Oregon mulies?

[pram-z]

Well I'm new to this site and it looks like a good one, so we'll give it a try. I'm a a huge mulie fan and have spent most of my time hunting the Whitehorse unit with some success, but not finding the big horns I'm looking for. As of late I've turned to Colorado in search of bone, but the unit I go to and only needed 1 point to get in, is now taking 2-3 to get in. As I can only afford 1 hunt a year, ( knowing without a doubt I'd draw Colorado ) I have built up 3 preferance points in Oregon. Does anyone know much about the Chesnimnus unit for deer?.The Owyhee looks like good country but never hunted it. I would entertain any suggestions. Thanks guys.

[Leo]

I Havent hunted Chesnimnus, I have a buddy that shot a bighorn in that unit a few years back. I have been to the Owyhee Canyon country and the three forks of the Owyhee river area but havent hunted it. I think the 3 forks area is in the Whitehorse unit and Owyhee reservoir is in the Owyhee unit (could be wrong). The only hunting in the Whitehorse unit that I have done was in the Trout Creeks once, last year. Have you done well? The 3 forks area looks like it should be good, but I just havent heard much about whitehorse other than the trouts. I went to Beatys butte this year, not impressed with the numbers or size, killed a fork the last day of the trip so I wouldnt go home empty handed. I am however very interested in learning the owyhee unit or the Whithorse. I hear that the Imnaha unit up near Chesnimnus is producing some nice bucks. Anyway, I probably wasnt much help, but if you have any pointers on Whitehorse or Owyhee I would love to hear them. - Leo

[pram-z]

Well Leo I don't have alot of pointers on Whitehorse, back in the 70's and 80's you would find the deer in the bottom of the canyon up to the rimrock bases, but now they seem to be out on the sage flats, if you can find them. This along with the fact that deer numbers are down, may be due to an increase in the cougar population. And yes Three Forks is in the Whitehorse unit, but I've never hunted it but do know some who have, and it was nothing to write home about. Of course everyone knows about the Trout Creeks and how many points it takes to get in, but a game biologist told me a few years back that the cats were wiping out the deer there, so is it still good or not?. All I know is I sure miss the smell of opening morning in the high country sage, and can't wait to get back. My main goal is to find a good unit that doesn't take a ton of points to get into and still produces good bone, yeh I know, so does everyone else, anyway it was good to hear from an Oregun mulie hunter, thanks again, Paul.

[Springville Shooter]

I don't know what exactly you are looking for, but I used to hunt the Klamath Falls unit and the interstate unit. Both can be drawn with little or no points. These units are far from trophy zones, but offer opportunity to hunt mulies in the high desert with the chance to harvest a good buck once in a while. We killed 18-20 inch bucks a few times. We did always see legal bucks though so if you're a guy who just wants to get a mulie and you hunt a little harder than average, I think you could be successful in these areas. If you get the right weather, or are willing to walk into the wilderness, big bucks can be had in the interstate unit.-----shooter

[TagSoup]

I have two friends who hunt Chesnimnus regularly for archery elk. They indicate that deer numbers where they hunt are poor. They've been hunting it for several years now and I trust if it was any good for deer they would be putting in for it for rifle tags-they don't. They hunt a different unit for deer. Oregon seems to be a toss up for good mule deer.

[pram-z]

What am I looking for?, well my best buck to date is a 186, with some 150-160's so I would really like to improve on my numbers. I don't know if that is possiable without alot of luck in Oregon. I have hunted North Warner a couple of times, with moderate success, and it's not bad, but wanted to try something differant, but it sounds like Chesnimnus may not be the place to look. I know the Steen's were good at one time but that is long gone. Thanks for all your input, maybe we'll just keep looking. Paul

[The MC Hammer]

Yeah the glory days in the Steens Unit are LONG gone. My dad and I went there during August and went on several long hikes looking for bucks. We didn't see a single buck during the three days we were there.
The Snake River Unit might be a good one to check out. It's a beautiful area and if you're in good shape, you might be able to find a good buck.
Best of luck!

[Springville Shooter]

I hunted snake river two years ago an I would avoid it. I hunted hard for 7 days and saw very few deer, and no good bucks. I would absolutely recommend this zone for elk and sheep, but not deer. If you just want a small buck that you will work hard for, this zone is ok.----shooter

[The MC Hammer]

Yeah, I actually had the tag in '08. We didn't see very many bucks and no big ones. I did kill a decent 3x4 with eye guards though. We talked to the biologist over there and he said that it was just a bad year. He said he expected much better buck numbers in the years to come. Hopefully he is right!

[pram-z]

Well thanks for the heads-up on the Snake River unit. I've seen the Snake from both the Idaho and Oregon side, now twenty years ago I thought it looked pretty sweet. At 55 I don't think it looks so hot. No I don't think I'll hunt it, thanks anyway for responding to my post. I guess I'll just keep looking and reading this forum for hints. Thanks again guys.