New hunter resources in Portland OR

[Desk Jockey]

I have a buddy that wants to try hunting. He is an avid fly fisher and hikes. not military or LEO. No hunting or gun experience to speak of. focus for now is education and prep for next year. Plan is to start on a rifle and go to bow.

I will offer advice and guidance but I am east coast so am looking for some suggestions for local resources:

- Hunting mentors or programs in the area.
- place to take hunter ed course
- place to buy a hunting rifle
- range open to the public
- bow shop
- ideas for “starter” hunts, meaning public access hunts with reasonable chance of success For a cow elk or non trophy deer within a few hours drive of Portland.

any input is appreciated.

 

[Hoghead]

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[Flyjunky]

I'm not really sure I can answer some of the questions but I would tell him to join a site call Ifish.net ( I hope it's ok I posted that ). That site has a hunting section and is basically just for Oregon and he would probably get lots of help, especially about fishing. Have him do an introduction and post some of those questions. He might also want to contact Oregon Hunters Association. A bunch of different gun shops are available to him as well, from big box stores to small shops.

With that being said, hunting a few hours within Portland is not an easy place to learn hunting. The Westside of Oregon is basically rainforest, wet and very, very thick forest. He would be hunting either blacktail deer or roosevelt elk and those aren't the two easiest species to hunt. The good news, there is tons of public land though. If he likes to fish and hike I would tell him to start fishing some of the coastal streams to get used to his surroundings and learn a bit about the area. Also, he should ask around at his place of work as I'm sure there are people who at least fish. ODFW is also a place he should look around or call and ask some of these questions.

 

[trazerr]

Hunting resources and Portland go together like lamb and tuna fish...

@Flyjunky is right. Have him join ifish. It is a great website for us Oregon guys. There is a lot of good information and good people to contact there.

With that being said there are a few bow shops around the Portland area as well as a Cabelas in Tigard/Tualatin. There is a Fishermans Marine right off of 217 as well. I now live in the Tigard area and bought a new bow (after 17yrs with the old one) from a place all the way down in Springfield. Before that I went to a bow shop in Salem and one in Lebanon. I try not to go any farther north than where I live. I can't stand Portland propper. However, if he searches ifish he will find a few bow shops that people recommend around Portland/Vancouver area.

Have him check out ODFW and their harvest stats and what not. There are not many hunts in Oregon that are highly successful when compared to other states like ID, WY, CO, etc. Both deer and elk. If he does find one then have him check out Ron's Oregon draw odd website. I actually work down the hall from Ron. Great guy! Anyways, that will give him an idea of how long it will take to draw said hunt. Of course there are some general hunts, but those are starting to go the way of the dodo.

This year archery eastern deer is all draw now which will put a TON of pressure on the west side (Still OTC for now). Next year elk on the east side does the same and the west will be overrun. Lots of things changing here when it comes to hunting.. I bet the west side will go all draw for archery as well here in a few years. I mainly archery hunt so my knowledge isnt the best for rifle. However, I know they have way more draw hunts that archery does.

Make sure he buys points this year for elk, deer, bear, antelope, etc. I am in the mid teens with deer, elk, and antelope (no man's land) and trying to dump them as soon as possible. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[jjgrow]

In addition to the above great suggestions:

Archery Stores: Archer's Afield in Tigard, G4 Archery in North plains
Archery Range: Sylvan Archers in Sherwood (Archer's and G4 have indoor ranges as well)
Gun Range: Tri-county Gun Club (not public and takes ~ 6 months to become member, but fantastic facility with lots of educational courses).
Retail Rifles: Cabelas or Sportsmans. Or maybe buy something used from Rokslide or Ifish.
Hunting Recommendations: pretty much what Flyjunky and trazerr said.

Feel free to DM me.

 

[sneaky]

He can practice by shooting ANTIFA protesters downtown.

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[slick]

PM Sent

But id like to 3rd, 4th, 5th...Portland sucks
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[Tmac]

To shoot, he can try the English Pit in Vancouver, a pay to play rifle range. Douglas Ridge may offer options too. A quick google search will give him some state forest shooting areas west of PDX, old gravel pits and the like.

If you like, I’d offer to help him with his rifle after he gets it. Make sure the scope is done right, show him how to clean it, and take him to Tri-County to get it on paper and hopefully dialed in to 300 or so. I can’t really take on a full mentor role, my plate is too full with two new youth hunters, and one new adult hunter, but I‘ll help where I can if there is interest. PM me and I can give my contact info if he is interested.

 

[hibernation]

Oregon has some good opportunities, but it's not a great place for a new hunter. Especially living near Portland. Success rates are low for most general hunts, the controlled hunts are confusing for a beginner and in the process of changing, land ownership and access on private timber is complicated, and if he's trying to stay within an hour or two of Portland... well, so are a half million other people. Give or take.

Have him look up ODFW harvest stats for the general seasons to get an idea what he's in for. They're hard to read, but most units for general deer will be single digit to low teens for a success rate. It's tough hunting, but obviously not impossible. So take that for what it's worth.
https://myodfw.com/articles/big-game-hunting-harvest-statistics

Hunter education isn't legally required for adults in OR, but he should do it anyway. Take an online/at-home version that involves a single in-person field day. Start here to find a class.
https://myodfw.com/articles/hunter-education-course-or-field-day-registration

ODFW also occasionally offers workshops for new hunters, look into this (they've even held semi-guided pheasant/waterfowl hunts for newbies in the past, not sure if they still do)
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/education/

Does he have any friends/relatives with land in the area? If so, this will really change things. I wouldn't recommend a brand-new hunter start knocking on stranger's doors asking about hunt permission, but if there's already a place with a good relationship they might be open to it. If this is the case, he should look into the new general antlerless elk tags, landowner permits (LOP) if they have enough acreage, or just using a general tag on their land. If he can access farmland near, say, North Plains, he's got a good shot at taking a cow elk - but he better have significant backup and a very understanding landowner. If he doesn't have private land access with an understanding landowner, and some support to deal with the animal, do not buy this tag.

If he has farm access elsewhere in the Willamette Valley, he might apply for the 615 tag (either-sex deer). Make sure the land is actually in the Willamette Unit though, and if he doesn't already have this kind of access... seriously, don't apply for the tag.

Otherwise, pick an area in eastern Oregon he knows from other outdoor activities and apply for a mule deer rifle hunt there. It'll be in the beginning of October, some aren't too bad to draw. Mule deer populations have been on the decline but he could still have a good hunt with a modest success rate.

If he wants to stay closer to home, look into the western general rifle deer season. It's a long season (by western standards), covering most of October, for a buck deer anywhere west of the Cascades. All he needs are boots and a rifle. He'll need to understand land ownership and access, as much of the land is privately owned industrial timber. This is a good place to start.
http://www.eregulations.com/oregon/big-game-hunting/cooperative-travel-management-areas/

Lastly, I just noticed you mentioned he wants to "try" hunting. If that's the case, he's probably better off going on a pheasant hunt somewhere (state wildlife area, like Sauvie or EE Wilson, or private reserve), or visiting you in a place where you can essentially "guide" him. Oregon can be tough hunting in all respects, and he'll need to be pretty motivated to get past all the hurdles.

 

[davidsapp]

I think the NRA has a free hunter safety course recognized by several states.

Might be a good idea for him to fly east and spend some time hunting with you in some of your familiar places. Would be economical and have a higher rate of success it would seem

 

[Oncorhynchus.nerka]

I am curious what species is he looking to cue in on? There seems to be a lot of waterfowl along the rivers.

 

[elkliver]

Join OHA. (Oregon Hunters Association) that will allow him to meet hunters and possibly connect with someone. ODFW is rolling out a "Learn to Hunt program in conjunction with some OHA Chapters. They also put on regular clinics on various topics(Turkey Hunting, Duck Hunting, etc)

Pretty tough to connect with a stranger and have them welcome you... but getting involved and getting to know some folks will shortcut that process