Thread: Hunting deer/elk What do I really need? (and need to know)

Since I am looking at trying my hand on deer hunting this thread has been helpful. I had a couple of questions to, sorry if its a thread jack.

For the orange blaze camo would a top work? I was told my cartharts double knees would be fine for bottoms and either a camo top with a high vis vest or hat would be fine? Is there any opinions on whats a better setup?

Another thing is for the scouting part is there somewhere to find out where would be good to look? I live in Corvallis and I saw in another thread Alsea isnt to bad, didnt know if there were certain areas that are ok to hunt in or what the deal is.

Theres about 4 or 5 us that want to try our luck this year and all of of are new. Though the wife and I might just go with family that are experienced and have been doing it for years. Just wanted to know in case we decided to stay more local to us.

Originally Posted by STNOSU

Since I am looking at trying my hand on deer hunting this thread has been helpful. I had a couple of questions to, sorry if its a thread jack.

For the orange blaze camo would a top work? I was told my cartharts double knees would be fine for bottoms and either a camo top with a high vis vest or hat would be fine? Is there any opinions on whats a better setup?

Another thing is for the scouting part is there somewhere to find out where would be good to look? I live in Corvallis and I saw in another thread Alsea isnt to bad, didnt know if there were certain areas that are ok to hunt in or what the deal is.

Theres about 4 or 5 us that want to try our luck this year and all of of are new. Though the wife and I might just go with family that are experienced and have been doing it for years. Just wanted to know in case we decided to stay more local to us.

your in a good area the further away from the big cites like portland where the weekend warriers hunt the better if you read the other thread i think you did where the guy from your area hunts as he mentioned the back sides of farm lands ect are good but the alsea is a good area so you won't have to go far. get a map and learn the area do some scouting and look for fresh sign right now is a good time to look before hunting season starts then the deer go into hiding but if you have a idea of where they are then you'll know where to hunt. if its first time take the hunters ed advice or look into hunter ed books

the amount of hunter orange is up to you on how safe you want to be another thing do not ware deer/elk colors like white, tan, brown, or

Originally Posted by whutdidyousay

And I had hoped to go with someone I know.

It's August, you've got time to make friends on here!

Thanks for the reply, I jsut didnt know if it was cool to just pull off somewhere and take a hike. That part is a lil different for me and didnt know what is kosher.

Originally Posted by STNOSU

Thanks for the reply, I jsut didnt know if it was cool to just pull off somewhere and take a hike. That part is a lil different for me and didnt know what is kosher.

just make sure its not private property. a lot of logging companies will allow trasspassing during hunting season they usually have signs stating land use rules at their entrances

some of the hunter specific maps will tell you where the public lands are like national and state forest and BLM land if you can get a farmers permission to hunt their land (and sometimes they will if they are having a neusence problem with deer) your golden

for example i heard in the Steins unit the farmers were having so much problems with elk coming into their fields (drove out of the wood cause of increasing cougar population) that they were driving into town looking for orange hats to come out and hunt their land.

you have a really good advantage over the hunters living the portland area that have to travel to find good hunting areas (although there are lots of deer on private property and in areas around houses we had deer behind our building at work and i have seen deer on 205 between OC and I5

being close and local gives you the oportunity to really get to know your area

Originally Posted by whutdidyousay

Trust me, I haven't lost hope yet!.... I'll get out there next year if I have to figure out a way to go on my own!

hey i saw your rifle for sale did you give up?

Edited all your comments with "" ????

Hope the wife didn't google ya....

Emphasis on NO BROWN....NO WHITE...NO GRAY...when hunting deer or elk, Some people can grow horns on anything or worse yet....they have a "hair" tag (either sex) which can mean YOU are fair game with those colors...It has happened more than a few times and just not worth it. As far as where to hunt, it always helps to find a landowner but you can hunt on any State or BLM land unless otherwise marked and in time you will find places the deer and elk like to hang out. It can take some years to find the really good spots. They live all over.....but they do favor certain areas.

Cool thanks for all the advice, I have a buddy thats a forest engineer for the BLM out of Eugene I might ask him if he knows any good places around there. Though close to Corvallis would be better. Was also thinking about getting a tag for Turkey to but still debating and depends on if I can get a shotgun.

All above infos are good season veteran advice. Do read the rules and regulation we tend to focus on just shooting. Practice, Practice know your rifle ins and outs know when something is wrong to avoid accident fumble in practice remedy so it does not happen infield and you end up shooting your buddies or hurting yourself. Stuck case feeding round in the chamber rifle not on safety. Small stuff beginners for get. Last have a good view on the back side behind your target make sure no other hunter orange cap on the receiving end.

As for technical Shot placement is so critical I must agree 308, 270, 30-06 most common will take down and NA game. During Sighting in scope time practice with the ammo you wish to hunt with try several to feel for comfort and recoil management which equal to accuracy. Shoot on a rest to have a feel for the trigger and recoil while hunting the game lungs or vital organ is within 5"-8" dinner plate you aim small you will miss small. You will find for yourself heavier bullet grain or heavier caliber yields little comfort thus a miss or large group size. Only practice can tell you which is best suites you! Gortex all the way if you are serious if one time Walmart will have all you need inexpensive to try. You will pay for quality no doubt!!!

Originally Posted by Grizzly_A

Edited all your comments with "" ????

Hope the wife didn't google ya....

I've "removed" the twenty "" posts and made this thread a sticky.

Other people may and will say different, but I hunted with a 300 win. mag. for 25 years. Sure, it's more power than you need in most cases, but with the 300 WM, your margin of error is much larger.

I used a Ruger Redhawk with Leupold scope to kill the last deer I harvested. I used 250 grain partitions. The bullet broke both shoulders and exited. The deer fell in its tracks.

Two years ago, I killed a large Roosevelt cow with a Browning 1892 Winchester in the same caliber shooting 310 grain hard cast bullets at approximately 1700 feet per second. The bullet entered at the rear of the chest cavity and exited the front of the chest. The elk may have moved 10 feet before collapsing.

I collect firearms and usually hunt Rocky Mountain Elk with a Browning A-Bolt SS Stalker with the BOSS. It is the most accurate rifle I have and still my preference for hunting Elk in Eastern Oregon and Colorado. When hunting thick timber , I use a BLR in .358 Winchester with a Bushnell Holoscope. Nothing is better in the woods than holographic sights. It is instant on.

I have killed elk with the .338, a .458 Winchester, the .44 magnum and a .303 British Enfield. The first elk I ever killed was with the .303 that I bought from a mail order dealer for $19.95. The .458 is a Ruger No 1. I use 350 grain Barnes bullets at about 2700 feet per second. I don't know why I ever hunt with the damn thing. It must weigh 11 pounds with a scope. I guess, you never know when an elephant will turn up in the Cascades.

To summarize, if you know your limitations and shoot only when you are assured of making a quick kill, you can harvest an elk with everything from a .243 on up. My brother, who lives in Colorado, has 160 acres on the Wyoming/Colorado border. It is elk city and he has killed several nice bulls with a 243 with 100 grain Nosler Partitions.

1. I think the most important thing to realize when hunting in the pacific northwest is that, most likely, if you hunt deer and elk hard you are not ever going to have the perfect hunting setup. It rains pretty good in washington. Doesn't matter what kind of rain gear you have, western washington/oregon rain will probably find a way to penetrate it. Unless you're wearing Grundens, but those are awful noisy and restricting as far as hunting clothing goes. So you have a couple choices. Keep the clothing at a minimal of cost and accept the fact that you may get wet a little sooner than the rest of the guys. Or you can spend a little more money, stay a little drier, and probably sweat because the gear doesn't breath or its too hot buried under those layers. I wear cheap-o rain gear over a pair of carhartts and it works for me. I get soaked through, but it's not a big deal.

2. I shoot a Tikka T3 lite in .270 win. It is an awesome caliber. A few guys complain about recoil, but its really not an issue. My rifle is super lightweight and I'm a pretty small guy (145 pounds) and the recoil doesn't bother me. .30-06 is very similar. A little more actual recoil, but the recoil is gonna be a little sharper and quicker on a .270. As far as knockdown power goes, you will have no issues using a .270 win on elk, or anything else in north america for that matter.

3. Choose your shot carefully. No wild shots, no compromises on accuracy. If you don't have a solid heart/lung or head shot, probably best not to take it. Gut shots aren't fun for anybody, and nobody likes to lose an animal. Which can be easy in this pacific northwest weather. I have seen blood trails disappear faster than I thought possible in the Washington rain.

4. Whether you kill somethin or not, keep hunting. It'll come with time and experience. It should be about a lot more than the kill itself. Good luck, and have fun!

dont take the shot if you cant make a clean one or are to far away to pack,be prepared for blood and guts, buy a but out haha
keep it simple if you are gonna hunt the coast range a lever action 30-30 is a good choice not to many long shots out here dont shoot into a bush because you here some rasstling and think its abuck dumb people get blood on their hands every year for that reason, dont get excited and forget to verify that the animal atleast is legal

Originally Posted by JC9995

.270 Win is a GREAT Choice. Its my only choice for NA big game. It will take anything your going to hunt for... but as mentioned, shot placement is key. As for a round for that .270... do yourself a favor and check out the Winchester supreme ELITE XP3. This is an awesome round for elk.

The only limitation the .270 Win has is readily available bullet weights. I shot one for years and the 150 gr. bullets commonly on store shelves are fine for deer. I would go at least 180 gr for elk, and those are a little harder to find.