2011 Central Oregon Elk Camp

 

This year’s 2011 Central Oregon Elk Camp by Cent-Wise Sporting Goods and Steve and Kathy Simpson was held at the Simpson’s private Elk ranch in Terrebonne Oregon. Nestled along the foothills of the majestic Cascade Mountain Range, the Simpson Elk Ranch features a mix of 100 cows and 100 bull Elk. The Lower Bridge herd is bred for their unique renewable resource, velvet. For centuries past, the Far East has used velvet covered Elk antler to increase energy and endurance, strengthen joints and the immune system, improve memory, and other medicinal purposes.

Me and Cathy Allman from Cent-Wise Sporting Goods

There is nothing that gets over 75 Elk hunters more excited and ready for hunting season than spending the day surrounded by beautiful mountains and a herd of over 200 head of Elk, talking Elk and Elk hunting all while sharpening their hunting skills. The action packed day featured a fantastic lineup of guest speakers and seminar topics. Hunters prepared themselves for season with a wide range of topics and a multitude of speakers such as:

•  Steve Chappell of Bugling Bull Game Calls discussed “Calling Big Bulls”

•  Blake Miller of Outdoor Quest taught “Understanding GPS and Topo Maps”

•  Karl Findling of Oregon Pack Works “10 Tips for Successful Backcountry Packing”

• Troy Niemann, co-author of the Northwest Elk Academy video “Rifle & Archery Tactics for Elk”

• Gary Lewis award winning author and host of Gary Lewis’ Adventure Journal “After the Shot Tracking & Follow-Up

• Mike Slinkard of Winner’s Choice Strings & HECS “ HECS Technology”

• Karl Matous retired Navy emergency responder “Medical & Practical Preparedness in the Wilderness”
• Scott Wegner, Wildlife Specialist with Land O’ Lakes Purina Feed Company “Successful Food & Feed Plots”
• Steve Simpson, owner of the Simpson Elk Ranch “Field Judging & Scoring Bull Elk”

Sharing my public land Elk scouting adventures to the crowd, I discussed my pre-season scouting tactics. Everyone loved seeing the multiple 300+ class public land bull Elk trail camera pictures that I integrated into my seminar. That chance at a big public land bull keeps us heading back into the high country year after year. I enjoyed having given everyone some tips on how to find those big bulls before season increasing their odds of success on public lands.

One of the trail camera photos that I shared with the audience.

Excitement was peaked while experiencing the thrill of being up close and personal with a herd of multiple 400+ class bull Elk. For lunch, award winning Outdoor Chef Kurt Ploetz, grilled up BBQ’d Bacon Swiss Elk burgers with all the fixin’s.

Troy Niemann and I with Chef Kurt getting ready to fill up on Elk burgers.

By the end of the day over $2,500 worth of door prizes were distributed to attendees with proceeds from the day’s events going to the Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation. Sending out a huge thank you to Cent-Wise Sporting Goods and Steve and Kathy Simpson for putting together such a remarkable event uniting hunters and helping fulfill a lifelong hunting dream to children who have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness. I am proud to have been a small part of such an incredible day and am looking forward to participating in an even bigger event next year.

Participants looking over a few of the many door prizes at the day's event.

For additional information about 2012’s Central Oregon Elk Camp contact 

Tori Allman at Cent-Wise Sporting Goods at 541-548-4422

For additional information about Hunt of a Lifetime Oregon Chapter, please visit the website at 

Hunt of a Lifetime Oregon Chapter

A special thanks to the fantastic line up of sponsors

Steve & Kathy Simpson
All Sports                                                                                          Sightron 10x32 Binoculars
Alpen Optics                                                                                     Shasta Ridge 390 SR Binoculars
Ameristep Blinds                                                                               Hunting Blind
AMP-3                                                                                             Professional Grade First Aid Kit
ASAT                                                                                               ASAT Camoflauge Suit
Bank of the Cascades                                                                        Howa .338 Rile Package fro Rifle
BaseImage                                                                                        Hunting Unit Topo Map Set
Bowtech Archery                                                                              Assassin Bow Package
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               Martin Firecat Bow
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               Garmin E-Trex Summit GPS
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               5 Pounds of Elk Backstrap Steak
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               Cent-Wise Elk Hats
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               4 Burner BBQ Grill
Game Plan Gear                                                                                Soft Bow Case
HECS, LLC                                                                                      HECS Suit
Hunten Outdoors                                                                               Infrared Trail Camera
Hydrographics                                                                                   Two $150 Dipping Certificates
Lifetime Memories                                                                             Wooden Hunters Photo Album
Montana Decoys                                                                               Elk Decoy
NRA                                                                                                 Three Gun Cases
Oregon Pack Works                                                                         Orion Back Pack System
Outdoor Edge                                                                                   Skin n’ Bone Knife Set
Pole Pack                                                                                         Pole Pack Unit
Land O’ Lakes                                                                                 Purina Deer & Elk Chow
Rocky Mountain Spices                                                                    Assortment of Sauces
Skulladermy                                                                                     $150 Gift Certificate

Backcountry Hunting Gear List



Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

 

Under armour clothing

All items must be washed in unscented detergents prior to entering the field

· Ridge Reaper Crew Socks (1 pair for every 2-3 days)

· Base Layer Top and Bottom1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 (1 for every 2-3 days)

· Ridge Reaper Pant (Men’s & Women’s Lightweight Performance) Evo Camo Pant (Women’s light weight) Quest Pant (Women’s ArmourStorm Insulated)

· Ridge Reaper Jacket (Men’s & Women’s Lightweight Performance) Quest Jacket ( Women’s Armour Storm Insulated)

· Ridge Reaper ES Hoody (Men’s) Evo Camo Hoody (Women’s) or Camo FZ Hoody (Women’s)

· Ridge Reaper Shell Jacket & Bib Pant (Scent Capture Technology, 100% Waterproof & Windproof)

· Gaiters

· Hurlock Glove (Coldgear), Ridger Reaper Glove or Women’s Camo Glove

· Cap, Beanie, Neck Gaiter

· Facemask

Under armour Footwear

· UA Speed Freek (Early Season, 100% Waterproof Goretex)

· UA Siberia (Cold Weather 800g. Primaloft Insulation, 100% Waterproof Goretex)

· UA Strut- Camp Shoes

· Blister kit (Moleskin, Blister Band-Aids)

Sleeping

· Backpack Tent or Bivy Sack

· Sleeping bag

· Thermarest or similar product

Equipment

· Eberlestock JP9 Blue Widow

· Eberlestock Mini Me Daypack

· Hunting knife, Leatherman tool, Compact Limb Saw, Havalon Knife/scalpel

· Rifle– Sling & Scope Cover, Nosler Ammunition

· Bow– Sling on backpack, Arrows, Broadheads, Allen wrenches, String wax

· Flashlight/Headlamp (extra batteries)

· Water Filter & Tablets

· GPS, Map, Compass

· Mini fuel stove & fuel bottles (2, 22oz bottles)

· Compact Cook wear, Utensils, Cup

· Wilderness Athlete Performance Products, Dehydrated Food, Jerky, Granola, Trail mix, Instant Oats, Dried fruit, Packaged Tuna . Plan 2,000-3,500 calories of food per day, roughly consisting of 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, 20% Fat.

Swarovski Optik & Accessories

· EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars, Harness & Soft Cover

· 65mm HD Spotting Scope w/ 20-60x Eyepiece

· 8x30 Laser Range Finder

· Tripod

· Lens cleaner/cloth/lens pen

Personal hygiene

· Toothbrush & Paste

· Small liquid soap

· Unscented Deodorant

· Toilet Paper (Stored in Zip lock Bag)

· Lip balm w/SPF

· Unscented baby wipes

· Basic Medicine (Advil or Aleve, Neosporin, Immodium, Throat Lozenges)

· Small first aid kit

· Sun block

· Insect repellant

Miscellaneous

· Liquid Smoke

· Bugling Bull Game Calls

· Camera (extra memory card)

· Small Videocamera

· Sunglasses

· Satellite Phone, SPOT

· Zip lock Bags (a few quart sized & gallon sized)

· Garbage Bags (a few leaf bags are best)

· Game Bags (2-3)

· Small notepad and pencil

· Hot Hands

· Cloth tape measure

· Flagging tape

· Nylon cord

· Repair Kit (needle, thread, duct tape) minimal qty.

· Outdoor Safe Survival Kit & Metal Match

Conditioning

· 40-90 Pound Pack

· Comfortably and safely transport yourself into remote country. Have mind & body preparedness.

· Crossfit or Weight Training

· Cardiovascular–

      Train realistically such as hiking with weighted pack

      Wear the same footwear that you will be wearing in the field

· Be comfortable and proficient with your bow/rifle. Practice in multiple shooting angles and conditions. Know your shooting limitations.

· www.outdoorsafe.com

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Solo Scouting: Gain the Public Land Advantage

Typically the sound of my alarm going off at 4:00 am causes me to roll over, hit the snooze button and pull the covers over my head wishing that I could go back to sleep uninterrupted; on this morning however when my alarm sounded off, I jumped out of bed. 

My first solo scouting trip of the year into the backcountry signifies that my favorite time of year, archery Elk season, is just over the horizon. Once I loaded my horse Fury and mule Otis into my trailer, we made the two and a half hour drive to a majestic place in the National Forest that I have been fortunate enough to hunt over the years. 

Hunting public land, I am always looking for ways to gain the advantage over the next hunter whether it comes to spending countless hours conditioning in the gym, shooting my bow, preseason scouting, mastering the art of calling Elk, or reading anything and everything that I can get my hands on hunting related. My philosophy is that you can never learn too much and often times you can take bits and pieces of information that you find relevant from a plethora of sources and figure out what works best for you. 

I found this bull in a bachelor herd.

My goal for this trip was to set up three different locations with trail cameras so that I can better establish patterns of Elk movement, determine which bulls are in the area as residents or passing through, and of course I want to see antlers on film, a sneak peek of what is to come during hunting season. 

As time goes by, with the help of my trail cameras, I will be able to better monitor when the herds of bachelor bulls start to break up in search for estrous cows. Plus as I revisit the area over the next 5 weeks, I will be able to identify the exact week that the bulls start to scrape the velvet off their antlers and begin territorial marking areas. The more I can learn before season starts about past and current behavior patterns, the better I am able to anticipate future behavior and strategies for hunting. 

I made quick work of organizing and loading all my gear onto Otis and struck out cross country through some of Mother Nature’s steepest, roughest terrain covering over a 12 mile span (as a crow flies).  I had anticipated riding most of the trip because I was leading a pack mule; what I hadn’t anticipated was the change in terrain over the course of a single year that would force me to walk most of the trip. 

The vegetation had grown to heights that I have never before witnessed, creeks and streams in places that are normally dry, countless mud bogs, and new windfall that caused me to zigzag mercilessly across the mountain. All of this on top of topography that is either straight up or straight down. I had my work cut out for me; double that work load since I was solo and I chose to take the “Rookies” of my livestock herd. 

Thick vegetation made for slow travel.

Going in, I had already pre-determined where my trail cameras were going to be placed. All three locations have similar attributes; close proximity to heavily used game trails between bedding and feeding areas in an area that has a nearby water source or wallow. I did vary the elevation levels of my chosen camera sights in order to capture movement patterns more accurately. 

This wallow will be tore up in another month.

After 11 hours, I finally made it back to my horse trailer; exhausted but thrilled in having accomplished my goal.  Successfully hunting public lands requires a lot of hard work and even more heart. I am passionate in my pursuit of Elk and am constantly working towards finding ways to make it happen, giving myself the advantage over the next hunter. 

Training hard, scouting hard, doing what it takes, pushing through preconceived personal limitations, you are on public land, you are doing it yourself, you have to dig deep and give it everything you’ve got. 

The same day I set up my trail camera, this bull was photographed. 

Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

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Under Armour Always Lethal Website
Join the Swarovski North America Women Hunting Facebook Page

Under armour clothing

Evo Cold Gear Pants

Base 1.0 Long Sleeve Top

Charged Cotton T-Shirt

Ridge Reaper Crew Socks

Under armour footwear

Valsetz Boots

Gear List & equipment

Swarovski EL 42 Binoculars

Eberlestock X1 Backpack

Garmin GPS

Hunten Outdoors Trail Cameras

DIY Elk Hunting Basics Seminar Outline

 Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

 

Pre-Season Scouting

· Daily need for food, water, safety areas & bedding areas

· Put your topo maps & google earth  to work to help determine areas that elk will be attracted to.

                 √Saddles- Natural crossing points for animals to travel

                 √Benches- Common bedding areas

                 √North West Slopes- Common bedding facing due to more shade, vegetation, humidity & water.

                 √South Facing Slopes & Open Meadows- Host feeding areas

                 √Water- Locate possible drinking and wallowing locations

                 √Look for areas that lack roads and man trails; out of the way and hard to reach

                 √Keep a journal, mark informative way points into your GPS. Feeding areas, bedding areas,

                   game trails, water/wallows, fresh scrapes or rubs

                 √Trail cameras

Rut Phases

· Summer

       Bulls in high elevation in velvet; cows in rich feeding areas

· Pre– Rut

       Scrape velvet end of August

       End Aug. first of Sept. begin to leave bachelor herds

       Start looking for estrous cows

· Peak Rut

       Estrous lasts no longer than 14 hours & repeats up to 3 times per season or every 21 days if not bred-

       Visual changes

       Vocalization changes

       Chemical changes– Pheromones

       Timed so that when birth occurs when the habitat is condusive to raising young

· Post Rut

       Younger satelight bulls tend to still be eager to come in to calls in October

Where & how

· Preseason scout likely hunting areas– look for sign, water, food and security

· Talk to local and state fish and wildlife officials

· Tell a story using vocalizations & movement

         Cow in heat

         Young Bull chasing cows

         Old Herd Bull

Outside factors

· Wind– Typically thermals go down in the morning when the air is cool and heavy & up when the air           temperature starts to warm. Wind direction can change suddenly.

· Moon Phase- affects patterns, migration and behavior

· Weather-a factor in patterning, migration and behavior as they vary depending on weather conditions

· Barometric Pressure-affects patterns, migration, behavior & vocalization

· Typically Elk are most active during the morning and evenings; watch for moon phase

Elk language

· Herd talk-

                 Mew

                 Chirp

                 Estrous

                 Hyper Estrous

·  Bugling:

                 - Location: Locate other bulls or cows

                   One, two or three note high to low non-aggressive or low-high

                   No growl or chuckle

                 -Display: Impress cows as dominate bull, establish pecking order

                  3 Note with lip ball & chuckle

                 -Challenge: Territorial, fight call

                   High note scream with hard fast chuckle

Early season set up

· Set up in a location that you have scouted pre-season & where the elk will likely hear your vocalizations

· Territory marking strategies

· Herd sounds

· Bulls will often come in silent so be patient

· Use early season to your advantage, bulls are still in bachelor herds or alone looking for cows

· Elk will frequently come in down-wind of your call so use that knowledge to your advantage

· Create excitement in the area with vocalization sequence telling a story

· 70-80 yard hang up

· Be patient

Peak Rut Vocal set up

· Hunt with a partner; one shoots, one calls– Shooter does not ever call unless to stop for shot opportunity

· Caller 60-80 yards behind shooter– Allows caller to make adjustments or run away etc.

· Bugling– Knowing how, when, and how much

· If what you are doing is working, DO NOT change it.

· Set up shooter and have caller move away, rake trees etc.

· Bugle on responding bulls level unless he is not coming in then up it to create more excitement

· Satelight bulls often come in silent so be prepared

- Elk will frequently come in down-wind of your call so use that knowledge to your advantage

Other considerations

· Use of scents

· Use of decoys

· Trust your camo– don’t hide behind heavy brush as it may impede your shot options

· Accidental bump– Let bull/herd settle down before calling to them. Keep things calm and emotion low.

· Cow or non-shooter comes in– Run them off quickly followed by a bugle telling the story of a more dominate bull either running off a smaller bull or stealing cows.

 Bugling Bull Game Call Co. Website

 Pursue the Wild Website

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