Tag Archives: archery hunting in oregon

Bwana Bubba’s Thoughts – Oregon needs a change!

2015 Oregon remains in the Dark Ages!

When does common sense come into making decisions that affect the masses or majority?  In this case the ODFW for Oregon, Idaho Fish and Wildlife and lastly WDFW for Washington make their decisions not for the majority in my opinion.  We all know there are lobbyists that believe that a Long Bow is the only bow and we should all be shooting them.  Let’s give thought to how most or the majority over the years has moved along with technology. We also know that many of those of age still might have an old bow from the past or even a Springfield carbine Model 1873, but likely don’t use them for hunting any longer. When does their arrogant policy decision dictate the policy for the majority becomes a hindrance?  I would likely bet a great deal of many that most of the decision makers in the case have a smartphone and computer of some type…

I have written about this before, this time though it will not be in reference in the loss of a game animal personally or by friend. I truly thought that Oregon would allow in the 2015 at least a lighted nock for the purpose of finding game or knowing that you hit your game with an arrow projected from your bow.  Just receiving the new 2015 Oregon Big Game Regulations, the lighted nock, expandable Broadhead and any electronic device mounted to a bow or any part of the bow to be illegal still.

Tell me if this would not help?
Tell me if this would not help?

There are at least 45 states that allow the use of lighted nocks and 47 allowing the use mechanical Broadhead.  There are a few restrictions, but of course Oregon, Washington and Idaho do not allow at all for big game. Crazy as this seems in Oregon though you are able to hunt the Silver Gray Squirrel and game birds with a mechanical Broadhead.

Silver Gray Squirrel - Such big game for the hunter.
Silver Gray Squirrel – Such big game for the hunter.

Now that we have an abundance of wild Turkeys in Oregon, we can tackle them with a mechanical Broadhead.  Hmm! Such a big bird, maybe the size of an elk or deer, that we can use the mechanical Broadhead.  So the reason that the Turkey is harder to hit or the fact they have so many feathers, making it hard to find the vitals?  Now give me a good reason on the Silver Gray Squirrel getting the privilege of getting taken down with a mechanical Broadhead.  Yet most of us have shot them in the past with a 22 caliber or with an arrow with a blunt or target tip, creating a small hole, yet death came.  Most bowhunters know they make a bird point for small game and birds.  Just think about hitting a Turkey in the chest with shot from a mechanical Broadhead, guess the tail fan or beard was more important!   The state allowing the use of mechanical Broadhead on turkeys just opens the door for someone to carry a mechanical Broadhead in his quiver during a combination turkey deer hunt.  We have bow hunts that run the same time as General Fall Turkey season in Oregon for Blacktail deer…  We all know that the number of turkeys in the Willamette, Santiam, McKenzie, Northern Indigo, Alsea and a couple others.  Recently while traveling through the Willamette and Santiam corridor, I count more than 400 plus turkeys in various pockets.

This works for me
This works for me

s7_461930_imageset_04The use of lighted nocks would help greatly in the recovery of big game animals after a shot.  The hunter can tell if they actually hit the animal, easy recovery of the arrow in the brush, when recovered be able to tell what type of hit it might be if hit.  In relationship to the above, I suppose those that make the rules figure that with lighted nocks there would be more shots taken after hours.  Well since in the State of Oregon we can’t have anything with electronics on our bows or arrows; it would not help in taking an after shooting time shot.   Someone wrote that on 50% of game is recovered when shot, not sure if that is accurate, but I will tell you that most of the time the game that is hit with an arrow do die.  The main idea in hunting once you hit game is for fast recovery of the animal.   Most bow hunters seldom get an animal to drop in their tracks with an arrow.  Hell!  Let’s all get real; even with the use of a rifle, many don’t anchor their game to the deck.  So if you don’t find the animal, do you still hunt?  Yes!  Now in the State of Alaska, “Alaska limits licensed hunters to the bagging of one bear per hunting season. Under the law, the wounding of a bear counts toward the season’s bag limit.” The use of a mechanical Broadhead is allowing for a faster bleed-out on the animal, with more cutting area.  This means a faster recovery in most cases of the animal, plus the fact of a much better blood trail to follow in most cases.

I know where the vitals are and where to place the shot on this turkey!
I know where the vitals are and where to place the shot on this turkey!

As for the use of electronic devices on a bow, I am all in favor of being able to attach a camera on my bow.  Sometimes in a spot and stalk it would be great to get the action shot from the bows prospective.  Oh! I know I can attach it to my hat, but all bowhunters know we turn their hats around in the pursuit of the animal.  Then again, I can hire a cameraman to follow me around and screw my hunt up with extra feet.  So with all of this I have my Go Pro and other small camera attached to my backwards cover (hat). In conclusion if you feel there should be a change, go forward and let your lawmakers know.

Frank Biggs aka Bwana Bubba

Bwana Bubba’s 2013 Oregon 615 Willamette Deer Hunt

Before reading this story, I have been told I should have let this buck go another year.  I thought about it strongly!  One never knows if they get to hunt private land each year.  I have been lucky to be able to hunt this land for 4 years.  Another Vietnam Veteran owns the land and I know how he feels when he is in the bush here.   The buck had bred for two years!  He had a gross rough score of 123″.   One can not harvest Boone & Crockett every time in rural America!  Frank Biggs

Hunting success is a matter of timing in movement & being somewhere at the correct time!

A picture of Even 3 X 3 on the western sector of the property!
A picture of Even 3 X 3 on the western sector of the property!

Most stories have more than one part, so naturally this story will also.

My son made a comment to me while he was raising the deer up in the tree with his truck winch.  “Dad how come you always kill something when I am not with you?”  Take time to think about that for a while!

Many of my readers have known that I have been in pursuit of one particular Columbia Blacktail buck that has been named the Even 3 X 3.  Over the last two (2) years I have tried to harvest him via my Martin Onza 3 bow.  First year 2012 I had him near my tree stand and made a terrible mistake when I setup the tree stand with the help of Mark and my son JR.!  It was setup right- handed with no thought about it, and since I am left-handed, plus the fact of staging the deer right to left it created problems in a tight area in the treestand.    Excuses? Yes! But Real!

A short video in early summer of Even 3 X 3 using the same route!

In a previous story during the 2013 regular archery season, opportunity for Even 3 X 3 on opening day was there, yet wasn’t due to a subliminal message not to setup on the Even 3 X 3 at 42 yards.   He surely would have gone down with the shot if I had taken it.   I would have been selfish to say the least, with JR. having 5 bucks at a less than 5-6 yards from his ground blind.  Thus Jr. harvested his first archery Blacktail buck deer!  One of the finest shots I must say as he had the Even 3 X 3 with a pin on his boiler room and moved to the other buck!  Why you ask?  He knew that Even 3 x 3 was my target buck.  This says a lot about my son and his relationship to me!

 

This was taken in the draw on 11-10-2013  at 1038.  Last time he was caught on a trail cam!
This was taken in the draw on 11-10-2013 at 1038. Last time he was caught on a trail cam!

Even 3 x 3 had not been seen by humans since August 24th of the opening morning hunt, he and the other entire local branch bucks disappeared from the area.   It should be noted that he had only come into the trail cams 3 times in a three month period.   Each time was during the wee hours of the AM time zone.  He would not hang around long near the Cam areas, with few pictures.

JR. and myself went looking for the Even 3 X 3 during the regular archery season, but only saw glimpses of a couple of spikes and one other deer a 4 X 3 with a single eyeguard.  This particular buck and his brother another 4 X 3 with two Eyeguards had shown up twice on draw trail camera from July to August.   All of sudden about two weeks into the archery season single eyeguard showed up twice, once with JR. and he was unable to get a shot on him.    The following evening hunting by myself the buck was on the exact path I had seen him the evening prior.  I was not expecting him and I felt there was something there.  I was on my ass watching another opening in the timber, not aware that he was working in on me.  I get a glance of him at about 50 yards head down.   In one fluid motion I swung around to the kneeling position and pulled up on with the 40 yard single pin on my H.H.A. Sports Optimizer and the Martin Onza 3 bow.   I release and he never knew what or who had hit him.  He went down in the spot he was standing and kicked for only moments with the heart shot.   JR. as usual was very quick to come out to the place and help Hawaiian quarter the buck.

Let’s get back to the story of taking down the Even 3 X 3 buck that I have had an obsession with for two years.

The Ford Escape was maneuvering around the frozen over potholes on the access road to the vineyard, trying not to make so much noise.  My intention before going to work was to reset the trail cams and put in new batteries.  I figured at 0830 there would be nothing moving and I could get the job done in about 10 minutes and get to work and not be the last one there.   Rifle and cameras are all in the back of the rig.

This was taken in August just before opening archery season!
This was taken in August just before opening archery season!

Just to keep things straight I had an Oregon 615 Willamette Deer tag, which is an anything; goes tag from September 1st until February 28th 2014.  This allowed me two deer in the 2013 year with an Oregon archery deer tag and the Oregon 615 deer tag.  I of course wanted to harvest another buck with the Martin Onza 3, but un-expected things happen once in a while.

As I was avoiding the frozen potholes in the gravel road, I see to my right at approximately 150 yards a big buck trotting across the open grass area that lies between the vineyard and the forest.   I wasn’t going fast, so I came to a stop, put the gear lever in park, open the door and leaving it open moved without  losing concentration on getting to the back of the Escape and opening the rear hatch.   Hatch open, I un-zipped the case, slipped out the Weatherby 257 mag., jacked a round into the camber, jumped into the ditch and then atop the blackberry berm.   Trying to find the buck in the timber, I could see movement, but when I first pulled up on the movement, I could not see well enough as I had my sunglasses on.  Quickly they were pushed up on my head and I could see that buck moving from behind a large Douglas Fir tree finally, then he stopped by another Douglas Fir tree in the mist of blackberries!  In one quick movement I pulled down on him with the crosshairs solidly coming to rest on the boiler room, I pulled the trigger (I had been on the ready).  To my surprise the buck dropped in his tracks with no movement. I was using a 120 grain Barnes X bullet hand load!   “Crap I’ve gone and done it!”  The distance to the buck was at about 275 yards + or minus 10 yards.   Not a bad offhand shot freestyle, reminds me of the days of shooting competition in high school.    The buck was the Even 3 X 3 and I knew that mentally when I saw him at 150 yards in first sight, the only buck on the place with a light color rack.

What is really IRONIC about a new mystery is I put that single 120gr. Barnes X (Vintage of the year 2000) into the chamber, with 100 gr. Hornady Weatherby factory loads in the magazine (Jr. buys factory).   I have yet to find any of the remaining Barnes hand loads!  I switched to Barnes Bullet in 1998 and the first time out, I shot a Mulie at around 650 yards and he dropped in his tracks!  In the same year I shot a Bull elk at 1000 yards and it dropped in it’s tracks.  A believer!

Minutes after putting him down.  I did move him out of the blackberries to take the  picture.
Minutes after putting him down. I did move him out of the blackberries to take the picture.

Note:  I am a firm believer in not shooting off-hand unless I have too.   I have a bi-pod on all my rifles when I take them in the field, which these days is not often.    Tree limbs work great when the opportunity arises or going to the sitting position.

Note: This 257 Weatherby MK 5 rifle (Left-Handed) that has not been shot at game for over 10 years.  It had always been a tack drive of a rifle since 1983 when I got it from Gene Ramsey, who bought it from me while I had the Burns Bros., Sportsmen’s Center on Grand Ave., in Portland, OR.   A great time to be a Weatherby dealer in the days of Harry Bane and Roy Weatherby himself!

Again JR. would come to help with the quartering of the deer!  This time he wanted to do old school and gut and take in whole!  Jr. said to me “Dad that is more than 300 yards”, Frankie we will keep it at 275 yards.

This leads to me to the first comment that JR. made in the story!   Many times when the mentor is hunting with the underscore we are not there for personal gain.   Our thoughts are on helping others get it done.  We react differently when by ourselves while hunting or any other activity.   We react to the situation without thought when alone.   Most season veterans have already gone through the process of saying “I saw four 6 X 6 bulls moving on the hillside”, without taking a shot.   This comes with only experience in the field in any hobby! I like to think I am in combat mode!   “Timing and Time are Limited!”

What is great about my Weatherbys' that I have, whenever I have used one, they have always performed.  If I miss, it is me and not the rifle or bow!
What is great about my Weatherbys’ that I have, whenever I have used one, they have always performed. If I miss, it is me and not the rifle or bow!

One has to react to the situation in the moment with knowing it is right!  React with no hesitation!  Never take too long to setup a shot, as WILD Game waits for no one!  Most deer don’t wait for one to setup the sticks!

Meat was dropped off at:  Sausage Kitchen – McLoughlin Blvd

On never knows the full movement of game!
On never knows the full movement of game!

Bwana Bubba

2013 Oregon Archery Blacktail Deer Hunt – First Time Shooters!

The Oregon General Archery Season Opener proved to be a successful opening day hunt in the Willamette Valley for Blacktail Deer Bucks’.  Neither of the two young men had every taken a Blacktail Buck with the bow and arrow!

The anticipation of the 2013 Oregon Archery Season Opener had been a very exciting anxiety brain thought for me.  

Having myself wanting to target two (2) different bucks during the season, I was ready for the opener on August 24th, 2013.   There would be two (2) other hunters hunting the small parcel (90 acres) of un-fenced land in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in the Clackamas County zone outside of Oregon City, Oregon. Neither of the other two (2) young bucks (Frankie or Mark) had ever taken a buck deer with the bow and arrow.   Considering the Columbia Blacktail deer is one of the toughest to hunt, the odds are lowered.  One hunter was my son Frank Jr. who has been hunting since he was 12 years old and the other hunter Mark S. one of Oregon’s finest…   Both are experience hunters with the rifle and have taken Mule Deer, Blacktail Deer, Elk and Pronghorn. Mark would be hunting from his treestand at the far end of the property in which he can view the vineyard that the deer were still working over during the year.   Jr. would be in a ground blind in the same draw that I was in, though I would be in the treestand.  This year Jr. would be hunting for the first time with a 2013 Martin Rytrea Alien XT and also for the first time the HHA Sports 5519 Optimizer Bow Sight.  All of us would be using again for the second year the Slick Trick 100gr. Broadhead.

Mark's Blacktail in the velvet!
Mark’s Blacktail in the velvet!
WGI_0132
Frankie’s Blacktail in the velvet and how he saw him on opening day, but in the daylight!

 

Anticipation by all was at its highest with all of us to harvest a Blacktail buck, since we had many bucks working the area.  At times it would seem we would have an atmosphere of a buck pasture, as does working the area lacking! Just before shooting time, I get a silent text message from Mark, “they are all around my tree”.  My thoughts were of course those of jealousy with him getting first lick on a buck.  Legal shooting time was upon us and I get another text message from Mark “Elfi is down, I smoked him”.  Now I had a bit of relief that he did not take the Number 1 Blacktail on vineyard and there would still be a chance in the future.

As the bucks were moving down into the draw

Mark with his P & Y Buck!  First bow kill of big game!
Mark with his P & Y Buck! First bow kill of big game!

Mark text me again that he would stay in this stand for an hour to wait on the deer and give us a chance.

Now the story gets really interesting, as Mark’s last text comes in, I see a lone deer moving through the tree to my left at a good pace.  Thinking back the deer was running a bit erratic.  This would come into play in about an hour of this sighting! It is now about 30 minutes later and I spot from the treestand about 4-5 bucks in the Douglas Firs, just milling around across the gravel road from the draw.   I see they are moving to the North and there is an opening in the blackberries.  I knew at this time they deer were heading into the draw.  The bucks and a couple does go out of sight as they go around the blackberries, travel 30 yards down the gravel road and turn east into the draw. Quickly sending Jr. a text that they were coming towards him and too be on the ready. The action is about to start, as deer are under my stand coming from the South and I can see the bucks with does coming from the West into the draw.

Frankie with his first bow buck kill with the bow and arrow!
Frankie with his first bow buck kill with the bow and arrow!

I am just mesmerized by the movement and the amount of game upon us.  I have my Optimizer set at 30 yards in anticipation of the bucks coming into my open shooting zone. The deer are on top of Jr.’s ground blind and I just sit there watching the action and not wanting to standup and get ready.

He still lives and looks to have made it through the rifle season in Oregon.  No one is suppose to hunt this place with a rifle!
He still lives and looks to have made it through the rifle season in Oregon. No one is suppose to hunt this place with a rifle!

The big Even 3 X 3 is at 42 yards from me, if I were to shoot at the easy shot, the arrow’s flight would have to zoom between Douglas Fir branches and then over the top of Jr.’s blind.   All the deer just stop at this point which is 2 – 10 yards from the blind.  They know something is up at this point, but still wanting to move down the draw to the creek bottom.  All of a sudden one of the bucks looks into the only open window in the portable blind.  The buck has eye contact with Jr., (should have had sunglasses on) snorts and bulks.   With that movement Even 3 X 3 and all the other bucks and deer are gone in a flash.  I was mistaken since I could not see one of the bucks that remained.  A Forked Horn with Eyeguards (only buck that is still in velvet) stands his ground at 5 yards from Jr.’s blind.   In my mind I am saying shoot, what are you waiting for Frankie!  A split second later I hear the report of the arrow hitting the buck in the zone.  The buck walks off directly away from him, turns and jogs about 40 yards and the rest is history!

 

As for myself I am still stunned that I did not take the shot, but there was something in my mind that told me not do so it.  Reasoning or Mind Drift? Quickly I am out of the stand congratulating Frankie and he find his deer in minutes. You ask why Jr. didn’t take the Even 3 X 3, same question I asked him!  “Dad that is your buck that you have been chasing for 2 years, I wasn’t going to ruin that moment!”

A great hunt that I got to see the hunt un-fold from above!
A great hunt that I got to see the hunt un-fold from above!

After finding Frankie’s buck from a good blood trail within a couple of minutes, taking pictures and High Fiving, Frankie now tells me that we need to help Mark find his deer.  This happen to be a work day for me and want to get one deer Hawaiian Quartered and then worry about Mark’s buck secondly! We do go over to Mark who was coming back to the truck to get rid of his gear.  His buck had not dropped out in the vineyard.  We all went back to help him find his buck.  A most difficult venture at first as there was little sign of blood to track.   After about 15 minutes I told Mark we would be back, as we need to get the buck taken care of now! Mark informed me and Jr. that he had called his Dad, Dan to come and help.

Dad and Son teamed up to trace the buck!  4 eyes many times works better than 2!  Hoorah!
Dad and Son teamed up to trace the buck! 4 eyes many times works better than 2! Hoorah!

As you read this you wonder about Mark’s hit on the deer.  It will be another story once Mark gets it written, but from the video he had taken, it was a good hit and finding the buck would come. We get Frankie’s deer done in about 30 minutes Hawaiian style of quartering, taking only the meat out.

Get with Mark and Dan, as they found some more blood.  Telling him about the deer I had seen moving through the trees just after his shot, proved to be the positive outcome of finding his buck.  The deer have had the habit of escaping or when hit to travel down into a deep canyon on the farm, that I did not even know existed until January of this year.   As soon as Mark and Dan hit the deer trail at the top of the canyon the blood trail was very heavy, but not without the buck expiring in the in heavy cover.  The dandy Pope & Young Blacktail buck didn’t travel more than 300 yards from the stand, though he made an oval track circle to the right, then straight into the canyon.

Frankie’s buck was a really nice Velvet Forked Horn with Eyeguards, with great sylemtry.  Mark’s buck was a very tall 3 X 3 with Eyeguards and would make Pope & Young.  It also was the buck that I had put an arrow completely through in 2012 that did not affect the deer.  Strange as there were no signs once skinned he had ever been hit, yet we have pictures the day after in 2012 of wounds on left and right side.

At this writing Even 3 X 3 is still alive waiting for the rut to find him.   Since opening day he has only been seen 3 times, twice on cameras at the wee hours of the darkness in the morning and once during the general rifle season out in the open field!

It is great that the two young shooters found their marks on bucks to give them the confidence of the bow and arrow on big game. 

In the State of Oregon, bowhunters have greater amount of time and opportunities to hunt for big game.

Bwana Bubba

 

Warner Unit – Archery Antelope Hunts – Oregon

100% Archery Antelope – Pronghorn Hunts 

OREGON WARNER HUNT UNIT

I would love to say I have stories to go with the following pictures, but I do not have stories.  Yes I gave out waypoints for the hunters and I am told the were killed with in 1 miles of on of my waypoints.    My understanding that Holly T  had chances for two (2) bucks over water and harvested her buck with one arrow in 2012.  The other two bucks were harvested in 2013 a couple of days apart by Mark and Jim.   I will have to see if I can attach a link to the video’s they made of the hunt in the Warner Unit of Oregon.   John Mark does work for an bow manufacturer (Bowtech) in Oregon.  He lives by the bow and is a most successful hunter.   

John Mark, plus his family and friends do shoot Bowtech!

If you would like to get a hold of their video you can find it on the following site:

  LINK:       Faith in the Field

Holly
Holly and Hubby – John Mark!
Holly with her Warner Archery Antelope.  She got two chances on taking an Oregon Antelope with her bow!
Holly with her Warner Archery Antelope. She got two chances on taking an Oregon Antelope with her bow!

 

Mark took his Antelope a few days later on the hunt with Jeff in 2013!
John Mark took his Antelope a few days later on the hunt with Jeff in 2013!
Jeff took his buck on the opening day of the hunt!  Great Buck from the state of Oregon
Jeff took his buck on the opening day of the hunt! Great Buck from the state of Oregon

As you can see the Warner Unit which has not been devastated by Coyote predication on the Antelope fawns, has lead to a great herd in this unit!  I do believe that if we add up the rifle hunters and bow hunters, my hunters are at 100% harvest in the Warner Unit! 

Bwana Bubba

Cobra’s Grizzly Unit Monster Mule Deer

 
1985-rah-buck-190-py-biggs-02.jpg                                    1985-rah-buck-190-py-biggs-01.jpg
In 1985 this was the Number 1 Archery Buck out of Oregon! 
Held that post for 5 years, now ranks # 6 in Oregon.  Records are meant to be BROKE!
Oregon Mule Deer buck had a Gross score of 197 P&Y- Net of 190. 

“Dave, you’re not going to believe it!” I said to my friend. “that fellow in the Bronco was right-that buck has got to be 31 inches wide! I’m going back! He’s just feeding in a shallow basin on top of the knob!”

Thus began my dream stalk.

The Oregon archery season was coming to a close in three days. I’d passed up many smaller bucks during the season, trying to find a real “booker”. Now it was performance time.

I made a quick call to Dave because I knew I could count on him to go on a mission with me. I told him we could make a Saturday afternoon hunt over on the breaks of the John Day River in central Oregon.

The final weekend of the season also happened to be my drill weekend with the U.S. Naval Reserve. Luckily, I only had to spend half of Saturday and Captain’s Call was out at 1130. I made it to Dave’s place just past noon in Sandy, Oregon.

There was a two-hour drive to the mountains, leaving us about six hours maximum for hunting.

On the way to the Bureau of Land Management land, we spotted a small herd of mule deer, with five bucks. All looked pretty nice, and I decided to try taking a few photos. They were in the 23 to 25 inch class with one respectable four point at about 28 inches. At 5:00 p.m., we reached the B.L.M. land on the west side of the John Day River.

This was truly the year of archery mule deer hunting that I could say, “you should have seen the ones that got away!”

190 P & Y Grizzly Unit Mule Deer

This buck hangs in the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Portland, Oregon