Wilderness elk hunt Oregon

[shoots_5]

Well this will be a first for me. I've done plenty of elk hunting but almost all of it has been on private ranch ground. This year I'm hunting in the wilderness....

I'm camped at the trailhead. Ran into a couple of other guys that hunt this area every year and have it pretty dialed in. They were very nice and shared some info and their plan for opening morning tomorrow. Hopefully we can kind of run the elk between us.

On top of being my first wilderness hunt I'm also doing it solo.... I'm currently regretting not physically preparing as much as I should have. Hunting at 6600' elevation and my lungs and legs are feeling it.

Some pictures from setting up camp today and going on a scouting hike.

I'll update as the hunt progresses.....


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[lefty315]

The view looks to be worth a cool million or so. Good luck!!!

 

[salmonchaser]

Which unit are you in? Hope it's good to you.


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[shoots_5]

West Beulah


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[DrMike]

I'm wishing you every success in this hunt. Just being in the wilderness is a win.

 

[OU812]

Good luck on your elk hunt hope you kill a nice bull.

 

[chrispbrown27]

That is pretty cool. Ten or fifteen years ago I would have loved to do that. Now days I prefer a motel room! ha ha Good luck on the hunt.

 

[Guy Miner]

Excellent! Best of luck. Keep an eye on the weather.

If you tag one, use caution. Hauling it out a bit at a time may be smarter than trying to wrestle out huge loads...

Guy

 

[EOD Diver]

Remember, 9/10ths of it is just being out there. Best of luck and enjoy your hunt!
V/R,
Joe

 

[shoots_5]

Update from today.....

After a most miserable night of not sleeping I finally got up at about 6:30 as it was just getting light enough to see but definitely not enough to shoot. Grabbed my pack and headed out on the trail.

I was about 20 minutes behind the group of other hunters and my plan was to just poke along taking lots of time to glass and listen and hopefully the other hunters would bump something my way.

It was a beautiful morning and much warmer than I anticipated so I was shedding layers early.

Made essentially a big loop from one side of the ridge up and over the top and back down the other side. Saw lots of country.....no elk. Didn't even hear any shots which led me to believe there just wasn't any elk in that area.

Got a text from a good friend that owns a large ranch below the wilderness area I'm hunting that his boy had killed a bull and that all the elk in the valley were headed up the mountain that was two ridges east of me. I knew there was a large camp of hunters over there so I didn't bother pursuing them there. Instead I ate some breakfast, packed up my camp and took a drive on a road that skirts the border of forest service and private looking for any stragglers that might be still coming off of the private ground and ended up meeting up with my friend as they were driving their bull out. I went back to the ranch house and helped them skin the elk and enjoyed an adult beverage. He thought the group of elk would probably get pushed back to the ridge I was hunting tomorrow or the next day.

So I made the decision to drive home, catch a shower and get some good sleep. It's only a little over an hour drive from my house and the comforts of home outweighed the sleepless night I had in my tent. So I'll rest up this afternoon and then hit it again hard in the morning!

I did glass up some decent bucks though. This is through my spotting scope at a distance of 1180 yards.

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[Guy Miner]

Seems like you're off to a decent start. Thanks for posting the photos and taking us along on your hunt!

Guy

 

[shoots_5]

Oh I forgot to mention in my update.....the bull that my friend's boy killed was with a 30-06 shooting the 190gr ABLR. The shot was at 37 yards quartering towards him and he put it right on the point of the near shoulder. Bullet was recovered from the opposite side near the tenderloin. Bullet was a perfect mushroom and pulverized the vitals. It was outstanding performance!


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[DrMike]

You're definitely in some beautiful country. Clearly, there are animals about. You'll connect in due time.

 

[sask boy]

Those are some great photos :wink:. I am sure that you will a crack at Bull it is just a matter of being in the right location :wink: and you seem to have a little intel .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Guy Miner]

Oh I forgot to mention in my update.....the bull that my friend's boy killed was with a 30-06 shooting the 190gr ABLR. The shot was at 37 yards quartering towards him and he put it right on the point of the near shoulder. Bullet was recovered from the opposite side near the tenderloin. Bullet was a perfect mushroom and pulverized the vitals. It was outstanding performance!


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Aww, come on... Don't be funnin' us. Nobody relies on a 30-06 for big game anymore.... :wink:

Seems that heavy ABLR did real well!

Guy

 

[shoots_5]

Thursday update.....

So today was a very frustrating day. I woke up at 5am got dressed and drove out to the trailhead. On the way there I got to watch about 20 cows and calves run down the road in front of me in my headlights. But hey I saw elk!

I get to the trail and get my gear on and start hiking.....plan for the day was to cover ground and make the peak of one of the ridges to glass 3 different drainages and find the elk. This is the ridge I was going to crest.

I hunted HARD today and put on some tough miles. I never saw an elk....

I did see more deer and had I had a buck tag instead of a bull tag I would have punched it!

Here's some pictures of some of the ground I covered today.

I sat in this spot for about 3 hours just glassing and waiting. I pretty much commanded that entire ridge. I've put a lot of time and training into shooting and with that 338 Lapua I'm very confident out to 1000 yards and even beyond if the wind is right. Today was as close to dead calm as it gets. The lower left opening in the trees started at 300 yards and extended to 450 yards. The very top of the ridge was about 1200 yards but the majority of it was inside 1000. Nothing showed....

So, being tired and a little frustrated I started the long hike back out. Got to the truck and had some food and drinks and started for home. On the way home I passed through the little town and maybe a half mile out of town I see about a 100 head of elk out in a field maybe 150 yards off the road!

I pull up my GPS that tells me who owns it and then race back into town where I see my rancher buddy pulled over talking to another rancher. So I stop and tell him I found where the elk went! And then ask him if he knows Mr X who owns the field. He smirked and said Ya I'm talking to him and points to the guy he's talking to. Now at this point I'm thinking I've hit the jackpot and that they likely filled any tags they had opening morning. And that I'm going to be rewarded for my hard work and get to shoot one off a fence post and back my truck up to it. Also there was a very nice 6x6 in the bunch....

So I ask the guy for permission only to find out his daughter has a tag to fill....which I totally understand and wish her the best but it was a bit of a let down....

So now I'm not sure what to do. I might just go explore some new country I've never seen, but it seems all I'm doing in my current area is getting a workout!

Anyway, back home now looking at maps and planning tomorrow. That's the update for today!




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[DrMike]

That is all frustrating, without a doubt. It is easy to say, "That is elk hunting;" but it doesn't take away the sting of frustration. You know you're in the right area. Hopefully you'll have enough time to tag out.

 

[OU812]

Sorry to hear the updates have not gone the way you had hoped so far. Just keep at it like you are and something good will happen, we're all pulling for you.

 

[shoots_5]

Well today I took a sign from the elk gods.....up at 5 ate some breakfast, grabbed some fuel and headed out. Got about 15 miles out of town and my check engine light came on.....last time it did that it ran fine until I turned it off then wouldn't start. Being that I was going to a new area I was unfamiliar with and it has no cell service I turned around and headed home. Once the parts store opens I'll go down and have them scan the code. I guess there's lots more stuff to get done at home and my kids will be happy to see me when they wake up! Sometimes it just refuses to be easy and you can either laugh or cry....today I'm choosing to just laugh!


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[DrMike]

Sometimes it just refuses to be easy and you can either laugh or cry....today I'm choosing to just laugh!


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But when success comes-- HOW SWEET IT IS!