February 8th thru 18th. Will be the dates for Our 11th Central Oregon Cougar Camp. All it takes is desire and a Cougar Tag. 3/4 Mile West of Cabin Lake USFS guard station. about 10 miles North of the Town of Fort Rock or Fort Rock State park. Bring your camp and food. My PM box works. This camp is about Killing Cougars No one profits $ Keep the old women (cougar) jokes to a minimum, We already heard them all.

Sounds cool,how is your success?

PM sent.

Xmas Valley, Or. and Silver Lake, the Lake that Disappeared,,,,,, I ran all that Country pretty Hard, back in the Day, out to Wagon Tire and beyond,,,, High Desert Country, worked a bit for the ZX Ranch as well,,,, Shooting and Trapping Yotes, and yea,,,,, got a few Cats as well,,,,, I still miss that part of the World.
LJ

PM Sent..

Same story as the last ten years. We camp, We have a Campfire, We Kill Coyote and the occasional Cougar. Some concentrate on Coyote, Others Shed hunt, Others Rabbit hunt. Some do all. I hunt Cougar and act as camp host. We camp on the 2435rd which is just north of the Cabin Lake guard station on the USFS 18rd. Or if we get deep snow, We camp 5 miles South of the town of Fort Rock on BLM just off the main County rd to Silver Lake. Which hits 31 at the Silver Lake Cemetery. With the snow we have had so far. The 2435rd camp is most likely.

Access is from the town of Fort Rock. County grades the road to USFS boundary. About 1 mile from camp site. Other USFS roads are normally pretty bad due to snow depths. 18rd which starts in bend on the south end. can be driven some years. Not most years, but its about 38 miles of washboard. USFS roads off 31 that say Cabin Lake, The Hole in ground rd is closed about 4 miles in. The other gets up pretty high so is snow blocked most years. Best route is Highway 31 to Fort Rock/Christmas Lake Rd. 6 miles to fort rock, Then 10 miles North or 5 miles South depending on Snow, at Fort Rock. The most people we have seen in camp at one time is 18. Not a big event. Over the 10 day hunt. a good year has 25 total hunters coming and going. Huge area with lots of prime Winter Range pockets to find Cougar.

I'll stop by and stay for a spell. Not sure how long depending on work obligations which are light this time of year.

I'm thinking this sounds like a hoot. Give me a chance to try out a few of my rifles on targets of opportunity, get out of the wife's hair for a few days, and meet a few of the fellas around these parts. Probably set up my small canvas tent . That's my old stomping ground for ground squirrels, but haven't had much opportunity to get out there much in the last few years. Take a few of my new Critr Gitr calls and make a racket with them....

Bob

. I was out there yesterday. Deer where around but I cut no fresh Cougar tracks. I will try it again Thursday from a different starting point.

6 days and Camp begins.

I've been getting my ducks in a row.

I may have to come late in the week. Just found out my daughter and grandbaby are coming for a visit Thursday for a week. Love to see them, but it throws my scheduled trip into a new schedule. I love being retired.....

Bob

Later in the week normally means we have a few cats, general area located.

I'm loaded. Have to trench over a 1000' with the excavator tomorrow so I can't leave just yet. Which camp are we headed to?Fresh snow the last two days here. Excellent tracking snow!

The west of Cabin lake guard station camp. I should be there by Noon Friday. I am using my small camp this year = 10x10 Kodiak tent with a white tarp tent for Wood and stuff. Back has been bothering me, so decided I did not want to mess with the wall tent. There will be a TT in camp Friday also. At least one. I have a 1/2 cord of camp wood loaded to start on my car hauler trailer. And a lot more to use If we burn through it. Camp is 50 minutes from my house So picking up more wood is not a problem. That and other camp members bring some and Chain Saws. I do not post here from camp. I have a flip phone. Cell service might take a 1/2 mile drive from camp, Depending on your provider. It will likely be 1-3G speed with 4G only from one cell company's system.

The guys are really on em right around camp. Here's a photo one of them sent me this morning as I was on my way home.



The local barkeep gave me a tip on one at their ranch so we checked it out and ended up a buddy and I chased a pair of cats in about 7" of snow around a mountain and bumped them once but did not get a chance at them. We had an exciting chase. There's a lot of ground in the area and it will kick your ass chasing them when they know you're back there! We saw elk, hundreds of deer including some nice bucks, bobcat, coyotes, hundreds of antelope.

Weather went below zero one night and wind killed a lot of good calling chances. Everyone kept right at it and we all had a chance to warm up around a big campfire each night.




Cougars are much hairier than I thought they would be.





Several days high winds forecast (40mph+) so some of us packed it in but had a great time. Super nice people one and all. Thanks to baltz for a great effort and super hospitality. It's still going on thru the 18th and the cats are around so I bet the guys will have some great stories in a few days.

Hope to head up tomorrow but don't have time to pack up and set up camp so we will probably stay at the Best Western in Lapine this trip. Anybody know if the weather has subsided a bit? How are the snow levels? Seems like they have really been getting hammered this week from the reports I've been watching...

Bob

Hope to head up tomorrow but don't have time to pack up and set up camp so we will probably stay at the Best Western in Lapine this trip. Anybody know if the weather has subsided a bit? How are the snow levels? Seems like they have really been getting hammered this week from the reports I've been watching...

Bob

Bob I just got a report from one of my buddies out there said it was 36 and calm about three hours ago. He also tracked a cat today. Lodging is available at Christmas Valley motel, about 20 miles from camp. Gas is available at Silver Lake and Christmas Valley, camp is just north of Fort Rock.

Well crap... hunting buddy bailed on me and my wife says we have something that needs taken care of this weekend since we had guests all week long so I guess my trip has been postponed indefinitely. Maybe make it up to that neighborhood in March sometime- possibly in time for some sage rats to come out of hiding? Maybe another gathering could be planned?

Hope you guys are seeing some action and killing some deer and antelope predators....

Bob

Wish I wasn't so busy right now.. and also having my 4 Runner down due to a throw out bearing needing replaced......

if any of you guys are up for Sage rats over there.. I sure would be up for that get together.

Just say the word and I'll be there.... anybody have any favorite places? Went last year after a long absence and most of my places weren't available any more....

Bob

Good job on the track pic. Sounds like a wall tent and stove might be of service as opposed to a campfire. Have some Hunter Ed class commitments, or I'd show up. Just a couple hour run for us.

Bucks still packing antlers.

I won't go back w/o a tent with a stove. Slept in the truck a few nights which sounded good on paper but.....

Ok,,,, how about this one, that just came out of the Steens, right close to the Alvord side.
LJ

That looks like a good one. I'm shocked there isn't snow down there about now. Even French Glen should have white on the ground by now....

That looks like a good one. I'm shocked there isn't snow down there about now. Even French Glen should have white on the ground by now....

I had planned on staying in the truck a couple nights also when my hunting buddy bailed on me, but anymore a night or two of that nonsense and I'm looking for the nearest hotel. I'll take the tent/stove/ cot next trip.... Should have enough room for about 3 guys ....

Bob

On occasion I've bedded down beneath the pickup canopy. Always seems about 30 degrees colder in there.

A pretty light winter so far. We have snow in Burns, but not much. Some recent rains settled into the high country snow, so we're about average for precip at the moment.

I pulled camp this afternoon. A big male was working the area south of Flat Top. To deep in the road closure area for me alone to get it out. Once he moved in, I only found tracks headed out of the area of the other 4 cats we had been tracking. Bunch of shed hunters were out today with the nice weather. We will be back at it in February 2020.