Page 13 - hunt tab 2013.indd
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August 2013
HUNTING & FISHING 2013
13
The downside
If there’s a downside to leasing hunting ac-
cess to deer ground it probably falls into two
basic categories: The rules imposed by a
landowner and, of course, the cost.
In Oregon, it’s not uncommon to spend as
much as $4,000 a year — or more — for the
opportunity to hunt mule deer on private
property. The price is even more expensive
for elk.
In terms of rules, Jerry said he’s fortunate
that the landowner hasn’t imposed a long list
of do’s and don’ts, but he credits that to the
relationship the rancher has with the lease-
holder and with Jerry. The rancher repays
their reliability with his trust and a relaxed
atmosphere.
The only rule Jerry calls to mind is a pro-
hibition on campfires; the rancher doesn’t
want his arid ranch blackened by a wind-
whipped wildfire.
“It feels like you are under rules, but really
the fire is the big thing,” Jerry said. “But if
you are trading the campfire for seeing the
game, it’s a no-brainer.”
The upside
Well, by now the upside is obvious.
While some hunters will go a lifetime on
public land and never shoot a buck, especial-
ly a big buck, the odds are tipped heavily in
favor of those, like Jerry, who hunt on private
ground.
That’s precisely the scenario that played
out for Jerry and his son in 2012.
‘There’s a buck’
The rangefinder told the tale that the buck
they spotted on opening morning was 880
yards away. Through the scope, the hunters
could make out eye guards and could tell this
was a respectable buck.
“We developed a plan for a stalk,” Jerry
said. “It took two hours of climbing to get to
an area where we speculated we could see
him. From there we back-tracked for about a
half mile and crossed a creek to get up and
around to get to his location.”
Tired, winded and thirsty, they finally
were moving into position when they real-
ized they’d been busted. The buck was mov-
ing out when Jerry instinctively took the
shot, dropping the buck in it’s tracks at 120
yards.
Later that day, Jon and Jerry repeated the
events of the morning.
At about 900 yards, Jon spotted a buck high
on a hillside.
“Jon had to do a lot of talking to get me to
go after him because it was a lot steeper,”
Jerry said.
But the stalk ended with the same result,
with a single shot from Jon’s rifle putting the
buck on the ground.
The tale of the tape showed Jerry’s buck
was visibly smaller than that of his son’s,
which Jerry chalked up to beginner’s luck.
But it’s a fact Jon won’t soon let his father
forget. Still, both were respectable 4X4s.
On the same trip, Jerry’s cousin, Daryl
Dempsey, also put his tag on a 3X4.
BIG BUCKS, HERE’S HOW
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO: JERY SCHILLING
Daryl Dempsey, a cousin of Jerry Schilling, claimed this 3X4 buck in 2012. The buck’s non-uniform
antlers made it a prime target because the landowner wants to remove these “cull bucks” because
he manages the deer herd for trophy-qualty animals.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO: JERY SCHILLING
Jerry Schiiling tagged this buck in 2012.
“I was on Craigslist and was looking
for someone who might be
advertising a landowner preference
tag or a land lease. And there it
was.”
— Jerry Schilling
