I surprisingly drew a Steens Mt. Buck deer tag for this October.

I have never been there and have never hunted for mule deer. I plan to visit once or twice this summer.

Can someone point me in the right direction? Is there a good place to start (it's a big area)?
I want to walk and get away from ATVs and am not looking for the monster deer. How do you, or have you hunted the area?

Thank you for any help,

David

About any where in the Steen's Mountain Area is good for Deer... Just pick a spot...

It is very mountainous, so while there is a use for an ATV, when I hunted it, I just walked a lot...

There are some huge monsters left in there... It is the state's premier Mule Deer area.

Congrats on getting a Steen Tag... I have had one, and that luck has never repeated itself...

Personally I think Oregon's draw system is more political than lottery draw.....

cheers
seafire

The Steens is a thirty mile-long fault block high-desert mountain, and my favorite part of eastern Oregon. From the 4000 ft. desert floor, the Steens rises to over 9700 ft. elevation. It has its own eco system, and contains the most perfectly preserved glacier-cut gorges in N. America. It's a land of big cattle ranches, Great Basin cowboys, and Basque sheepherders. In the old days it was home to grizzly bears, bison, Shoshone and Paiute Indians, (many Indian artifacts can been seen there to this day), outlaws, and wolverines. There are still occasional wolverine sightings.

In the mid-1980s I hunted the Steens twice for mule deer and scored both times. In fact both bucks came from the head of the same draw. Both were bedded down in the same place, both got up and ran as I approached, and both were taken on the run, one at about eighty yards, and the other at about fifty yards. One of these bucks is my all-time biggest trophy mule deer, and his shoulder mount hangs in the office as I type this.

But the Steens isn't what it used to be anymore. It's suffered the same sad and tragic mule deer reduction as has the rest of eastern Oregon, due, in part, to the "bear and cougar initiative" that got voted in quite a few years ago now. Predation from cougars as well as coyotes, plus other factors, including the winter of 1992-93 has GREATLY reduced the Steens mule deer population.

The last time I hunted the Steens was for elk during the 1992 High Desert 2nd season, and we saw incredible numbers of BIG bucks, and of course they were by then in the rut. Months after the season, my rancher friend informed us that just about ALL of those fine, big bucks we saw were killed off during the horrid winter that came in late '92 and early '93. The deer have never recovered in the Steens from that winter, and add cougar predation, etc., etc. and you just don't seen the deer any more, let alone the big bucks that were a Steens trademark.

One of my friends hunted antelope last season in the Steens, and he painted a pretty bleak picture concerning deer numbers.

Nevertheless, there are some places that likely hold big deer, especially Kieger gorge, Mesquito creek, Pike Creek, Blitzen gorge, Big Indian gorge, the rim of Wildhorse lake, plus the lower elevations south of the Blitzen river. All of this is extremely rough and rugged country, and much of it is STEEP. Be in good shape, the best you can be in. I assume you own a good 4X4, because nothing less will work well in the Steens. You need two spare tires and a High-Lift jack, plus good chains for all four wheels, plus a winch. It you get an early snow or even rain, you'll need to chain-up. This area should be treated as a major hunting expedition, and nothing less. Help and fuel can be and are a long way off.

I suggest a scouting trip this summer, a month or so before the season. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll suggest some specific areas to hunt.................

In the meantime, get yourself a copy of "STEENS MOUNTAIN in Oregon's high desert country", by Conkling, Jackman, and Scharff.

AD

Allen, your post sure brings me back 40 years (UGH) I spent time around Frenchglen when the road in was gravel. I remember seeing the biggest Mule Deer I have ever seen while helping a rancher move a rake he had hung up on bridge over the Blitzen River (?)

I imagine things have really changed since I was last there.

Thanks for the replies.
Allen - I'll take you up on your offer and send you an email. Also, thanks for the reference.

David

Remember that the Donner Und Blitzen River is full of fish...big fish. Country is open so a spotting scope in your truck is helpful. Mosquitos near water can be thick.