Trad Gang

we need to start getting things worked out for the hunt as far as who's bringing what and who's riding with who etc etc....we will be having three camps in my estimation as to not over saturate any one area.i have everything for one camp except tents.i have one that holds two people and gear.i think if everyone brings a tent then we should be ok.bring a good sleeping bag,i recommend a 5 pound bag as it can and does get plenty cold up there at times.seen it down to single digits.everyone chime in with your ideas,thoughts and plans. '''git'er done'''

I will be comming from central California, I5 to I80 to 95 to 78. Ill be pulling my fifth wheel. I plan on getting there 2 or 3 days before hunting starts. If there is any thing i can do to help just let me know.

fifth wheel? holy hell man....your gonna be my bestus buddy.......we have the perfect place for ya..out by the 41 road is a huge camp area nice and smooth gettin to it

i'll be camped with desert dude in the same area ben,tw,paul,carl and i were camped.no way to get your 5th wheel down there though,you'll have plenty of company as i think we'll have 7-8 guys per camp

I live in Oregon what unit will the tradgang hunt be in?
Thanks

secret.....lol.....silvies is the unit

Although the terrain is fairly mild, I recomend a good pair of boots and very important is a good pair of hiking socks. Hiking socks have extra padding and make a huge difference when covering a lot of ground. Danner Boots has good socks and the Danner Pronghorns worked quite well this past season.

Bring at least a 2200 cubic inch pack. A hydration unit is a plus, but you can get away with water bottles. If you have a 3500 inch, you won't need a pack frame. If you just bring a small pack, I recomend bringing a pack frame. The nice thing about Larry's area, is that there are roads everywhere, so you are never more than a mile from a road.

If you plan on renting a car, I would make it a 4 wheel drive if the cost isn't extreme in difference.

If you can't afford the 4 wheel drive a 2 wheeled vehicle will work fine for 80% of the area you will be hunting.

If you have not hunted elk in the past, I recomend purchasing some Primos or Larry Jones videos for review. Knowing how to set up on bulls and being able to make that immediate decision takes practice. I am a greenhorn for the most part, but I have had decent success in the last 4 seasons.

A good sleeping pad is a must. Town is close, but you will want to determine what you are going to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I doubt I will be there with you guys next year. I am hunting the first 2wks. of the season and more than likely in the Eagle Cap Wilderness or on the edge of it.

If I can assist anyone in anyway, don't hesitate to PM me.

Good luck to all of you guys.

Paul

I think that I will be doing either a drop camp or a DIY in Eagle Cap, same as Paul.

But this will be a great hunt for everyone, I had a blast this year! Larry, watch out for Rick, he is quite the killing machine and one heck of a nice guy.

EAGLE CAPS??????....so not fair    grrrrrrrr....man i love the caps....soooooooo tempting.wish i had a string of horses and 6-8 mules and a leg that didnt throw fits at the worst times.i've lost twelve pounds allready and by next sept i'll be ready to go non stop like i used to.paul and buckster if you go into the caps you'd be better off going all the way in.lot more elk and some huge bulls in there.i'd tell ya exactly where to go but then i'd have to erase your memories   :D

Hey there Elkherder. I plan on making it next year for the tradgang hunt. I need to get my but working out. I have never done any big game hunting other than whitetail deer. Can you give me some pointers and info on what i'll need. I wish I could have made it with been but I would've been a burden. I have a sierra designs 3 man 4 season mountineering tent. I need a cot I can't stand my sleep pad I get almost no sleep and its a thermarest prolite 4. GO figure top of the line sucks.I have a badlands 2200 and a 4500 ci packs w/ hydration bladers.I need to order my new boots. I have an A width foot so no one makes boots to fit me off the shelf.I should have all the wool clothing I will need by then. I have some filson pants and a vest i need shirts. I will also have a wool coat by then. I also have wool underwear. I shoot 7-900 grain arrows out of my 45 and 55 pound bows.  Let me know what you think.

Looks like I will be riding up with Maury from southern Calif. He has a 4x4 new Tundra. looks like either his tent trailer or tents for us. We have a couple of pop-up awnings, camp table, lanterns, tarps, ice chests, camp stove, 15gal fresh drinking water. Larry, do you think Maury &I can get a tent trailer in to our camp spot? What ever else you need from us let us know.

i use predator camo...any brand of camo that has a good broken pattern will do...just pretend you're going on a weeklong deer hunt/camping trip...good tent,bag,heavy coat for bad weather,heavy socks/light socks.we will need all of the utensils,stoves etc for two camps...i have everything for one camp including one tent but we will need several per camp.i'd say two people per tent is ok.we will buy all the grub in burns the day we all meet at the truck stop in hines.i suggest getting a cow call...primos hoochie momma and baby hoochie are good...i found a new one this year that works great...primos cowgirl...works great on bulls,i took the bottom (bell)off of it and it sounds pretty real,cows loved it and the bulls scream at it.

Most inportent items. a shovel and tp. Larry let me know what else I can bring. I'm set up on most if not all my gear. Starting now to get in shape, I want to be able to Hunt, and pack out elk as needed. I also have pots, pans, paper plates, and things along that line.

Larry,  what your set up for elk? Just seeing if I'm on the right track....

Mark

PS....Thanks for starting this, Maury and I are pumped.....

rent some elk videos and watch them over and over until you are an elk callin machine...practice is very important.keep at it until you are a good caller.i can sound like several elk by myself but if you have two guys doing the same then you sound like a group of elk and thats a good thing.

my setup is...mohawk...60#...650 gr arrow...180 gr snuffers

tent trailor may drag on the water diversion ditches they have across the road every 100 feet it seems...tents would be best so he doesn't trash his trailor as its fairly rough gettin into the spot i want to camp at.its his choice but i would do the tent and cot thing.

Will do, Just tell what I need to do and learn. My new bow came in a little on the lite side (54#) about 56# @29" I was hoping it would be closer to 60#. We have a trad shoot this weekend in Pasadena and I'll put her through the mill. I think I'm going to send her back for one closer to 60# where I'm more comfortable. My arrows are right at 600gr with either the new (just got today) VPA 250gr 1 1/4 or a Eskimo 4bld. I'm a gear guy, worked in the archery biz for 6 years while also serving in the navy. I'm eating this stuff up!!!!!!!!!!

pretty much just get a couple cow calls and learn how to use them correctly and you should be good to go bro....watch some elk vids so you can get even more worked up....lol

Larry, I've got a M-1950 canvas squad tent that I can throw in the mix as well.  Can hold 6 dudes, but I would say 3 or 4 and their gear, plus heating element.  Just made a new bow with John Strunk, so I may wait until then to use her...

How much are you guys figuring it will cost a guy for this, not including travel? What is the closest place to fly into and is there anyone going who would be willing to pick me up there. Would love to go but money is tight and since I found out today I'm within a breath of losing my job it may not even be an issue.  :(

i can pick you up at portland airport warrior...tag and license for out of state is less than 450.00

Elkherder: What are you figuring for food and other costs over there? Being on the opposite side of the country I have no idea what the prices on stuff are like there. Funny though, if I get to go I'll probably be flying OUT of Portland....Maine that is  :)

Since I'll be flying does anyone have room for a snorer in their tent or at least an extra one I can put out at the edge of camp!  ;)

QuoteOriginally posted by Highlandwarrior:
Elkherder: What are you figuring for food and other costs over there? Being on the opposite side of the country I have no idea what the prices on stuff are like there. Funny though, if I get to go I'll probably be flying OUT of Portland....Maine that is   :)  

Since I'll be flying does anyone have room for a snorer in their tent or at least an extra one I can put out at the edge of camp!   ;)  

Once you get out here, you might consider sharing some fuel cost, which wouldn't be much.

You will only need food, so figure on about 10 to 15 a day for that and you will be fine.

Outside of fuel and food there isn't a whole lot to spend money on.

Once you hit the ground, if you are conservative, you shouldn't spend over $200.00 provided you bring all of the essentials with you.

You might ask Buckster what he spent this year as he was an out of towner.

blacktail thanks for the info,

how long do you guys plan on being there?

I will be coming from billings Montana on 90 if anyone is on the way. I have 2 12x14 wall tents.

also what month, I'm guessing sept.?

I just did a quick search and found that I can fly out there for 300-350, that was a surprise!
so itsounds like for me $1000 should do it. Providing I can keep my job, I think even I could come up with that in a year.

Oh and by the way where exactly are we hunting? I came into this late so I'm not sure on any of the details. sorry, I just heard tradgang elk hunt and jumped on it!

How can a guy get in on this hunt?  I'd love to go.....yes I am inviting myself.

I have a wall tent and can use my folks' pop-up trailer if that helps my cause any... :)

still have room jim.you'll only need to pitch in on the food for your camp warrior...every camp will be decided before we get to go time...when all is decided the camps can converse with each other and figure out who has what...warrior...me being a snoring machine myself i guess you could bunk with me....oughta keep bigfoot outta camp eh.  :D

we are hunting out of burns/hines oregon (eastern)first week last saturday of august is opening weekend.

Larry,what about the beginning of the season? It is usually slow like most places in the Rockies?Felix

this year was unreal...though we did not connect and i passed on a yearling we were in the elk heavy every time we went out,even had the bulls screaming the first week of season.now all we need is next august to get here.

list so far:
desertdude
maury
wt pops
wannabe1
southpawshooter
hackbow
brent hill
slivrslingr
larry
guss
bamboo
mike bolin
travisc406
jimikinz

I can vouch for what Larry says. I was only there 3 days and every time we were out, we had action. I missed my shot at a yearling.   :rolleyes:

if we have 7 per camp thats 21 total...we need to limit camp size as to be sure every camp has room to hunt...there are some i dont have on here i'm sure.

Larry,
Glad to see this hunt coming together.  Sent you a PM.

Chris

elkherder, My buddy and I hunted not far from where you are going this year. He killed a cow the second day, and I missed an opportunity (chose not to shoot) on a really nice 6x6. We will be returning this year but not until the 3rd week. Good luck to all of you.

Also, some locals there were talking that next year they were going to make the silvies unit a draw. Have you heard anthing on that??

Elkherder: Go ahead and add my name to the list. As long as I can keep my job it shouldn't be a problem. Also thanks for offering to pick me up at the airport and inviting me to bunk with you. And ya we'll make sure bigfoot gets the nice, polite, quiet sleepers!  ;)

no i hadn't heard that...its always been draw for rifle and open for archery...hope not a draw unit now or we're screwed...i'll check into it....why the he~~ would you pass on a 6 ? to far ?

elkherder, would it be possible for me to ship (UPS or FedEx) my gear to you prior to the hunt? I figure it would be cheaper to ship it than to fly it with me as luggage.....probably safer too! As of right now, my son thinks that he will have enough frequent flier miles to get me out there and back as a combo birthday/Christmas present. I figured on renting a small suv, depending on the price of course. Thanks, Mike

checked with odfw and silvies is still an open area for general season....license and tags are going up to 641.00 up from 438.00 this year....bummer man....mike...yes you can ship your gear to me no problem at all...i have a very safe garage to store it in thats insured so you're safe doing that.

you're in highland

We're not far off from having the whole state a draw for archery and the non-resident tags are going to go higher. The state is hurting for money!!!

yup...gotta get it somewhere i guess eh

What ever Maury and I can do to help, please let us know.

Larry, I'm in as well.  I have a truck, a large tent, and plenty of stinky socks for the snorer's!  I can also pick up some dudes at the Portland Airport.  OB

cool

elkherder, No it was not too far, I watched him for 15 minutes at a wallow and I was just about 14 yards away in my treestand. I was waiting for him to step to one side of the tree that was blocking me. As he cleared the tree I had a split second to shoot and I did not want to gut shoot him. I felt it better to let him go than risk a bad shot. My heart was pumping though. All in all, we saw a lot of elk every day, I just could not seal the deal on one.

Larry, is this and either sex hunt? Can I by a deer tag? Is deer either sex?

QuoteOriginally posted by DesertDude:
Larry, is this and either sex hunt? Can I by a deer tag? Is deer either sex?

Elk is either sex, but deer is buck only and the deer hunting is extremely poor.

The unit does not meet management objectives of 15 bucks per 100 does. Per the wildlife bio in this area, this unit is 13 bucks per 100 does.

I was in this unit for 10 days and saw 8 bucks total.

There are a lot of elk, but our deer herds are suffering from predators.

Hope this helps.

Sweet, more options....

as it stands now, still planning on coming, I've got a tent that will hold three, maybe four non snorers...lol. not sure how I'm getting there yet, don't much care for flying, but it looks like about a four day drive. If I drive, I'll have a 4x4 truck, if I fly, not sure.

I can shed some light on the deer hunting there. We saw a lot of legal bucks, could have easily taken 4 of them (we did not buy a tag for deer). That being said, the deer herd is poor and all we saw were spikes. A local shot a nice forkie. The deer were generally up on the ridges and we saw most of them off the road while driving in and out of our hunting area.
Another interesting thing is that the deer have jet-black horns. The area is a large burn area and the horns on the deer are really cool looking being like a highly polished black color.  I always find that if I buy a deer tag, I will not get the opportunity because I am spending my time on elk, but when I did not buy the tag, I had several opportunities----funny how that works isnt it.

All of you will have a blast, I will be heading up there again the 3rd week as my schedule permits. Take care Ben.

Thank you for the information...

When is the cougar season, just in case we come across one!  :D

not sure...go to oregon department of fish and wildlife and all the answers you need are there.there are tons of deer in this area you just gotta go after them.most of the deer are in the burn area from 1990.pretty hard to hunt'em out there.the biggest problem on the 41 road is poachers.i used to drive up from the 47 to timberline and see 100 deer,plenty of bucks too.poachers have these deer running way before you ever see them.

license's and tags have gone through the roof for out of staters...deer tag is up to around 350.00....elk went up to 500.50...license is 140.00 now...these fees are up for the first time since 1992 but man did they take a jump.
elk tag,deer tag and license will set you back 991.00 or close to it

another view of the deer being mostly young is the rifle hunters hit that area pretty hard and shoot the fist legal buck they see..no problem but if you take all of the young bucks all the time then the big bucks die out and poof yer screwed and that being a draw area for rifle the only thing you see is the forkies then poof there goes the crop of bucks for the next year...endless cycle...repeated year after year...poor management.need to reduce tags and go to 4 point or better.then set up some traps for poachers and things would improve greatly.the burn area holds most of the big bucks,bed under the rimrock in the shade then after dark they come out.

Larry,you have a PM.I get all the camping staff I can need and a Tahoe living from Denver,Felix

good cacciatore

this sounds like its coming together!southpaw and i did a drop camp in sept--in colorado--what a blast--didn't score but came real close!we'll be flying in--the airlines are getting real stupid about baggage-so we'll need to buy out there[food/and cooking gear/tent/cot]and i'm glad larry thinks highly of the cow-girl call-its the only one i could use!![cheap too!!]i hope the tag costs stay reasonable!! what are the dates for this shindig??--what about meat processing-available--w/shipping??this is gonna rock!!

This is getting exciting - looking forward to it!  We'll likely fly out, maybe ship some gear ahead to Larry (if that's OK with Larry) and purchase food on arrival. Less than a year to go!    :jumper:

I hope Larry has a trailer or maybe even a semi! Before long he may have all our stuff!

lol....i have a large double locked insured fully garage you guys can store all your stuff in until you arrive.there is a meat packer in burns,pretty fair prices.

You guys will need a village of tipis! lol

lol....wanna be chief snag?

ohhhh...semi-trailor....hmmmm...see what you meant by that now,derrrrr...tranporting to burns...gonna have to work on that one...my buddy carl will be coming and he has a large enclosed trailor so he may be willing to haul everything to burns for us...he's 60 and i'm gonna be setting him up a treestand over a water station. i will have to ask him.i'm sure he would not mind.

i'll also be going to burns scouting a few times before season,may just haul everything over and put it in a storage unit and put some insurance on it.any other ideas?

Well if Carl is willing to haul it all, I'm sure all of us will pack out the entire animal- and maybe even him too, if he wants!  :biglaugh:

That is if he gets one, shouldn't be too much of a problem over water though should it?

he'll get one.i have a great spot picked out for him right below a bedding area.elk,deer sign everywhere.the place he'll be is quad friendly so recovery of an elk will be a snap.i also spotted a nice big heavy horned muley in the general area he will be.

opening day of archery season is always the last saturday of august...i think thats the 28th next year so the week of the 28th ...we can always stay a little longer to  :readit:

I didnt realize there were muleys in the area!

ohhh yaaaa....muleys were plentifull this year...just gotta work hard for a good buck...i dont hunt deer typically but buy my tag just in case.over the years we have seen bucks that had a hard time lifting their heads up from the rack weight.i used to have some pics of a group of bucks we saw bedded in the burn area below some huge rocks...there were 11 bucks in one spot and every one of them was a wallhanger biggest was pushing 200 inches easy.carl hunts deer but my time is spent on elk...i'll plug a coastal doe if offered the shot but elk is my game.

I'll be going for Elk primarily myself,but my luck would be that I'd see every other legal animal but Elk and have no tag, so I'm thinking I need to find other ways to gather funds to get more tags!

So I just looked at the Oregon Fish and Game site and it looks like legal game where and when we will be, with over the counter tags is: Elk, all Deer species, Black Bear, Cougar and Squirrel. Cougar has a mortality quota and may be shut down though. Cool this is Bear and Cougar are the cheapest tags both together being about the same as an Elk tag. Hmmm lotsa money, but missed opportunities would make me cry, decisions, decisions

better to pass on the bear tag...none there that i've ever seen.hows 1 in 15 years sound?

See its good to have inside info! Hard to believe in that area though, should be tons of them. Weird how a seemingly perfect habitat can be without animals sometimes

I have an extra tent that will hold 2 people and there gear (I think it's a 6 man) and a extra bag (40"w x 80" L) if someone needs them. I can round up cook stuff also if needed. What ever I can do to help just ask....

Mark

might wanna skip the couger tag to...never see them either...heard of 1 seen and 1 killed in same time frame...be a waste of your money i'm thinkin.deer and elk in one week will keep you plenty busy.

See ya just don't know my luck! I'm telling you they could not even exist there, but if there were tags to buy and I didn't get one I'd see the only cougar seen in 50 years. Now I can shoot bear here, but cougar not so much. If it doesnt go up I might get it, if it does I'll probably skip it and spend the week lookin' at 'em  :bigsmyl:

its goin up

I am not Chief material Elkherder. You'll have to have a big kitchen setup! What direction from Burns are you making camp?

up the 47 road a ways....if i told you any more i'd have to erase your memory   :D    :p    :D

Well I really wanted to make it but I saw the Tags Jumped over $200 and I just can't swing that. Especially if I am the only one from ohio coming with no one to carpool with. Bummer. I thought I was going to get the chance to finally hunt the one thing I have always wanted to hunt. Well good luck to the rest of you. I hope your arrows fly straight and connect hard. Happy hunting.

Earlier this year, Oregon raised their fees for all license and tags and the from a review of info in the Oregonian, it will hit non-residents hard. Avg increase for none-res. Hunting, fishing, deer, elk, etc is 60%. Licenses and tags sales close when the season opens and their website reflects 2009 fees.
www.dfw.state.or.us/ (http://www.dfw.state.or.us/)

yup....gonna cost a bunch more

I really would love to come but I can't justify spending that much on the "opportunity" to get a big chunk of meat and a good story, atleast not right now. Maybe some day.

I'll be comimg up from Dallas if any one from this area wants to drive.  I may bring my 4x4 or fly depending on if there are any takers.  Look forward to meetin yall.  Felix, will you be there?

Is there a spot still available?  I've been wanting to try something like this for a while. Thanks George

My wife said I'm flying, so I'm flying.  Where is the best aiport to fly into.  I'm having some difficulty finding a 4x4 rental.  Any leads ?  Is any one interested in going in half for the 4x4.  We can arange to flyin and out at roughly the same time and split the cost of the truck ??  Thanks, Bhill

Brent,if you can like the long ride I live from Denver with my Tahoe.

portland international brent.i can find a 4x4 for you to rent.i'll check into it

A 4X4? Really need that? I would think a regular 2 wheel PU would work just fine over there.

4x4 is best...need clearance to get up and down some of the side roads...2x4 may work though if you dont travel off the main roads.

Felix, thanks for the offer to drive, but I'm going to fly.  I'm feeling like a sissy.  I look forward to finally getting to share a camp with you and thank you in person for my ks 59.  
Thanks, elkherder with the 4x4.  I stink at driving and take on curbs and sidewalks daily with my Chevy 4x4 .  Its the only reason I'm not stranded at my deer lease right now.

Noy sure if theres still room but it seems some people missed this so I'm putting it back to the top

How's everbody doing with "Getting in shape?" I know Larry is working the tread mill and I have been hiking and walking. I have been told it's very inportent to be in the best shape you can. I want to be ready to hump out elk/meat when we get one down.

Larry, you are the man for bringing all this together for everyone!  I'd love to help out prior to the season if you need some company during a scouting trip from time to time.  Come early Summer, I'd also be willing to put up a TC out there, to really help stoke the fire.  My plans are never solidified till right before I leave, so while I'd like to make it out with y'all I might be up in the Eagle Caps or in Starkey, or maybe even Colorado.
How's the cell coverage up there?  Just in case I get (cough-cough) sick while I'm there, of course.
Shane

When and where is the hunt for future notice. I will not make it this year but maybe in the future

Still if it is still long time...what babe do you take with you? I would like to take me Bear Type1 A riser with some limbs of choice.It will be its 40th anniversary,or maybe 41st.Felix

Unless I get something I shoot better I'll be bringing my 71# Kodiak with arrows around the 1000gr mark.
I'm doing a very strenuous athletic/weight training workout, already lost 23lbs. As soon as I get a pack I'll start Hiking /snowshoeing starting with 50lbs and working up through the summer to hopefully get to 200lbs

Good Al,we need packers :bigsmyl:

Unless a miracle is bestowed upon me thats probably all I'll be there for!  :banghead:  
Can't seem to buy a deer the last two years, maybe going for Elk will change that.  :pray:

Brent Hill  IF hunt is in Silvies unit, Fly into Redmond ORegon. They have been doing a lot of flights there lately and rates are ok. I flew out of there to Texas last yr. pm me if you need any info.

warrior...you'll get your chances at elk.i may not even bring a bow as i plan on hunting later on in the season so i can devote all my time to calling for others.

How's the walking coming Larry?

dropped twenty two pounds,walkin my arse off everyday.eighty more to go and i'll be at my high school weight.ready to hunt elk allready i know that much.

Larry
I checked on some flights....looks like Boise is the way to go. Only 4 hours from Burns as opposed to 7+ from Portland. Redmond looks good also at just 4 hours from Burns. Anyone flying into Boise or Redmond that wants to share a pickup truck rental for the week?