My son and I have drawn tags for "Melrose plus" upon advise of a friend. Two trips so far but couldn't find a track around Camas Valley. Our last day we finally found sigh but had to return to work. That was near Elkton and Elk creek (seemed like a likely spot from the names). Anyone with experiance in this neck of the woods.

Biggest Gun:



I do not know where the eastern boundary of the Melrose unit is right off the bat. However I am well familiar with the fact there is a lot of Elk, in fact a good sized herd of Elk just west of Winston heading toward Camas Valley.



If you take the cut off from Dillard on old Hwy 99, just after you cross the little bridge to the north side of Roseberg Forest Products, that curves around and hits Hwy 42. A lot of the log trucks use that cut off to miss going into Winston. 4 or five miles west bound on Hwy 42, you will see a cut off to your left that mentions the name of a Reservoir, BEN something or other.



ON that side of the road ( south side) that area has a fair amount of Elk that I have seen going back and forth on trips to Coos Bay.



The ridges to the North of Camas Valley, I have deer hunted and their is also a lot of Elk in that area. To get there, when you come up the long grade that is east of Camas Valley, you will come to a cut off on the north side that is part of the old Hwy 42. This is just before the peak of the grade.



It makes a short loop. Take that, and their is a logging road off of the north side of that, that will take you back up to the ridges to the North side of Camas Valley.



I have kicked up a lot of Elk back in there, although I have not hunted it in 3 or 4 years. You can also ask at the store in Camas Valley. There are two and either one should be helpful as a lot of loggers stop in there and they see where the Elk are when up picking up loads on those ridges in the area if any active logging is going on.



Also part of the Melrose Unit is the area west of I 5 between the exits for Azalea to the North and Quines Creek. There is a large piece of property that borders I 5 that I have seen 70 to 80 Elk out grazing in the afternoon. Real close to the west side of that little valley is old Hwy 99 again. The property has no hunting posted of course.



But those same Elk roam those ridges to the west of Hwy 99.

I am talking the ridge tops are less than a mile off of I 5.

Stop in that Heaven of Earth Restaurant at Quines Creek exit and ask in there or possibly at the Texaco station. That is all that is there. Or the Azalea store can also be helpful for info.

Lots of public land right west of I 5 right there and is in the Melrose unit.





Good luck and hope some of that might help you out!

cheers

seafire

grants pass oregon

My sister-in-law and her husband live in that neighborhood. I think thats the point where the Powers, Melrose and Tioga units all come together. So be careful about unit boundries. Every year someone gets popped for hunting in the Powers unit without a tag. There are some monsters in there. If I had a Melrose tag I would call the Roseburg office of ODFW and ask if they had any damage complaint that the farmer wanted hunters to help out. You might be happily supprized. Go luck and I hope it all works out for you.