In the morning Ed, Jason and I set off to a ridge top saddle that is a primary game crossing between canyons. Having set up to locate, we pulled in a cow, but she spotted movement and calmly made her retreat. As we carefully made our way up the ridge spine, a bull bugled at the three “cows” that were making noise. He was only 30 yards away but, unfortunately; Ed was in the lead and stuck in the middle of the dog hair. I was behind and pulled the bull over to 15 yards, Ed could see his antlers and hear him breathing, but just could not get a clear shot, it was just too thick. The wind was perfect but, eventually, after a long game of cat and mouse the bull followed his suspicious cows down into the drainage.

We followed them down to the bottom, but with the bone dry conditions, we lost the trail. After hunting our way to the other side of the canyon, we set up on a high spot which allowed us to call into three separate areas. The country we hunt in is not conducive to spot and stalk, one’s best chances are to get the elk to reveal their location, move in close and pull the bull in with calls. However, this was proving to be rather difficult this year, the weather was extremely hot and the elk did not appear to be very enthusiastic. We were fairly sure elk were in the vicinity, but try as we might, we could not locate them in the midday heat. We decided to wait it out until later in the afternoon and take up the chase again.

After lounging in the shade on top for several hours, we started discussing our plans for the evening. With a sudden itch, Jason let out a sneeze. Call it coincidence, call it luck, we heard a distinct bugle only 300 yards away to the east and down the hill. It was 2 in the afternoon and the breeze was extremely unpredictable, switching back and forth, and we debated whether to sit there and wait for a better wind, or push our luck and go right at him. Ed suggested we split up, send two down to the bottom and work the bull from below, and keep one person on top to set up in a saddle to ambush the bull if he winded us and tried to escape over the top.

Jason and I made our way to the bottom and moved over to approach from below. After some doubtful moments trying to relocate the bull, he finally sounded off again about 150 yards up the hill. We carefully made our way into position, trying in vain to keep a favorable wind, until we thought we shouldn’t press it anymore. I started calling the bull with cow calls. He responded quickly, but after several minutes did not seem motivated to get out of his bed. With Jason set up hill and to the side about 30 yards, I switched to a cow call, followed by a bugle with my Chuckler tube. Immediately I heard the bull get up and start down the hill. In seconds, I spotted the bull on a fast walk, his antlers swaying as he came to investigate. When he made it to a grove of small hemlocks, he stopped and proceeded to thrash the trees. I ranged him at 70 yards and he proceeded to put on a display of tree abuse for several minutes. I watched to see if Jason would close the gap with the bull occupied, but he could only move when the bull turned his back. The breeze kept shifting and I was sure it was only a matter of time before it betrayed us. I needed to pull the bull down some more to get Jason a shot, so I looked around, spotted a suitable hemlock below me, snuck down to it, started raking the tree with a limb and hit him with another bugle.

That did the trick, and the bull quickly moved down to close the distance. I knew he was in range of Jason, and although the bull was slightly obscured, I heard the loud twang of Jason’s trusty old Hoyt and watched his arrow streak across to the bull followed by the inevitable “thwack!” The bull sprinted down the hill away from us both, but as he left our sight, we heard a distinct crash and the bull let out one last gurgled bugle.

Jason misjudged the distance and the bull turned right at the shot. While quite high, the arrow punctured both lungs and ended up lodging in the back quarter. He only made it 150 yards before he could go no further.

You can find out about the status of wolves in Oregon at the ODFW Wolf Webpage.  The latest press release details a depredation that occured in Eastern Oregon

September 5, 2009

BAKER CITY, Ore.—Two problem wolves involved in five separate incidents of livestock depredation in the Keating Valley area were killed in Baker County this morning by USDA Wildlife Services.

 ODFW authorized Wildlife Services to kill the wolves on Saturday, Aug. 29 after both agencies investigated and confirmed the last two depredation incidents at a private ranch in the Keating Valley area of Baker County.

The first incident occurred the evening of April 9, 2009 and the last occurred the evening of Aug. 27, 2009 on the same ranch. ODFW and Wildlife Services documented the loss of 29 domestic animals in the five separate incidents, all of which occurred on private property. Four of the five incidents occurred on one ranch and the fifth occurred at an adjacent ranch.

Evidence including bite marks and other wounds on the livestock, track sizes, the wolves’ historic use of the area and the style of the depredation itself confirmed that the same two wolves were involved in all of the livestock losses.

After the first incident, ODFW, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife and the landowners worked together to try non-lethal measures to keep the wolves from killing livestock again. Those measures included radio-collaring one of the wolves so they could be monitored, installing fladry (flagged fencing that can be a wolf deterrent), using a radio-activated-guard box that makes noise when a radio collar approaches, double-penning livestock, keeping livestock near homes at night, burying carcass piles and using guard dogs.

ODFW hazed the wolves out of the Keating Valley area multiple times with an airplane or helicopter and also used cracker shells (noise making devices) to discourage them from remaining in the Keating Valley area around livestock operations.

“Under Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan our first response to wolf-livestock conflict is to use non-lethal measures to deter the wolves,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator. “If non-lethal efforts are ineffective, then lethal measures are taken. It’s unfortunate that we got to this step but these wolves continued to kill livestock despite our many efforts to keep them out of trouble. We cannot allow chronic losses to continue.”

Wolves in Oregon are protected and listed under the state’s Endangered Species Act. Wolves are also protected by the federal Endangered Species Act west of highways 395/78/95.

The state’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan provides livestock producers and wildlife managers with specific tools to manage any wolf depredation. Ranchers may not shoot a wolf without a permit, even when it is in the act of attacking their livestock. The rancher that experienced four out of the five depredations had tried non-lethal measures to deter the wolves and ODFW and Wildlife Services had documented his continued losses. Because of this, he was given a permit to kill the wolves should they return to his ranch and be caught attacking his livestock again.

The two wolves that were killed were yearling animals and never bred. Their genetics link them to Idaho wolves, but it is not clear if they were born in Oregon or dispersed to Oregon from Idaho. For unknown reasons, the wolves were on their own at a young age, which could have contributed to their inability to survive on wild animals rather than livestock.

ODFW is currently monitoring two wolf packs in Wallowa County. In July, two pups were observed with one of the packs, marking the second confirmed instance of wolf reproduction in Oregon. Besides these two packs, other wolves continue to disperse into Oregon from Idaho.

If you have seen a wolf or wolf sign contact Russ Morgan the Wolf Coordinator for ODFW.  GPS coordinates and as many other details as possible will help determine the true number of wolves in the state. Track size, stride, direction of travel, scat location, etc. is all valuable informatin and may allow more wolves to be collared. 

With enough information, Oregon will be able to truly manage the wolves sooner

Here is Russ Morgan’s info:
541-963-2138 Ex.231
Russ.L.Morgan@state.or.us

On the Second day of his hunt he spotted a bear feeding on grass on a clearcut 550 yards away. He moved in to 300 yards, took aim and the cartridge didn’t fire.

Expelling the bad round, I jacked in another one and settled in for the shot. The bear was at 308 yards, so I put the cross hairs just below his spine, at the shot, the bear turned quickly downhill and appeared to be hit hard. He ran into a small patch of brush and disappeared.

Putting another round in the gun, I looked up and saw the bear walking out of the brush pile, appearing to be unharmed as he continued to feed.

Aiming just at/over his spine, I touched off another shot and bear crumpled, sliding a few yards downhill. Coming to rest on a downed log.

Luckily the shot took out the bears heart. She was a younger sow, probably 3-5 years old, very healthy with a great coat. I’d say she went roughly 175lbs.

Although I was hunting alone, I had some great hospitality and hand drawn maps from one of the locals.

Well done Kirk!

“We understand the frustration customers and license sales vendors are experiencing and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused,” said Roy Elicker, ODFW director. “We are dealing with a system problem that has slowed down service, and we are working around the clock with our vendor, Outdoor Central, to get the problem fixed.”

Typically every year, May 15 is the controlled hunt deadline. On May 12, ODFW extended the deadline to May 19 due to a slowdown in the license sales system believed to be caused by the high volume of sales activity in the days leading up to the deadline. The system continues to be slow so ODFW is extending the deadline further.

To ease the long lines, ODFW is making mail/fax order controlled hunt applications available at all ODFW offices and license sales locations. The application is also available on page 15 of the 2009 Oregon Big Game Regulations. Individuals can also download the application from the ODFW website. It’s called 2009 Big Game Mail Order Application Form under Licenses and Fees section of Web site.

Hunters can fill out the application and either drop it off at an ODFW office; mail it to ODFW Licensing, 3406 Cherry Ave. NE, Salem, OR 97303; or fax it to 503 947-6117/6113. Mailed applications must be postmarked by June 1; dropped-off applications given to an ODFW office by close-of-business or 5 p.m. on June 1; and faxed applications received by 11:59 p.m. PT June 1.

Hunters are also encouraged to apply for controlled hunts online. Online sales are not experiencing the slowness that sales at license agents are, especially when done early in the morning or later in the evening.

Hunters need to purchase a hunting license and obtain a Hunter/Angler ID number before they can apply for a controlled hunt, but the license purchase can be made simultaneously. Hunter/Angler ID numbers stay the same from year to year, so even if you have not yet purchased a 2009 hunting license, you can write in your past ID number on your application.

The deadline extension will also delay the controlled hunt draw and results notification. The draw will occur by June 15 instead of June 5 and hunters will be mailed results notification no later than July 1, rather than by June 20. Draw results are usually made available online at the same time that notification postcards mailed. Any leftover controlled hunt tags will go on sale July 15 at 10 a.m. PT rather than July 1.

“We recognize these delays may impact planning for the fall hunts and we apologize again for any inconvenience,” said Elicker.

Some of Oregon’s big game hunts are limited entry, including almost all rifle hunting of deer and elk east of the Cascades and pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and Rocky Mountain goat hunts. These hunts require a controlled hunt application.

Well, its been a tough year until Saturday…Ended up calling in a few bulls here and there, but for some reason didn’t really work out. Got into this bull early in the season and then left him alone for a bit..Ed (Fanchin) was up for a while, and for those of you that haven’t had the chance to hunt with him, he’s a first class dude and welcome at my place anytime..Came back to this bull after putting him to bed on Friday night and got right on him Saturday morning..By eight, he was broadside at 50 and that was all she wrote..Another good roosey bites the dust…Died in a hole that i had to go home and get a chainsaw winch to get him out of….That was cool though, cause the girls got to go back up with me….

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!   

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 

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”.

This year started a new tradition. I asked my two oldest daughters to draw me a picture of the game I was going to hunt. Both girls produced works of art that I took with me as good luck charms, folded in my shirt pocket. They made me promise that I would shoot a 4 point or better buck, and a branch antlered bull elk, just as they had drawn. Plus the oldest reminded me; I was going to shave off my goatee if I was successful. I assured her I would be good to my word.

Soon I was on the road to Wyoming for my mule deer hunt. While I hunted for 3 days with my bow, I finally got out the rifle and harvested a 5×4 buck on the last day of my hunt. The next morning, I left at daylight headed for Oregon where I had a date with a bull elk.

Elk hunt 2006

As I pulled off of the gravel road onto the narrow two track that led to camp, I rolled down the window and heard what I thought was a distant bugle. “Good Sign” I thought to myself…

We were hunting public land near a large ranch. While my friends were on good terms with the ranch manager, he was unable to give us permission to hunt on the ranch property. We appreciated his candor an assured him that even thou we would be watching for elk traveling to and from the alfalfa, we would respect the boundary.
As I pulled into camp a wall tent lit up greeted me and a couple of hunting partners awaited me with stories of the day. When I had talked to Shane via cell phone earlier in the day, he had cut our conversation short by saying, “We got elk talking below us, gotta go!”

It turns out that they had a herd of roughly 150 elk leave the hayfield and shade up in the junipers below their glassing perch, on the public land. Shane had passed on a raghorn, and Chuck had missed a spike. So the elk were there and it was a good sign. It was hard to sleep that night as we could hear the elk bugle occasionally in the still night air.

The next morning we were back at our lookout before daylight. During the night clouds had rolled in and were threatening rain. The wind was blowing out of the northwest with authority and it was pretty cold for a September day. As the sun rose I could make out the shapes of 20- 30- 50 no…. 100 elk in the hayfield below us, still a good mile away. Through the spotting scopes we could make out a number of bulls as the herd bull surveyed his domain. Seldom would the bulls challenge him, but if one did he would lower his head and all but the most foolhardy upstarts would avert their gaze and tread carefully around the master.

The later in the day it got, the colder and windier it became. The elk bedded in the open hayfield, and we huddled in the rocks as rain began spitting, mixed with sleet. We huddled around a juniper fire, occasionally leaving the warmth to survey the herd below. The weather had the elk bedded down in a tight circle in the alfalfa, and no elk stirred. We watched the herd for the rest of the afternoon with no action. All the elk were “out of bounds” but we were seeing elk and that made out trip back to camp, and a warm meal bearable that night.

Sometime in the evening the clouds cleared and we could hear distant sounds clearly. From the nearby cattle ranch we could hear the bawling of newly weaned calves, occasionally punctuated by an elk bugle.

At daylight we were in the same position as before. But the disposition of the herd was different than when we left them. During the night some bulls from neighboring ranches had come in and we could see that the herd bull had been busy defending his large harem. Shortly after daybreak we could see a small group of vanquished suitors drifting through the junipers. These were bulls that were going elsewhere to look for action. With a quick hyper cow call we got the bulls attention from across the canyon and we bailed off into the lava rock and sage to intercept the bulls.

As we hustled down the hill I quickly pulled out two Montana Decoys I had purchased from Cabelas a few days before. When we were near the bottom of the draw, we set up with me as the shooter, the decoys sixty yards behind me and to the right, and Shane as the caller behind a juniper near the cow decoys. Chuck set up further up the draw in case the elk tried to circle downwind.

I had an arrow nocked as I began ranging the juniper trees around me. 60 yards to the furthest, 20 yards to the closest, and then another at 40 yards between them. I noticed my broadhead quivering like a Richter scale needle during an earthquake. As soon as Shane let out his first hyper lip cow call, my pulse really started pounding. He called for about 2 minutes, and I saw nothing as we sat silent for 5 minutes. I kept checking to my left to see if the bulls had circled us. I peered into the maze of junipers ahead of me, hoping for a glimpse of elk hide. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Shane began calling again.
Ahead of me and to my right, I caught a glimpse of an elk rump moving away and up the canyon. I rose to follow it and Shane waved me down. His stern look and mouthed words said “Stay where you are.” in no uncertain terms. I could see a spike and raghorn had moved into a clearing 300 yards past us and were moving away uninterested in our calls.

Once I had settled back in my ambush spot in front of a juniper, I heard a crack like a 6-inch fencepost makes when you back into it with your truck. I went on alert, adrenaline redlining. Seconds seemed like hours, when finally I could see antler tips through the treetops. Soon I was looking at the head and neck of a branch antlered and fairly heavy bull elk. His body was shielded behind the shoulder by the juniper I had ranged earlier at 60 yards. His gaze seemed to go right through me as I sat in the open. I had resigned myself to the fact that this was the part where he wheeled on his haunches and disappeared, when he dropped his head and began raking the tree. Then his head snapped up and looked behind me. I could see the change in his demeanor as he saw the decoys. He began moving to my right, and as he stepped behind the tree at 40 yards, I drew my bow.

The bull stopped behind the tree, of course. I held the bow at full draw and silently willed Shane to give one call…just one. After what seemed like an eternity a soft mew came from behind me. The bull stepped into the opening intent on the cows he saw and heard. I split the 30 and 40 yard pins on his chest and triggered the shot.

I saw the arrow hit and go fletching deep in the bull. I saw the blood on the white wrap and vanes. I also saw that the arrow was further back that I would have liked it, as the bull lunged and threw dirt and rocks as he scrambled to escape. I immediately began cow calling frantically, and Shane and Chuck followed my lead. It was a few tense minutes as we heard the bulls hoof beats on the rocks slow down. In the distance, through the trees, I could see the tops of his antlers, as he was, What’s that, actually looking back in our direction? Then the antlers began to sway and I watched them topple out of sight. I breathed a sigh of relief, and put my arrow back in my quiver when I heard Chuck’s voice call out “He’s done! I saw it all. That bull was coming back to the decoys!”

When we reached the bull I was stunned at his size. This being my first bull elk ever he looked huge. I quickly surveyed his rack and counted 5 points on one side and a little sixth point on the other. I had eclipsed my goal of arrowing a branch antlered bull. While this bull might not be note worthy to many hunters, he was certainly a trophy by my standards. After we had packed him back to camp I pulled out the drawings my daughters had made for me. I noticed quite a similarity between the elk my daughters drew and the one that now hung on the meat pole. They both would be hung where I could marvel at their beauty and would remind me of loving family and good friends.

Two days later I was pulling into the driveway to the ranch and I could see my daughters running out the front door of the house. The oldest had the beard trimmer in her hand. I was never so glad to shave in my life.

 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.

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.