Umpqua

Unit 1 is taking 13 points to draw for a non-resident right now. There is talk about some point creep too. I am trying to decide mainly whether to go for Unit 1 with my son or hold out for Unit 9 (likely 5 years off) or an early rifle tag (likely 10 years off). I drew Unit 9 years ago, on a drought year. It was brutal, with only one bull in bow range.

Ha ha...don't worry, I won't compete with you as a non-resident

I am 90% leaning towards my son and I trying to draw a Unit 1 archery tag together (13 points combined). Would you do it if you were me?

Out of your list most likely Units 73, 75 and 63. Think central, south central, or southwest Wyoming for the best access and antelope hunting. Avoid units that have an asterisk (*) in the regs, as they have poor access. The hotbed is units 60, 61, 64 and 57 (though numbers have been down in 57) so any unit surrounding those is going to be a good hunt.

im kind of surprised it took you this long to draw. have you been putting in for early bull rifle? since i got drawn this year youre kind of scaring me lol Pretty much have put in for early firearm hunts. Just building points until I could pick the year to draw. My last tag was in Unit 9 around 2000 or 2001. It was a drought year and was uber tough, one bull in bow range. just keep putting in for early rifle bull. As a non-resident...I'm 10 to 15 years away from that.

im kind of surprised it took you this long to draw. have you been putting in for early bull rifle? since i got drawn this year youre kind of scaring me lol Pretty much have put in for early firearm hunts. Just building points until I could pick the year to draw. My last tag was in Unit 9 around 2000 or 2001. It was a drought year and was uber tough, one bull in bow range.

Yep...you both are thinking what I'm thinking. My choices are listed from best to worst....the Unit 1 archery and 3B muzzy are my top picks.

Ummm....since at least 3A/3C and the Kaibab opened on October 25, I certainly hope they aren't waiting until November 1.

why not as soon as possible? It's like having money in the bank....you can spend it when ever you choose. Also if I wait several more years, I can use the points to average my son up and maybe get us two tags. I'll likely never draw again, so I'm just hanging out until I decide to burn the points.

Unit 10, 9 and 5B are the best trophy units. I am sitting on 24 points. Just hafta pick the year to burn them.

Thanks everyone for your help. It finally got down to a 4 day window to travel, scout and hunt, so it wasn't going to happen. My wife donated her tag to Outdoor Experience 4 All. Hopefully it helps make someone a great memory.

My wife drew a 3C mule deer tag this year with no points. She has a way of drawing good tags, for example she drew a sheep tag last year on her third year applying. We are really having a difficult time carving out the time to make the trip from Oregon (10+ days). If we are able to make it, it would be to hunt the last five days of the season. What is your impression of that specific hunt? Should we do what it takes to make happen? Her best buck she took with a muzzleloader last year and it scored about 155. I'd love to see her better that.

Flatlander, is HOAL the same as Outdoor Experience 4 All? If not can you give me some more info about HOAL and how to contact them. Thanks. EDIT: I think I found it. Hunt Of A Lifetime.

Flatlander, thanks for your explanation I appreciate that. Willie thanks for your post as well. I also apologize if I came across abrupt. I only wish I could make this hunt happen for my wife. it pains me to not be able to. She is an amazing lady. I could tell she was a let down as we went through our calendar, but she insisted that the kids come first. The great news is my son killed a gorgeous Columbia Whitetail this morning. They were federally protected until about 10 years ago. We have them in our valley and not a lot of people have gotten to hunt them. Couldn't have happened to a nicer young man.

It's unfortunate you feel you need to take a poke at her without understanding our situation. She spent many days in the field, around 30 last year. She killed a 168" Oregon ram (8th day of a 9 day season), two antelope (one 80") and a mule deer (155") with a muzzleloader. Her only special tag this year was this 3C tag, and she was so looking forward to her hunt. Our original plan was that she would see her best friend in Phoenix for a few days while I scouted the unit for deer, then she'd come up and meet me for the season opener. That plan isn't possible now, but we still thought we maybe had a narrow window (4 or 5 hunting days) to make the hunt happen. Even that window seems to have closed in the last couple days. We've spent 4 years in a custody battle that has taken an enormous toll on us financially, physically and emotionally that was resolved only days ago. We are finally back to a normal schedule with the children enforced by the court. The only way to make the 3C deer hunt happen would be to give up several days with the kids. That didn't feel right to us. I've gotta run. I've got a deer hunt this morning with my son. First one in 4 years.

Thanks for much for that information about Outdoor Experience For All. That is a super option for us to consider.

Thanks everyone for your input. We'd sure like to make it there if we can. The original plan was to fly my wife down to spend a few days with her best friend in Phoenix. I was going to drive down and scout before the season for a few days then pick her up and bring her up for her hunt. We have hit a major scheduling conflict that won't let that happen now. I have heard outfitter Shane Koury is very good in that unit, but we have had some substantial expenses this year we didn't anticipate so we will just have to do this on our own. On our out of state hunts, we typically do a ton of research and are able to take an animal that is well above average. If you have any pointers on areas to check out, feel free to PM me. Thanks a bunch.

3A/3C rifle mule deer for my wife.

Well after cheerleading the Capitol One texting feature that sends you credit card charges almost immediately after your card gets charged.......it let me down. No text came in yesterday. I just went online to check my credit card charges and have a pending charge for a non-resident deer tag for my wife (I bought point this year). It's either a 3A/3C rifle mule deer, or late December rifle Coues. Very cool!

Redeemers Fellowship in Roseburg, Oregon

Find boots that fit YOUR feet. My last pair was Kennetreks. They make very nice boots, but I am one of them that has had them shred my heels. My feet NEVER blister, but they were a mess in those boots. This time around I knew the biggest issue was not only finding a QUALITY boot, but also finding boots that FIT my feet properly. The criteria I picked up was 1) 3/8" to 1/2" of free space ahead of my toes. 2) Minimal heal slip 3) Proper width With proper fit being a big deal, this time around, I ordered boots from Zappos since they have free shipping both ways. I spent a month sorting through boots. I would order two pairs at a time and compare the fit between them, then I would return the worse fitting pair. As long as you wear them indoors and don't scuff them there is no problem doing that. Doing this at home gave me the hours needed to see if the boot fit properly. I would wear a pair of boots and walk around the house. I would walk a 1/3 mile on an inclined treadmill (max incline). Boots that my heels slipped in got sent back. I had boots on the treadmill that caused me to pronate when I walked to make them feel "right", those boots got sent back. I'd sit on a chair on a carpeted floor and try as hard as I could to get my feet to slip forward in the boot. If my foot would slide forward and my toes would crunch up on the end of the boot (and lacing did not fix this), I would return the boots. I'd also just leave the boots on for hours just watching TV or just hanging around inside the house. I had some boots that restricted the blood flow after a couple hours and my feet would be terribly "tingly" and I couldn't wait to get them off. Those boots got sent back. After all that I think I may have the best fitting pair of boots I have ever owned at the cost of one pair of boots. They were one size larger and one size wider than I have ever ordered. All that is to say, find boots that properly fit your feet.

Next year you guys ought to get a Capitol One credit card and set it up for text notifications. You will get a text on your cell within seconds after your card is hit.

I think Lowa may be the best boots on the market right now. They have numerous options to choose from depending on your budget.

It's hard to believe, but my oldest son will soon be graduating from college. He has never been on a high quality elk hunt. I've been looking forward to this for a long time and have been building points for him in both Arizona and Wyoming. Next year (2014) we can draw in one of these states, we just need to pick which one to apply for since we need to apply for both about the same time. For Arizona I have 15 elk points, and he has 10 points, so we will average at 13 points. I think we would have an excellent chance to draw Unit 1 archery elk if we apply together. My son is an accomplished bowhunter and has taken several blacktail deer and whitetails spot and stalk. He has never had a quality elk tag before. I think Unit 1 should be just about perfect being 3 years after the Wallow fire. I have taken several nice bulls and would like to hunt for a 340+ bull. My son would be absolutely thrilled with a 310+ bull! The only concern I have is the tag increase they have for this year's archery season and what the tag numbers will be in 2014. I would appreciate any input on how Unit 1 is looking and the affect of the larger numbers of tags will have on a unit of that size. Is a 340+ bull a reasonable goal? Personally I would hunt the whole season, my son would come down for a week. For Wyoming, we both have max points. I have identified a unit both of us would likely draw. We could bowhunt early and go back and rifle hunt later. Two great options. Arizona is our first choice if it looks like the right year to draw in Unit 1. We are really looking forward to a great elk hunt together. Thanks for your input.

The Wyoming Game and Fish website says that the results for deer and antelope will be posted on June 19 at 10 am (Mountain time).