Shooting Sports:

2007 has been another successful Oregon blacktail deer hunt year although not as great as last year.  Any success with the Oregon blacktail, however, can be considered an accomplishment, since the average annual hunter success rate is only 20%.  This year I bagged a 3x3 early on the last week of the season after taking some time off during mid-season to do some camping and fishing with my wife and son.  As we were fishing, a blacktail buck and doe watched us  from the bank of the lake, knowing that they were safe that weekend.  My good friend, mentor, and former graduate advisor, Garth Wilkes, bagged another nice Colorado muley, but he too did not match the fine specimens that he was able to bag last year.

    I managed to get out grouse and quail hunting this year and managed to get a couple of Quail and a Douglas Fir, although there didn't seem to be as many birds as last year.  Once again, I didn't seem to find the time to go duck hunting.

 Shooting Links:

Albany Rifle and Pistol Club

MidwayUSA - Shooting Supplies, Reloading, Gun Parts, Ammunition, Rifle Scopes & Airguns

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife:

I found a nice formula to estimate deer weight from ask the meatman .  Since the place I get my deer butchered only gives me hanging weight and edible meat weight, I need to back calculate the actual weights of my deer. 

Based on this formula, the deer I shot in 2006 had a live weight of about 170# and a field dressed weight of about 133#, and the one I shot in 2007 had a live weight of about 120# and a field dressed weight of 94# .  120# is about average for an Oregon Blacktail buck whereas 170# is exceptionally large.