Minam Unit Backpack hunt advice

[DEJaca]

Some friends would like to start backpack elk hunting the Minam Unit in Oregon. From my research, it looks like a fool's errand if you don't have pack animals to get you in and out and weather can go south in a hurry. Have any of you guys tried to hunt it off foot woth camp on your back? Most people say the wolves have really taken a toll on the elk herds there and you have to look long and hard for a good bull. Any info would be appreciated.

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[Smokeslider]

I've been dabbling with the same idea. I've spent a little time in there and am fairly aware of the effort needed to get into the heart of the unit. I think it's one thing to think about getting in there with a lightweight setup and to hunt elk. Getting the elk out is a whole different story.

I don't have too many answers for ya beyond what you probably already know but I plan on attempting to draw the Miman Buck tag next year as a second choice and if drawn, will use that trip as a bit of an experiment of unit familiarization, gear shakedown and scouting trip for the future. I know there is elk in there. I also know it could be a significant challenge to get an Elk outta there without pack stock. I think a Buck is manageable with solo support, I'm still debating the trade-offs to do it with an Elk tag.

 

[theleo91386]

You're not going to be able to get in far enough to get away from people and be able to get an animal out on your back. If you do attempt it, know the trail system before hand. If there's not a marked trail in the bottom of a draw/canyon, you don't want to go down it with a heavy pack. %95 you want to get to the nearest marked trail and go from there.

I've got friends that hunt in there just on the verge of being in to far to get an animal on their backs and they run into a number of hunters every season. If they didn't have someone with pack stock to call, I'm not sure they'd keep messing around in there.

 

[DEJaca]

Thanks for the reply. I get what you are saying about the limits of what you can do on foot vs. having a pack string available. One thing I have on my side is that I told them that I will not go unless they are in shape and geared up for the adventure. I also think that 1 or maybe 2 bull tags depending on group size is all we can do if we attempt this. I do know a guy that went in with a friend this past 1st season so I need to get in touch with him and pick his brain a little.

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[theleo91386]

Thanks for the reply. I get what you are saying about the limits of what you can do on foot vs. having a pack string available. One thing I have on my side is that I told them that I will not go unless they are in shape and geared up for the adventure. I also think that 1 or maybe 2 bull tags depending on group size is all we can do if we attempt this. I do know a guy that went in with a friend this past 1st season so I need to get in touch with him and pick his brain a little.

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I understand the temptation to say being in shape is an advantage but in there it just puts you on par, physically speaking, with others that have hunted it for more than a year. Most people that plan a hunt there are aware what the terrain is like and plan accordingly.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, I'm just trying to give you realistic expectations. Elk number aren't great and their distribution in the unit is spotty. They'll travel through a lot of it but really only hold and live in maybe %20 of it. Besides the big 3 it has received more press than about any other unit whether it was celebrtities hunting it in the 50's-70's or Cam Hanes writing a book about hunting there. These days it draws a lot of the "wilderness athlete" crowd who want to say they got a bull in there.

If you decide on going in there just figure you're doing it more for the adventure than for the hunting. You'll be in beautiful country but you won't be getting much solitude and elk numbers are slim. I've got access to stock that are only about 30min from Wilderness boundary and I don't bother hunting it. I spend the majority of my time in that unit fishing and cutting trails so I can enjoy the peace and seclusion.

 

[DEJaca]

I get what you are saying and am in agreement with you. This would be an adventure type trip with the benefit of carrying a rifle and hunting elk. This is still in the planning stages and like I said, not sure that everyone involved will stay on board when it comes right down to nut cutting time. When I was on top of Eagle Cap last fall, I got to see how the rugged beauty of the area makes you feel very small!!!!!

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[theleo91386]

I get what you are saying and am in agreement with you. This would be an adventure type trip with the benefit of carrying a rifle and hunting elk. This is still in the planning stages and like I said, not sure that everyone involved will stay on board when it comes right down to nut cutting time. When I was on top of Eagle Cap last fall, I got to see how the rugged beauty of the area makes you feel very small!!!!!

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And that's the most trafficked end of all that country. If you ever want some spots for overnight fishing trips, feel free to bug me. If I were hunting in there, I know the areas I'd spend my time but they're all further than you'd be able to get an elk out on your backs.

 

[Onstep]

theleo91386 is 100% spot on. Even Hanes had to use stock to get his game out due the depth needed to avoid the crowds. Just as an added piece this 2nd season has upwards of 20" of snow in the unit. That isn't a workable snowfall amount on foot chasing migrating herds in the backcountry. Of course YMMV....

 

[mbailey25]

I've hunted the Minam unit for several years now on foot and it can be downright daunting. It is definitely an "adventure" unit and there are better places to hunt elk. The allure of the adventure is what keeps me going back, that and I'm stubborn. I have hunted both bow and rifle in that unit and I would say that during archery it is probably easier. Typically I am with a partner or two and between the two of us we have to make 3 trips on a bull or 2 trips with 3 guys. We hauled a bull out this past season and from the time my buddy shot the bull (7:45pm) until we carried the last load back to camp (5:30am) we needed almost a full day of rest. We clocked a total of 16 miles hiked that day, most of which we hunt with camp on our backs, and 6 miles of which we had 75+ lbs of meat. When the snow hits however, the elk drop in elevation within a day or so. If you get lucky with weather it helps move the elk a bit closer. Then again, you are now dealing with storms that can dump feet of snow in short order. Most people think you are a fool to hunt Minam hard without pack animals at least on standbye... but it can be done.

 

[DawnPatrol]

I have this discussion with myself almost every year. Haven't convinced myself to hunt it yet. Maybe this year. Incredible country.

 

[Michael Rankin]

Keep in mind from 2014 to 2019 there has been a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of people hunting this unit during the archery hunt according to the statistics from ODFW. In 2020 I wouldn't be shocked at all if there was another nearly 50 percent increase from the 2019 to 2020 numbers of people hunting the unit.


Last year i did a few 3 day weekend trips with a buddy to some of the spots he's backpack hunted over there for years. We ran into more guys than he usually does any other entire archery season over there on each 3 day trip. Remote spots 5-7 miles from the road he has camped at for years on end had tents set up this year, sucks after doing a 5 mile hike and the next closest spot with a decent water source is another 1.5 miles away. Everyone we met was super nice and willing to coordinate so we’re not hunting the same stuff that day and bumping into o each other. All the groups we met except 2 groups had never hunted the unit before, so definitely lots of new pressure.It is for sure getting pretty tricky to get away from hunting pressure in the areas you can access without horses.


If your hoping to hunt unpressured animals and not be running into a bunch of other guys this probably isn’t the place to go.

 

[Hoodie]

I've thought about it for the past three years. My feeling is that I'd be reluctant to put in that sort of physical effort to deal with the likely level of pressure. I also hunt solo so the pack-out math doesn't look too good.

I've got zero problems with hiking in to remote areas, but the places where I do that are places where I pretty much never run into other hunters and that I've had ample time to scout.

You can waste a lot of time hiking into and out of spots with no elk. If I'm going in 5 miles it will be to an area that I've already located elk in during summer scouting.

 

[DawnPatrol]

Just to add some data to what others have experienced, when you crunch the numbers from recent years (roughly speaking, hunter days per acres of public land), the Minam unit is not at all a "low" pressure unit compared to many other Oregon units, at least for the rifle seasons. And the harvest statistics (success rate, days of hunter effort per bull) for the rifle seasons certainly don't make this unit a standout either.

Still, the Eagle Caps are so amazing that I sometimes try to talk myself into hunting Minam anyway.

But for the reasons Hoodie gave, I usually wind up hunting the Wilderness Areas that are right out my back door. Not as glamorous or as many elk as Minam, but at least I have an idea where those elk are before I hurl myself several miles up a mountain or into a deep dark hole.

 

[Sean250R]

Keep in mind from 2014 to 2019 there has been a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of people hunting this unit during the archery hunt according to the statistics from ODFW. In 2020 I wouldn't be shocked at all if there was another nearly 50 percent increase from the 2019 to 2020 numbers of people hunting the unit.


Last year i did a few 3 day weekend trips with a buddy to some of the spots he's backpack hunted over there for years. We ran into more guys than he usually does any other entire archery season over there on each 3 day trip. Remote spots 5-7 miles from the road he has camped at for years on end had tents set up this year, sucks after doing a 5 mile hike and the next closest spot with a decent water source is another 1.5 miles away. Everyone we met was super nice and willing to coordinate so we’re not hunting the same stuff that day and bumping into o each other. All the groups we met except 2 groups had never hunted the unit before, so definitely lots of new pressure.It is for sure getting pretty tricky to get away from hunting pressure in the areas you can access without horses.


If your hoping to hunt unpressured animals and not be running into a bunch of other guys this probably isn’t the place to go.

Agree with this wholeheartedly. Same experience there, but it is amazing

 

[tioga]

If you decide it to hunt it there is options for packing/hauling meat. You might be able to contract a packer just for that purpose or you can rent lamas..
One thing about a lot of that country over there is not like a lot of other wilderness areas. What I mean is that it’s not like you reach the top and then there’s more valleys, drainages etc. that you can play around in all day.. typically it’s straight up the ridge and you hunt side hill on benches. Going over the top is more of the same.. that might not make any sense. Just think of the letter “V” and you’re in the crotch of it and if you climb out of it you drop into another “V”.
One thing about the minam is that in that country I would be very careful about traversing much at night. It can be really easy to get bluffed out in some areas..
On a side note the Eagle Caps are absolutely stunning and the adventure is worth it even if the hunting is tough.

 

[Dirtscoots]

We were in ten miles with pack animals. Still dealing with day hunters. I will say those guys are working hard but pretty disappointing being that far back and still people everywhere.

 

[lwtickner]

Wolves.. there's more wolves in there than any other unit. It's disappointing to get in 10 miles and that's all you find.

Thousands of hikers on certain trails. Two pan had over 75 cars last 4th of July. The Minam is attracting attention from everyone but the animals you want in there

 

[Elkdreamer]

It is an awesome place. A ton of work but some fun to be had. The wolves do suck though. I am so old that I cut my teeth in the day that humans where the apex predator. It sucks wondering is you might become a turd,

 

[Bobcat]

For the last five years I have been packed in and solo hunted The minam each archery season for 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. As previously stated the weather can change real fast. In September my first year I got 2 feet of snow in 2 1/2 days. I spike Out for 3 to 4 days at a time because I don’t like hiking in the dark alone there due to the risk of being Cliffed out. Plenty of wolves and even more hunters no matter how far you go in. With that said there are pockets where few go.

There’s definitely better places to go for elk, but few better for the scenery.