Oregon

[Jeffminokla]

I'm looking into a western mule deer hunt but don't see much about Oregon. Is it overlooked or just not as good as ID, MT, CO, etc? Any input would be appreciated.

 

[forkhunter]

As a Montana native, long time Oregon resident and someone who has hunted mule deer in many other Western States, yes.....there is a reason. Mule deer are doing very poorly in Oregon. All tags, both resi and non-resident are limited and only 5% to NR. I would look elsewhere, personally. In fact, as an Oregon resident, I rarely hunt Oregon for mule deer. Other states typically get my $ instead.

 

[LopeHunter]

Oregon F&G does not manage for quality hunts for deer nor elk. Also, sub 10% of deer and elk tags actually are in draw for NR. Add in restricted logging which means no open meadow for elk that then transition a decade later into deer habitat. Oregon outlawed dogs to chase bears. Wolves now have several packs in Oregon. Lots of cougar and coyotes will steal from cougars so that increases deer kills by cougars.

If you want a blacktail deer or Roosevelt elk then Oregon has some opportunity without taking years to draw a tag. Otherwise, is a flush of good money.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Oregon is tough for nonresidents. It costs a lot of money to apply and build points, and, as was already pointed out, NRs are allocated very few tags. There are some good hunts to be had, but unless you live close by and can really do some scouting, it wouldn’t be worth it in the long run to keep applying in Oregon.

 

[Topoman]

Jeff, I've lived in OR, MT, WY, and CO. If you're a NR, I think there are better and more affordable states to apply to. But I always had great luck hunting deer in OR, and you can get into some quality NR rifle hunts with just a couple of points in eastern/northeastern OR. So, if you have some kind of connection to the state like I do (family), it may be worth your while.

FWIW, Oregon has great spring and fall bear hunting and a $15 tag on top of the hunting license. It's all spot-and-stalk or calling, but it can be really good. So, if you do build points there, might as well hunt bear. The population of black bears in OR exceeds MT, ID, WY, or CO...and it AMAZES me that more people don't do it there.

Tag draw estimates: https://sites.google.com/site/oregontags/

 

[Jeffminokla]

Good info. Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

Oregon harvest was 67% of all deer harvested in Oregon were forked horns,,,odfw has only a handful of good limited hunts and they take a lot of points to draw..pretty hard to get excited about Oregon ,,,it sucks

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

The skiing and beer are good though

 

[belshawelk]

There are good numbers in certain units. Most are on private land. I have a piece of property and it’s got lots of nature Mulies. I only hunt them every few years as the time of the hunt doesn’t work well for me. But as a NR don’t waste your money as stated above. One of the worst states for NR as you have to buy a full price license just to put in for draw. If you don’t draw you do not get refund. It will cost you hundreds.

 

[Topoman]

Yeah, I wouldn't apply just to build for deer or elk for a hunt down the road. I do because I'm hunting bear - you can't hunt bear and build points for $200 in any of the Rocky Mountain states. That's where OR is good. Otherwise, look elsewhere

To Dan's point above, there are a lot of forkies harvested, especially in the western general units...but some of those E and NE hunts, with 1-2 points required for nonresidents to draw, have something like 40% of harvested deer 4-pt or better. Just depends on the unit - look at unit-specific harvest stats.

Jeff, feel free to PM me for info on some good deer or bear stuff over there.

 

[Jeffminokla]

Thanks for the help guys. I'd been focusing more on ID, MT, WY for the most part. Someone asked me about OR so I thought I'd look into it. I think, as a NR, I'll take it off my list....I'll still drink their beer though, cheers!

 

[gouch]

As a life long Oregonian I agree with all these opinions. Black tail deer, Roosevelt Elk or bear, you might want to consider Oregon. Mule Deer or Rocky Mountain elk you should just leave to the locals.

 

[Topoman]

Amen, gouch. My first deer was a blacktail, and it was a really fun hunt. Even though I no longer live in OR I remember those hunts fondly. Just gotta move often enough so that you don't get moss or fungus growing on ya.