Eastern Oregon Odyssey

No, no, we have nothing against the lodges with luxurious rooms, full bars, gourmet meals, professional guides, well-trained dogs, hard-flying birds and so on, but just as we enjoy the fine guns of yesteryear, we wanted to return to a more traditional way of hunting. This usually involves packing up your vehicle with guns and dogs and heading out with friends to public or private land to hunt wild birds. It also means staying in motels, eating at local coffee shops or bars, walking a lot, and appreciating every flush as if it were your first.
But on the West Coast where to go?
Oregon. The name itself evokes visions of tall timber, endless rain, pea-soup fog and ducks. But with an annual harvest of more than 200,000 chukar, Oregon also prides itself as the chukar capital of the US. Pheasants, too, are present in large numbers, as are valley quail and Hungarian partridge. And with all four species inhabiting the eastern part of the state, our decision to make a trek there was an easy one.

We set off on our quest in early November and settled into our base of operations at the Econo Lodge in Boardman, on the Columbia River along the state’s northern border. The motel allows dogs in the rooms and has a bird-cleaning area, and a close Mexican eatery and scenic restaurant overlooking the river made the small town perfect. We had driven from central California to meet Ken Harding, a retired school administrator from Portland who also hosts an annual trip to Wales for driven birds (see “A Welsh Fantasy,” July/August). Ken was joined by Robb Bell, a transplanted New Yorker who now owns Cathedral Ridge Winery (voted Oregon’s 2007 Winery of the Year).
We had planned a Thursday and Friday hunt for several reasons. First, because we were chasing wild birds on private land open to the public, we wanted to avoid the weekend competition. Second, with only two dogs between four hunters, it would be difficult on the dogs to hunt more than two consecutive days in the hilly terrain and dry climate.
Lucky for us, Ken had made numerous “connections” in the area, where he has been hunting since the early 1970s. He typically cultivates these relationships like Robb does his vines. He is constantly making notes about new landowners and managers, asking permission to hunt, sharing his game, sending letters and even gifts after the hunt, and staying in touch during the off season. Although a guy like Ken is great to have along, a trip like ours can be made by contacting landowners who allow access who are registered with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (see sidebar).
Our first morning, following a cholesterol-rich breakfast and plenty of coffee at the local eatery, it was off to the ranches that Ken had lined up about a half-hour drive from town. We had entered the first ranch on a beautiful two-lane paved road when Ken spotted a ranch vehicle coming toward us. We slowed and waved. It was one of the third-generation owners on his way to town. Ken lowered his window and suggested we pull the vehicles onto the gravel shoulder so we could talk safely away from “traffic.” The rancher noted that only three vehicles ever used the road and all three had passed that morning. Welcome to eastern Oregon—small towns, wheat farms, cattle ranches and a laid-back way of life.
Ken had arranged for us to hunt the 20,000-acre ranch for a small trespass fee. “Just put it in the mailbox at the main house and hunt anywhere you like,” the rancher said. “If I don’t see you guys in the next few days, have a great time—and come back anytime. Oh, and don’t forget the area off this road where the old corral is; it’s loaded with quail this year.”
We said our goodbyes, and the owner departed. When we asked Ken if we would be hunting along the road, he said, “Oh, only for the next 11 miles... ” You can imagine our ear-to-ear grins.
The road paralleled a small creek, and soon we spotted a group of pheasants out for its morning feed in a cutover wheatfield. We count-ed 10 roosters amongst the harem of hens before the birds ran back into the creek bottom upon seeing us stop. We hatched a plan. Two vehicles stayed put, and the third proceeded up the road. Unlike preserve birds, wild pheasants are cunning and easily can be walked over if every inch of cover isn’t searched. “Posting” a covert is often helpful too, as pheasants often will run if pushed and then flush over the waiting Guns.
Another nice thing about eastern Oregon is that the various upland species often coexist in the same creek-bottom, fenceline and cropfield habitat. Shooters never know what the dogs are going to root out of the cover. It’s not uncommon to push out pheasants followed by valley quail, chukar and/or Huns.
The plan this time was that Ken and Robb along with their English springer, Bo, and pointing black Lab, Rusty, would walk the creek bottom toward us as we blocked. In the first 300 yards or so the drivers put up not only several pheasants but also some quail. The pheasants took out of the bottom and headed for the hills. The quail flew a short distance either in front of or behind the Guns and set back into the cover. The dogs and hunters continued pushing forward, and when all was said and done our group had taken three roosters and five quail. We figured we could have gotten more quail had we backtracked, but we primarily were concentrating on pheasants, with the other species being secondary.
Similar plans of action worked numerous times during our two days of hunting. But with more misses than kills, our motto became: “Hey, we’re not married to these shells.” Planted birds these weren’t.
Over time Ken has found that after a successful push through a covert it is best to return to the vehicles, rest and water the dogs, and then move to another area. He maintains that this “hit and run” tactic keeps hunters and dogs alert and produces more variety in terms of game. So it was back to the vehicles and then off to another section of the ranch.
At one point during the day we mistakenly hunted onto an adjoining ranch. When the disgruntled rancher drove up, Ken realized his mistake and apologized profusely. After speaking with the landowner, however, Ken returned to tell us that we had permission to hunt this new ranch also—as well as the man’s other ranches. And so goes the process of finding places to hunt. “Ask and you shall receive.”
After several hunts during which we took our limit of roosters and a good deal of quail, it was time to find the chukar and Huns. Lunch was a sandwich and cold drink in one of the ranch barns, and then we were off in search of draws entering creek bottoms that we hoped would hold birds. Our tactic now was to have Ken, Robb and the dogs circle the top of each draw and push down to us posting below. The result was driven chukar and Huns and even more pheasants, which of course we couldn’t shoot.
By the end of the first day, all four species were in the bag, as we had taken eight pheasants, 11 quail, five chukar and two Huns. A successful day by all accounts.

The second morning it became obvious that thoughts on what constitutes a “traditional” hunt weren’t shared by all in the group. While most of us were using essentially modern breechloaders made in Queen Victoria’s day, author Steve appeared with a 20-bore William Ketland flintlock circa 1815. Ketland, a maker with London and Birmingham addresses, is best known in the US for Brown Bess muskets and “trade guns,” and Steve insisted that this side-by-side muzzleloader was an ideal chukar gun. The previous night’s light rain had made conditions perfect for the Ketland, as the last thing Steve wanted was to start a fire with belching sparks on a ranch where Ken had invested years developing access.
On our first creek-bottom push of the day, Ken’s springer, Bo, flushed a chukar almost immediately. It was Steve’s perfect opportunity, and when his first shot was behind—no surprise, with flintlocks being far from cutting edge in terms of lock time—he increased his lead by a “ZIP Code,” fired and “followed through on his follow through.” The bird dropped like a stone. Smoke still hung in the air as the bird was delivered to the ecstatic hunter.
The second day was a repeat of the first. We drove to ranches and farms that had creek bottoms with draws feeding into them. Again we found plenty of birds, with the population seeming to favor pheasants followed by quail, chukar and Huns. And again all four species were taken, although with fewer birds overall.
That day as we were driving back to the motel, Ken took us on a road he hadn’t traveled in some time. He slowed and said, “Boy, that farm sure looks birdie. Look at that cover along the creek. I’m going to stop and see if anyone’s home.” We pulled into the farmyard with dogs, cats and chickens milling about. Ken got out and approached a gentleman in the barn. We could see them talking and gesturing in different directions. After writing something down, Ken shook the man’s hand and returned to the vehicles.
“Well, boys,” he said, “we can’t hunt here this year. The owner closed it to hunting since he’s working with a university on creek-habitat res-toration to hold more birds. But he asked me to call him next August, and he said he’d reserve some days for us at no charge.” Sounded good to us.
Most wingshooting adventures come to a close too soon, and this trip was no exception. Before scattering to return to our homes in Oregon and California, we all made plans to return to eastern Oregon to explore more of the beautiful country and hunt truly wild birds. A plan we’re considering for next time is to hunt a few days; take a day off for resting, wine tasting and sightseeing; and then hunt again for one or two more days.
And always there will be that feeling that right around the bend will be that “birdie-looking” place where no one has stopped to ask permission to hunt.

Roger Sanger is the founder and past president of the California Side by Side Society. He co-founded the Gold Medal Concours in 2001 and the Western Concours in 2008. Steve Helsley, a retired California law-enforcement executive, is currently a consultant for the NRA. He is also a collector of vintage British firearms and an avid reloader.

Accessible Oregon

Access to wingshooting in eastern Oregon is improving on both public and private land. The latter has gotten more attention in recent years as the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wild-life (ODFW) has developed two distinct programs to improve hunter access.
Regulated Hunt Areas (RHA) consist of blocks of private land open to hunting under supervision by the ODFW. Two of the largest tracts in eastern Oregon are the Boeing Tract, providing more than 64,000 acres near Boardman, and the Heppner Tract, with more than 42,000 acres near Heppner. Access and Habitat (A&H) Programs offer hunting privileges on private land—usually single farms and ranches registered with the ODFW—with no permission needed. In both programs the landowners receive per-acre yearly payments from the ODFW that are funded by a $2 surcharge on hunting licenses. Landowners waive access requests by individuals and in turn are released from any liability. The ODFW Website (www.dfw.state .or.us) can direct hunters to areas where land is available. For information on the RHA or A&H programs, contact Matthew Keenan at 503-947-6087 or Michelle Dennehy at 503-947-6022. —R.S.&S.H.