Hunting Journal

So it was Jan. 1 (my mom’s birthday).

Hunting is weaved into the culture of Grant County, a rite of passage when they bag that first buck with their first rifle.

The mount from Jolynn Radinovich’s mule deer that she bagged in 2019 took the top spot in its category and second overall at the Head and Horns competition at the 2020 Pacific Northwest Sports…

I imagined the trickster called the bear out before dark.

Much to the displeasure of my wife, I often go hunting by myself. Usually because I can’t find anyone to go with me. Truth be told, I really enjoy it more when I can share the experience with …

There is an old saying in hunting: As soon as you’ve pulled the trigger, the fun is over and the work begins. I guess that could be considered true or false depending solely upon your definiti…

This story begins like every summer as we hunters patiently await the draw results to come out on June 20. I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones to draw a coveted archery elk tag for one of…

Many try, but few succeed in getting a tag to hunt for bighorn sheep.

For the record, I love horses, and my husband loves hunting. This is how our anniversary worked.

As the deer population in Eastern Oregon has dwindled by roughly 50% in the past 40 years, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Eastern District is proposing requiring archery hunters …

Fresh snow had just melted and the scent trail was more than a day old when a yellow Labrador retriever named Buck went in search of evidence linked to an elk that had been poached on March 19…

As far back as Jake Reynolds can remember, hunting season is what always brought his family together.

It’s the magic number for many young hunters: 12, the first year you can apply to hunt big game.

Some years ago, I was elk hunting in Umatilla National Forest up above Spray, and near the end of my stalk, I came upon an old skid road and decided to walk it out to the main road where I cou…

Trinyty Howard, the granddaughter of Neil and Jan Bauer, shot this buck last year.

While we’ve had a series of hard winters, last winter was mild throzecause of reduced cold-weather mortality on big game populations.

Kaden Madden, 17, has bagged a big game animal every season since he was 12, but last year was epic with a buck, a doe, a bull and a near-record black bear.

My first book bull will always hold a dear place in my heart as “finally I’ve arrived!” Ha!

When Andy Day of John Day went out for bow season in the fall of 2017, he wasn’t hunting for a trophy deer but for prize memories with his grandsons, 6-year-old Noah Cobb and 4-year-old Cooper…

If you haven’t tried a one-pan meal yet, and you’re looking for a new recipe for elk steaks, here is a winner for you. The mixture of three types of mustard and honey along with spices creates…

Rylee Browning doesn’t remember the earliest times she went hunting with her parents. She was still an infant riding in a pack carried by her mother, Winnie.

The Tamaracks of gold, like the ancients of old, since the beginning of time,

Everyone likes shooting nice tight little groups, and I must admit that is really fun. Lord knows I’ve spent and will yet spend many an hour doing just that. But from a practical point of view…

It was early in the third week of a rainy elk season. We always get wet in September, but this year was extremely wet.

Chelsea McDaniel thinks the unicorn bull that came running right at her last year might have been a sign from heaven. She had hunted elk for 18 years without success, and now a big bull was ru…

Hunters spend a lot of time hoping. We hope we draw a tag, hope the wife lets us go, hope the weather is good and hope we can find a buck that wants to come home with us. However, you should n…

Filling the freezer after a successful hunt is rewarding, but if you find yourself in a recipe rut, here are a few ideas to bring that bounty to the dinner table.

When I was a young man, my father sold real estate, and every now and then, brother and I would get selected to clean up a house that was to be listed.

His camo is in the closet and his bow is on the wall,

When we started dating back in 2014, my wife-to-be had only once fired a gun. During that endeavor, an ex thought it would be hilarious to turn her loose, for her first time ever, with a 12 ga…

Hard winters often play havoc with big game herds, making forage harder to find and causing deer and elk to be more vulnerable to predators as they are forced to struggle through deep snow. Fo…

For every rifleman and hunter, there exists a certain weapon of somewhat enchanting, if not mystical, properties. This is the one they would grab if the house was on fire and let the rest go t…

Chelsea McDaniel thinks the unicorn bull that came running right at her last year might have been a sign from heaven. She had hunted elk for 18 years without success, and now a big bull was ru…

Make them simpler. That’s the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s aim for big game regulations for the 2019 hunting season.

A hunter education class begins July 17 in John Day.

Mentored by their mom and dad, three siblings — Cinch, Raney and Monel Anderson — enjoy rifle hunting as a family.

Around September 2002, I went up near Vinegar Hill with my good friend and hunting partner, the late Dave Kline.

There’s just something about the opening couple days of the Oregon bow elk hunting season, especially in the big meadow areas like the big cattle ranches like the great Holliday Ranch, JC’s, S…

Jackson DeRosier’s bullets have killed everything from grizzlies to a zebra.

She was going through some papers, when something caught her eye.

Winter weather conditions always plays a significant role in how big game numbers, and therefore hunting opportunities, shake out for the following hunting season that includes both how many a…

Local retailers are seeing increased sales of ammunition, attractants and other items for hunting season.