Re: All Oregonians check in !
LOCATION:
Portland here, live on the west side. Seek to find a close spot to go long with good backstop. Want to find a place to shoot around Portland 1000 yards and more. Douglas Ridge on Thursday nights is the only public place I know of close by that does shoots to 1000y. Am looking for a place within 30 minutes or so out from say North Plains on Highway 26.
ABOUT ME:
Am a country boy farmer who has always shot guns while enjoying the outdoors with others. Want to always do more while we still can before old, and getting outside helps me keep strong even if not shooting as moving around instead of sitting is good. Very interested in custom guns for a mile or more, but happy to punch paper at normal ranges. Shooting accurately anything helps me relax, remember to breath, causes me to always be learning new things to be better than was last time, and makes me clear my mind.
OREGON CONCERNS:
Coyote populations are getting too thick so take out when able. They effect wildlife populations so do not like. Go out of my way to get some in the last few years. Hear of more cougar sighting now than ever since they stopped hunting them with hound dogs population is increasing - a local family has a cougar too close to their house in the woods this last year. And cougar sightings are more common all over. Also is more bear around. Not as many deer, elk, duck, birds, or fish as recall when young. Something has been kicking mother earth in the teeth for the decades I've lived.
DREAM SHOOTING TRIP (s):
Go after Red Stag in Argentina as they also have Peacock Bass (not to mention the hot night life, strange to me latino hours, and inexpensive local beef - working to speak better Spanish). Hope to someday get an Alaska Moose. Would like to hunt monster elk in key other states who have the biggest (Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Canada, ... ?). Like to hunt mule deer nearly anywhere they get big and would like to eat a monster.
OREGON GUN PLACES WHERE YOU MAY SEE ME:
On a weekend if at a shooting club am most often at Douglas Ridge who shoots out to 1000y Thursday nights:
http://www.douglasridge.org/
Also shoot at Tri County gun club who shoots out to 600y on Tuesday nights:
http://www.tcgc.org/
Verboort Gun Club. Shoot trap sometimes with the locals who I grew up with in the winter months.
Have access to private property in many places to shoot rifles long distance we could probably never open to the public without a serious plan, and know of a few good places around in the woods where often just us because we made 'the range'. Weld and can make metal targets from scrap. My dream is that we can work together to find / create / make a few more awesome places in recent clear-cuts in the hills close to towns to better practice long range shooting up to a mile and more. Around Portland a good place to practice at distances over 1000 yards is hard to find, but can still be done if are creative about it.
WHERE AND WHAT I HUNT IN OREGON:
Farmers fields when they have a problem. Often out in the woods more for the walk on or around family or friends lands. Hunt mule deer Whitehorse / Alvord / Steens Ranges out of Burns, Elk mostly around the Blues Range, and most often western coastal range elk as like to eat Roosevelt. Grew up hunting waterfowl and all kinds of birds and critters for farmers who did not like them. Hate mice in barns or gophers in the garden. Have not hunted much since draw and party planning became so much a part of it. Grew up hunting in years when hungry with others who were too. I guess will have to plan and get my tag info in before 5/15 some year like everyone else to go back to some places.
In the back yard and nearby field often plink cans (and mice, gophers, and moles when moving) with an air rifle just to make sure still got it. Hate it when see the record Muley in his bed and can not take him out then when put a group hunt on, as always slips through in a country without trees where just walking on the rocks make noise - do not get it. This is the story of my mule deer hunting as spot then could not get within my 500yd 30-06 self imposed maximum range. Swear they big mule deer are ghosts while got close to 'the Hartford' for a few years - thank you Andersch brothers for getting me East while realize you moved on hunting other states for wall hangers now.
GUN STORES I FREQUENT:
Bi-Mart. We watch them closely for reloading supplies and most of my guns seem to like Federal Blue Box best when not reloading.
My favorite local-feeling gun store is Al's in Verboort (even if Marcus still doesn't think he needs me to help him make a real webpage for free as is what I do even though have offered several times. Al's moves lots of used guns around and confident could help him sell more with a better online presence. Last week Marcus told me he has a webpage now, but still can not Google it so not sure what he is talking about - and hope Al's does have one as has needed many years now since before Marcus bought it):
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?h...un&hnear=Portland,+OR&cid=4257950841500506716
The pawn shop where have got the most good guns through the years is H&B Loan downtown where my grandma bought most of her guns, and I've traded or bought many of mine from Sean at:
http://www.hbloan.com/
I BRAKE FOR:
The Adel store has the best collection of Mule Deer racks I've ever seen on one place. Hart Mountain, known for monsters is nearby. Can spend hours looking at them, but never have enough time as always going through. There were great racks there, and hope still are. It is in the middle of no where in Adel, OR. Does anyone know of any nice elk rack or deer rack collections around as gets my heart pounding and mouth watering just to look at them?
Have a soft spot for Del Taco right now as devour several packets of their Inferno sauce on any item and as a single lazy guy can get lemon in my ice water and a nice meal for very few dollars. Free shake on my Birthday to cut the Inferno sauce as part of their e-mail club, 49 cent soft tacos, two for one deals, and two taco nights a week beginning with the letter 'T' (and do websites like this with animation so kinda cool to use if nothing else compared to some):
http://www.deltaco.com/
FAVORITE GUN WEBSITES:
Here of course and also on LRH.
FAVORITE LOCAL EATS (made myself hungry talking about Del Taco):
IMHO the best hamburger in town is the Lighthouse burger in Linton. They also have awesome huge cheap bowls of home made soup - the cups are so be sure to get the bowl.
Sayler's Country Kitchen. I have 24oz top sirloin or a Porterhouse with a wimpy stringy pile of greasy onion rings with way too much smoky tasting chive sour cream. Eat way too much steak sauce and garlic butter on nearly everything when go here:
http://www.saylers.com/index-in.htm
Ringside Uptown. Get onion rings as some of the best and house salad with the Ringside's own dressing including extra blue cheese on top with whatever seems good usually steak):
http://www.ringsidesteakhouse.com/
London Grill in the Basement of the Benson Hotel downtown. Parking is under it. Grandma's favorite fancy place with table-side service of Caesar Salad to Steak Diane to Bananas Foster so get them all with French Onion Soup. High end expensive so a treat place. Seating places are marked with matchbooks engraved in gold with the last name of who made reservations so be sure to spell your name right to have them for later, your date will get a red rose from the server when you sit down and your date will not have prices on the menu to choose what they want to eat without price being a factor. The flaming pepper steak (Steak Diane) prepared table side tastes awesome and is truly is something that tastes great to remember at:
http://www.bensonhotel.com/Dining/tabid/59/Default.aspx
Nonna Emilia. I get a large pizza to go and extra extra sauce paying for it twice to be sure they make mine juicy as often live alone so left overs when can not eat it still are juicy a day or two later otherwise will get dry - love the lunch buffet on Tues - Fri especially Fridays with all you can eat Lasagna / pizza / and love their red french dressing drenching my salad:
http://nonnaemilia.com/
Mad Greek Deli. Pando's Place has some of the best deli sandwiches, burgers, Greek food, fries, gyros, deserts, music, ... I usually get a Mad American with extra mayo olives and peppers on top with Greek fries with an omega sauce. Inexpensive and better than Subway to me:
http://www.madgreekdeli.com/home.html
Got Pho? Often get the large clean dead place to yourself and even has an outside porch. Great inexpensive food just off I-84 near in Hollywood district. Favorite is: R25 charbroiled pork over veggies w/Vermicelli noodles and A3 charbroiled pork spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce or sometimes instead of A3 get S01 which is a charbroiled pork Asian sandwich with awesome bread. Do not forget the tray at the table with all the sauces in squirt bottles some spicy. Ask for the extra hot good tasting smokey Viet home made chili sauce from the back as is served by request only to those who like spicy foods. Get R23 if not so hungry and costs less by combining the appetizer and meal into one:
http://www.gotphoonline.com/
Stone Cliff Inn. I eat the Cherry Smoked Ribs with bowl of Smoked Salmon Chowder as it is hard to get me away from my favorite ribs anywhere even if messy to eat - like the deck outside in the summer and private upstairs for larger groups. Sometimes they have special big steaks, if you ask that may not be on the menu but are yummy to eat. I remember they had elk on the menu when they open and have even had bison here. But usually eat cherry smoked messy awesome ribs at:
http://www.stonecliffinn.com/
My favorite ribs before eating the local Stone Cliff version were those at Montgomery Inn in Ohio:
http://www.montgomeryinn.com/
OREGON WILDLIFE & OUTDOOR HISTORY:
My grandfather throughout retirement had a long bitter battle with some damn beavers and the dams they make. He said because they back up water helping bad people who wrongly flood land keep it flooded saying it was always that way. There is more to that story and some of them include explosives and politics. With very few beaver deaths. In fact, the beavers are still there. The forest of old trees and acres of moss that used to be upstream are standing rotten after living 100s of years. Gone are the salmon, ducks, crawfish, fish, ... - grandpa was right the open water is better for wildlife than damn dams have been in many situations.
WHAT I CAN OFFER:
Time. If anyone is into pronghorn antelope have a good idea where they live as see when going after deer. I fabricate / weld - can make targets of any kind you desire. Build experimental aircraft, custom racing parts, and things like injection molds so have access to precision machining equipment. Skilled with fiberglass, metals, wood, glass, plastics, motors, and electronics. Do CAD, simulation, animation, and automation design work. Good with audio and video solutions, have a video editing suite. Helped do the sound system for the Hillsboro Air show for a while, yes Tim your backup home stereo rocked it for a few years before the upgrade. Cut firewood and do yard maintenance for exercise as is like getting paid to go to the health club so have all the equipment, 4x4 pickup, trailers, chain saws, mower, 7hp wheeled brush hog, cables, ... also run equipment, log, and develop land if you need to get something split or cleared for a view to make money. Have set up and catered large corporate events, celebrations and parties - sometimes with local attendees and other times for guests from around the globe.
We garden and make hot pickles: cucumbers, green beans, beets, etc. <span style="color: #009900">(sold out until 2011 pickling season, taking pre-season orders now).</span> Also make hot dry spices from fresh ingredients as well as numerous sauces, dips, and dressings. Make salsa year round to order - must stay refrigerated. The food hobby is called Smaking Supply and can send you a <span style="color: #009900">FREE</span> care pack if you or someone you know likes spicy or saucy foods.
Computer skills and global business knowledge from working with the biggest and best. Am an electrical engineer who has worked in Sales & Marketing of business technology solutions his whole life: chips, boards, systems, networks, and software. Spent about 10 years at Intel in their growth years when first out of college. To help business bottom lines now do website design, graphic arts, and online advertizing. Can bring in qualified prospects for any business predicting ROI before I begin. <span style="color: #009900">For example, write / direct / shoot / edit / produce corporate videos then make websites that efficiently distribute information to spread the word then take orders with minimal people involvement - then get it on Google and other search engines to bring in crowds for any business as what good is eye candy with a great pitch about a needed solution if no one sees it? Use VoIP to bring them in and SOA to formalize the transaction for both sides. Can reach millions overnight with the right video take their order and ship it if in stock without phones ringing with logistics automation. Businesses can focus on what they are good at, often producing a unique product or provide a service with limited time to fill orders.</span>