Great hunting opportunities are available at many of the State and Federal Refuges.  In Oregon, we are very fortunate to have many of both.   The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife offers the ability to apply for a tag for a specific hunt and refuge, such as Hart Mountain.   As I am directing this article of a specific Federal Refuge, the application process has to be done via the website of the refuge. There are two (2) different ODFW tags that can be used for the hunting of elk at the refuge, and the over-the-counter general elk tag for the area.

The Federal Refuge referred to is the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge located south of Corvallis, Oregon off of Highway 99.   The refuge is approximately 5400 acres with many ponds, creeks and trails.  It is well known for the birds and waterfowl that live there and migrate through. The Roosevelt Elk that dwell there -in good herd numbers- is unique in that the majority of the land near the refuge is flat farm land to the east, south, and north, plus being close to a large city.

The hunting of Roosevelt Elk at William Finley is for cows only, mostly an archery hunt, though in Zone 1, a shotgun can be used during certain time periods.  So, there are two (2) zones for hunting the refuge with Zone 2 being the largest.   Zone 2 is intertwined with Scrub Oak trees, Douglas Fir, Cottonwoods, Beaked Hazelnut, Big Leaf Maples, and grasslands.  It has a very diversified land profile for sure.

I believe it could be a great hunt for anyone that wants to work hard and do some pre-scouting, although the elk will travel many miles and even venture off the refuge into Weyerhaeuser properties that are to the west of Zone 1. These large herds tend to be quite habit forming in their movement and they cover extremely large areas in their feeding routine.

In the past month, since we are now into April, (previouslly closed to foot traffic November 1st-March 31st), we were allowed to go past the gates in most of the refuge, and found the well-worn trails made by the vast elk herds.  In my opinion, I would hunt Zone 2 since the area is so much larger with a greater opportunity to find elk.

In a recent scouting trip, we spotted a very large herd of elk with at least 100 head.   It took me about an hour to close the distance of a mile out, give or take a few yards, getting to within 100 yards.  It took so long to get to them because I was wading in water from 2” to 20” over uneven terrain.  When the herd of elk finally decided to move out, they formed a single file line about a ¼ mile long!  It was simply an amazing sight, and the camera did not do justice to what the eye saw. In the bunch, there were still a couple of spikes with their antlers, and a few new-growth antlered bulls.  Noting my progress and observations, it was fun to use my onX HUNT mobile APP and Garmin GPS and mark waypoints of the trails and sightings.

Here's a link to the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge  (Note: 2018 hunting applications will be available in May 2018). If you are interested in hunting for elk, there is still time to get an application in for the 2018 Hunting Season.  Make sure you have plenty of time to scout, have a good set of boots, and, just in case, a roll-up pair of stocking chest waders for crossing creeks.

A small tidbit... Blacktail Deer hunting is also available at the refuge, either sex in this case.  One could maybe have a two (2) species hunt…

Frank Biggs, aka Bwana Bubba, is an avid hunter and well-traveled outdoor enthusiast now writing and sharing his experiences with MyOutdoorBuddy.com. Using his years served in the U.S. Navy- Vietnam (5th Marine Division), Biggs applies his keen sense of observation, and eye for the unusual when it comes to mentoring and educating others in the skill of hunting. Biggs is a member of the OnXmaps HUNT Pro-Staff. He is currently a Sr. Sales Consultant for B Young RV in Portland, Oregon and retired Vice President (Store Operations) for Burns Bros. Travel Stops. His specialty is helping hunters find spots to hunt. He can be reached at www.bwanabubba.com.