Friday, July 10, 2026  |  Oregon's Outdoor Journal
Oregon Tag Drawing Strategy: How to Bank Points and Draw Premium Deer, Elk, and Pronghorn Tags

Oregon Tag Drawing Strategy: How to Bank Points and Draw Premium Deer, Elk, and Pronghorn Tags

Oregon's ODFW preference point system rewards patience and planning. Whether you're chasing a Steens pronghorn tag or an archery elk permit in the Wenaha, here's how to build a smart long-term draw strategy.

By HFR Staff  ·  July 10, 2026
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area: Backpacking and Camping the Coastal Sand Sea Between Florence and North Bend
Backpacking

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area: Backpacking and Camping the Coastal Sand Sea Between Florence and North Bend

The Oregon Dunes stretch 40 miles along the Pacific Coast — a shifting sand wilderness unlike anything else in the Pacific Northwest. Here's how to navigate, camp, and explore one of Oregon's most unusual backcountry destinations.

July 10, 2026
Cowboy Action Shooting in the Pacific Northwest: Getting Started with SASS Single Actions and Lever Guns
Shooting

Cowboy Action Shooting in the Pacific Northwest: Getting Started with SASS Single Actions and Lever Guns

Cowboy Action Shooting combines historical firearms, theatrical costumes, and timed competition on steel targets. Here's how Pacific Northwest shooters can get into one of the most welcoming and fun shooting sports around.

July 10, 2026
Reloading 20-Gauge Shotshells for Oregon Upland Bird Hunting: Components, Load Data, and Pattern Testing
Reloading

Reloading 20-Gauge Shotshells for Oregon Upland Bird Hunting: Components, Load Data, and Pattern Testing

The 20-gauge is the refined choice for Oregon upland hunters. Reloading your own shells cuts cost and lets you tune patterns for chukar, pheasant, and quail. Here's everything you need to get started.

July 10, 2026
Rogue River Half-Pounders: Summer Steelhead Tactics for Oregon's Most Explosive July Run
Fishing

Rogue River Half-Pounders: Summer Steelhead Tactics for Oregon's Most Explosive July Run

The Rogue River's half-pounder steelhead are unlike any fish in Oregon — juvenile sea-run fish returning in July with the energy of a freight train. Here's where to find them and how to catch them.

July 10, 2026
Timothy Lake Loop: A Weekend Backpacking Trip Near Portland in Mount Hood National Forest
Backpacking

Timothy Lake Loop: A Weekend Backpacking Trip Near Portland in Mount Hood National Forest

Timothy Lake's 13-mile loop trail offers backpackers a manageable but rewarding overnight escape just 60 miles from Portland — lakeside camping, real trout fishing, old-growth forest, and Mount Hood reflections at sunset.

July 9, 2026
Extreme Long Range Shooting: What It Takes to Hit a Mile in the Pacific Northwest
Shooting

Extreme Long Range Shooting: What It Takes to Hit a Mile in the Pacific Northwest

Shooting a target at one mile — 1,760 yards — is one of the most demanding challenges in practical marksmanship. Here's what it actually takes: cartridges, rifles, optics, wind-reading, and the honest cost of entry.

July 9, 2026
Oregon Specklebelly Goose Hunting: Tactics for White-Fronted Geese on the Pacific Flyway
Hunting

Oregon Specklebelly Goose Hunting: Tactics for White-Fronted Geese on the Pacific Flyway

Specklebellies are the most rewarding and challenging goose to consistently decoy on the Pacific Flyway. Oregon's Willamette Valley, Klamath Basin, and Columbia River bottoms all hold birds — here's how to hunt them right.

July 9, 2026
Reloading the .300 Weatherby Magnum: High-Velocity Loads for Open-Country Elk and Mule Deer
Reloading

Reloading the .300 Weatherby Magnum: High-Velocity Loads for Open-Country Elk and Mule Deer

The .300 Weatherby pushes 180-grain bullets past 3,200 fps and is one of the most capable elk cartridges ever chambered. Here's how to handload it right — brass prep, powder selection, bullet choice, and field performance.

July 9, 2026
Fly Fishing the Owyhee River Tailwater: Wild Rainbows in Oregon's High Desert Canyon
Fishing

Fly Fishing the Owyhee River Tailwater: Wild Rainbows in Oregon's High Desert Canyon

Below Owyhee Dam in Malheur County, cold releases from the reservoir create a year-round tailwater fishery producing wild rainbow trout in a spectacular red-canyon landscape. Here's everything you need to know to make the drive worth it.

July 9, 2026