when you have an RV in the State Oregon. I believe that a Two (2) year permit is $50.00!
This month I have put Elk Meadows RV Park as the place to go, it is Trout Lake, WA. From what I understand it very quiet and an area where you might just get to see a Cascade Roosevelt Elk. They are open into Mid-November depending on the weather. NO TRAINS!
Roosevelt Elk - Found in the Pacific Northwest!
If you have forgotten, please remember that folks that have bought their RV’s from B Young RV are part of the Priority RV Network, which includes discounts in the Stores and being a priority customer while on the open road at other Priority RV Dealerships. Another thing you are invited to get a FREE Insurance Quote, one way to see if your insurance company is competitive on pricing. I would suggest that you contact Polly at B Young RV via her email for a Quote: POLLY
Dumps in the Continental United States. Link: RV Dumps U.S.A.
