This is my first bull elk in Oregon. I have had the high desert tag four times now and so far only come away with one cow, made up for all those miles on this hunt. I got him on my first afternoon, went out to check for sign and do some glassing to maybe find something for the morning and got lucky. About half hour before dark I glassed up this bull about 900 yd away. I had a good cross wind and cover so I hauled ass to close the distance. At three hundred yards I spotted him looking right at me and threw up my rifle but all I had was an off hand shot at the head so I held out. The bull turned and walked about ten yards and offerd me a broad side shot. I couldn’t take a knee in the waist deep sage so I had to take him off hand. Hit him tight in behind the shoulders and he went about twenty feet and fell over. Ruger M77, 180 grain nosler partition, 300 win mag.
You guys who are headed out to the coast range got your work cut out for you. Those bulls weigh a fair bit more than the skinny se oregon elk. Rain, mud, steep black berry coverd slippery hills, truck loads of road hunting “elk hunters” on every road. Dam I am glad I drew a high desert tag.
Nice Elk man. +1 on that elk jerky too. It’s tasty when done right. I hunt the coastal area for elk mainly the Saddle Mtn unit and Wilson. The Wilson’s a little better for me as I have access to 20 acres of private land thats got a decent cabin on it. It’s south of the spruce run camp ground great area to hunt. Plus Saddle Mtn’s got the elk refuge in it and I know a few people that live close by that like to have the elk taken out of there area. So it’s a good area for me to hunt as most of it is not to bad to go walking thru.Plus a decent sidexside can get you around real good. I agree on the road hunters they suck elk ball’s. most of them are people who haven’t scouted out the area at all.
I just returned from hunting God’s Valley in the Oregon Trask unit. 15 years ago that place was an elk hunters dream. I remember 7 out of 9 hunters filling their tags back then.
I took a break from it after a lousy season 3 years ago. Logging, a deluge of road hunters, and mismanagement from the ODFW have ruined it. Guess I will have to find a new place in the North coast range.
