I don’t know about you, but I tried to avoid my high school principal as much as possible.  You see, everytime I talked to him, I didn’t talk, I got talked to….If you know what I mean.  Maybe things would have been different if I had a principal like Mr. Cyr of the Powers, Oregon High school.  When he is not performing his administrative duties, Coaching basketball, or being a father to his infant daughter, Mr. Jody Cyr in the hills, and mountains.  When asked about spring sports, he replied ”Not coaching anything this spring, it’s shed hunting season.”

And from the looks of it , he is a darn good shed hunter. The Oregon Coast Range is a brushy place and it takes determination and perserverence to find one, let alone a dozen, fresh brown current year sheds.
Here is this years Haul….
Click on thumbnail to see full size…

An impressive Roosevelt Shed. Yes, That’s his office!

“I’ve been trying to figure out where a few specific bulls have been spending their winters..After hundreds of hours of hiking, I found one of their drops about 5 miles from where they spend time in the fall. I know their all bachelored up that time of year so I will be hiking like crazy looking for this match and a couple other giant sets…”

His shed hunting clues him into places to find deer and elk during the rifle and archery seasons as well. Remember those office photos? Here are his greatest hits from 2007, in thumbnail, clickable form…

When I asked him about future plans, he mentioned a trip to Hawaii with his family.  He was quick to add that he will be bringing his bow to squeeze in a few quick hunts between beach and hotel time!   

For years the states surrounding Idaho have been wrestling with the possibility of Idaho’s wolves, from re-introduction in the 90’s, would spread to their neighboring states.  Oregon has now officially acknowledged that it does have wolves within its borders. 

Here is the LINK to the official Press release from the Idaho Fish and Game.

A LINK to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Wolf Page 

This Weekend while opening the mail, I saw the January/February Edition of the Eastmans Bowhunting Journal.  Thumbing  through, I came across a familiar face in the members success pictures…Me!

Of course I started getting phone calls and e-mails from  all my buddies across the West with obligatory “Hollywood” jokes.  I had submitted a story along with a bunch of photos that I haven’t had the opportunity to share with my readers.  So I’ll do that here, now.

The Preparation

It was February when I saw that I was unsuccessful in drawing a Wyoming elk permit. I gathered my composure, and called my friend Shane, who lived in Oregon. Shane invited me to join him in Oregon where I could get an over the counter archery license. I was happy that I would have a chance to hunt elk this year.

In July, I received the news I had drawn a Wyoming deer tag. I was worried that the seasons would conflict. After numerous calls to my Wyoming and my Oregon hunting partners, we figured out a schedule that would accommodate both. I would spend 5 days hunting in Wyoming, then drive 12 hours to central Oregon to catch the last 4 days of the Oregon archery elk season. I knew if I was going to hunt for two weeks straight for two of the toughest game animals the West has to offer, I’d better get in shape.

Over the next 12 weeks, I had signed up with a trainer and began a regime of weights and cardio training 5 days a week. I dropped 4% in body fat and lost 25 pounds. I shot my bow every night, and competed in the local 3-D league with my daughters. By the middle of September we had all won our divisions. I also let my moustache and a goatee grow as a reminder to prepare for my upcoming hunts, much to my family’s amusement. My wife asked me when I was going to shave it, I replied, “When I arrow a bull elk”. Read the rest of this entry »

For hunters who want to apply for the Spring bear hunts in Oregon, the deadline is fast approaching.  February 10th is the last day to apply.  Results will be posted on or after February 20th.  successful applicants must purchase their bear tags BEFORE the first day of the season.  Spring Bear Seasons start as early as April 1st, and all controlled bear hunts end May 31st.

 On the Controlled hunts page of the Oregon Fish and Game website you can check draw odds and success statistics, as well as check your preference point totals.  The 2008 regulations are also now available for those hunters looking forward to the Fall Controlled Hunt application due May 15th.

My recent posts about my 2 week pilgrimage to Elk Country has raised some questions from my readers, so I thought I would respond to those I’ve received so far.

How many miles did you travel?  How long did that take?

I drove about 2400 miles total in my 2001 GMC Crew Cab who I affectionately call “Mighty Whitey”.  I made it to Oregon Elk Camp (550 miles) in 10 Hours.  From Eastern Oregon to Western Wyoming was a 2 part trip, but was a total of 14 .5 hours and 650 miles.  The return trip through Nevada was 940 miles. 

What did your bull score?

When I scored him in camp he was 259 before deductions for symmetry.  He netted 241.  That is still bigger than my 2006 Oregon Archery bull.

How much meat did you get?

I delivered 4 quarters totalling 360 pounds to the plant.  I got back nearly 250 pounds of boneless steaks, roasts, and ground meat.

What did you do with the meat? 

The meat I had custom cut and wrapped in Jackson by JH processing, a division of Cowboy natural meats.

What rifle, scope cartridge and caliber were you using?

I shot my bull with a Ruger Model 77 .300 Winchester Magnum.  Ammunition was a Federal Premium factory load with 180 grain Nosler Partition Bullets.

What was the weather like?

We had everything from sun to rain, sleet, snow, hail, and wind. The coldest was in the morning just before sunrise. It was as cold as 19 degrees, and as warm as 65 degrees.

What did you wear on your elk hunt?

In a situation like that layering is essential. I always wore Under Armour Cold Gear as my base layer. I wore Merino wool blend socks from wigwam, and REI. I wore Cabelas Microtex pants and shirt. I also had good results with a Woolrich wool shirt and Army surplus wool pants. For insulation I had a Cabelas Jacket, under Rain Suede Raingear, when I needed it, from Cabela’s. On my feet I had either uninsulated Danner Quarry boots or Hoffman 14″ pacs with 200gram Thinsulate liners. For my hands and head, I wore heatmax gloves, a polar fleece beanie or a Sage Creek outfitters ball cap.

Where were you hunting?

My typical Answer is “Up No Tellum Creek. For the exact location the person who can point it out is named Helen Hunt. If you REALLY want to know, go to Helen Hunt.” By the way that is a smart aleck answer for folks that are prying, trying to find out my “honey hole”.
But let it suffice to say Western Wyoming.

If you folks remember, I was in the great northwest on a 2 week, 2 state elk hunting trip.

I started off in Oregon on a 5 day, do-it-yourself archery elk hunt on public land. I was in the company of two great hunting buddies, Shane and Chuck. They each missed bulls, and I never had a shot opportunity I was comfortable with. Regardless it was a great experience.

I saw some great scenery and treasured the time I spent with a couple of good friends

Create Your Own Countdown

I’m making final arrangements for my 2 weeks of elk hunting in Oregon and Wyoming.  I have given instructions to everyone at work that I will be out of the office from the evening of Sept 18th through October 2nd.  Upon my return, I will post bits and pieces of the daily journal I keep on the trip. 

Itinerary-

Sept 18th.  Leave Petaluma, CA no later than 5 minutes after 5:00 pm.  Head north on Highway 5 to Weed, CA, take Highway 97 to Klamath Falls Oregon, and then a bunch of back roads to Elk Camp.  Arrive in Camp the morning of Sept 19th, before daylight.

September 19th through September 23rd - Archery hunt Elk in Oregon.  Cell coverage in most places.

September 24th- Travel from Eastern Oregon through Southern Idaho to Western Wyoming.  Arrive in Jackson, Wyoming that night. Cell coverage most of the day

September 25th - Day before rifle season opens in our zone.   Possible Archery hunt opportunity if I purchase the $25 archery permit.

Sept 26-Oct 1 - Rifle elk hunt in Wyoming.  No cell coverage.  Satellite phone in case of emergency.

Evening of Oct. 1 through Oct. 2nd-  Travel home to Petaluma, CA making cell phone calls where coverage permits.

October 3rd.  Stumble into work by 8:00 am.