Hello all,
I made an account on this site to learn a bit more about hunting. My knowledge is second-hand so far. I know you need a license and that's about it. I was wondering if anyone knew of a hunting school where I could learn to use a bow, preferably, and how to track/stalk game.
If anyone has any information, it would be greatly appreciated. I live in Portland, OR and I'm hoping to find one in the city somewhere.
Thanks all, cheers,
Drame22
Welcome to the site. ::hello1 You are on the right track by checking out websites like this. Some folks are fortunate enough to grow up in hunting families. Others like us have had to teach themselves. Very often you can find someone that will mentor you.
There is a wealth of information here on BGH.net. Read all you can and join in the conversations. You will learn a lot and by the time hunting season comes around you will have a better idea or how to pursue the game that interests you.
Welcome to the site! As Mike suggested, make sure to browse the forums. You are definately in the right place. There is tons of information on here, it's a good start. Hopefully you will find someone local to show you around!
Welcome aboard. Like others said you can find a wealth of info here on the site. I live in Gresham and am a bow hunter. To my knowledge there are no formal "hunting schools" in the area. If you go to the ODFW website you will find that they have a bow hunters education coarse that will teach you some of what your looking for. I'm assuming since your in Portland your looking into getting into hunting here local? I have a few questions if thats ok? How old are you? if your under 18 you will need to take the Hunters safety coarse regardless which you can sign up for on the ODFW site. Do you have any outdoor experience? What kind of animals are you looking to hunt? Depending on how serious you are about learning to hunt I can teach you a few things. A lot of what you will learn will be first hand. You need to start by shooting your bow and getting very good with it. Next would be getting out in the woods and scout, and learn an area inside and out. I spend most of the spring and summer out scouting and learning the animals travel routes and bedding areas and also put out trail cams. If you want to chat farther PM me and I'll see what I can do.
Well I don't think you'll have to worry about practicing in your back yard since it's illegal to do that in city limits. I shoot down at Blue Lake, they have a pretty good outdoor range. during the winter months I will shoot either in my house or go to an Archery shop. I go to one in Sandy, Most of the shops have an indoor range. Do you have a bow already? If not what kind of budget do you have for one? You can usaully find really nice used bows for pretty cheap or find a new good entry level bow package for anywhere from $300-$500. As far as your parents go, you could just tell them you picked up a new hobby, Archery is very adicting so be carefull 
.
I have no problem teaching you how to hunt here in Oregon as long as your serious. For the most part hunting is all but done for this year execpt a few late season controlled hunts. Aplication season is coming up soon. I would recommend applying for points for atleast deer and elk so you can begin to build those up. With archery hunting you can hunt about 90% of the state with an over-the-counter tag. I hunt elk in eastern oregon in September and then hunt deer in the late season in November. I was able to take the doe in my avatar picture this year. Are you wanting to start hunting next fall or are wanting to wait?
I grew up hunting with my dad. I started tagging along with him when I was 5 and started hunting on my own tag when I was 12 (the legal age in OR). So I've been around and hunting for 25 years. It's a very fun and rewarding sport. I just got my wife into hunting 2 years ago and she likes doing it too.
Let me know if you want me to show you the ropes.
I live in Gresham, right outside of Portland. I'm sure you know where Gresham is. As far as bow's go there is nothing wrong with getting a good used bow or a new entry level bow, The one I have right now is a good entry level made by PSE. It was $399 and came with everything need to get started minus the arrows and release. The indoor ranges at archery shops will charge you to use their range but its pretty cheap like $10-$20 depending on which one and how long you want to shoot. The one at Blue lake just charges you to get into the park which is $5.
You only need 1 licence a year for hunting, but you need a tag for each animal you intend to hunt. I dont remeber what they cost if you buy them seperately. I always buy a sports pac. Thats $165 but comes with a hunting/fishing licence, and tags for all the animals and fish. If you buy that way you save about $150 a year. The way the draw system works here is for a premium tag you need points to draw it. Most of the really good hunting areas will take anywhere from 9-15 points to draw, So what I do is apply for the point saver option for each animal and just hunt with a OTC tag. I can explain better if we meet up. The application peroid is from now untill May 15th so you have some time to figure it out. I'm very close to drawing the best elk tag in the state so I have been applying for that tag and without drawing it I get a point and have the option for a OTC tag. You get 1 point a year per animal series. So a tag that takes 15 points will take someone up to 15 years to draw.
Don't worry about your size. I'm 6'1" and 225lbs and can sneak around just fine.
If you want you can email me at numbnutz25@comcast.net. For someone who is new to the hole draw prosess it can be a bit confusing. Oregon has probably the easiest system in the western states though. My name is Josh.
Wow, really, ya can't shoot a bow in your own back yard?
Never lived in the city, except to go to school many decades ago. Now I remember why.
Welcom to Bgh. It looks like you have some really good info here already and a really good offer if your serious about learning to hunt. Good luck and stick with it, the enjoyment you get will be worth it.
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