Monday, August 24, 2026  |  Oregon's Outdoor Journal
Zumwalt Prairie and Chesnimnus Creek: A 3-Day Grassland Loop in Oregon's Wallowa County

Zumwalt Prairie and Chesnimnus Creek: A 3-Day Grassland Loop in Oregon's Wallowa County

Zumwalt Prairie is one of the largest remaining bunchgrass prairies in the Pacific Northwest — and one of the least-visited backpacking destinations in Oregon. A 3-day loop through the preserve and into the Chesnimnus Creek drainage rewards patient hikers with unobstructed Wallowa Mountain views, massive elk herds, and silence you can almost feel.

By HFR Staff  ·  August 24, 2026
Reloading the .270 Weatherby Magnum: Roy Weatherby's Flat-Shooting Classic for Oregon Open-Country Hunters
Reloading

Reloading the .270 Weatherby Magnum: Roy Weatherby's Flat-Shooting Classic for Oregon Open-Country Hunters

The .270 Weatherby Magnum is the fastest factory .277-caliber cartridge ever produced — capable of pushing 130-grain bullets past 3,300 fps. For Oregon hunters chasing mule deer and pronghorn in wide-open country, handloading it correctly unlocks everything Roy Weatherby promised.

August 24, 2026
Solo Backcountry Archery Elk Camp in Oregon: Shelter, Food, and Meat Care for the One-Man Hunt
Hunting

Solo Backcountry Archery Elk Camp in Oregon: Shelter, Food, and Meat Care for the One-Man Hunt

Going solo on backcountry elk means doubling down on planning — every decision about shelter, food, and meat care carries extra weight when there's nobody to help you problem-solve at 6,000 feet. Here's how to build a functional one-man elk camp in Oregon's backcountry.

August 24, 2026
Youngs Bay Fall Chinook: Bank Fishing Oregon's Astoria-Area September Run
Fishing

Youngs Bay Fall Chinook: Bank Fishing Oregon's Astoria-Area September Run

Youngs Bay is one of Oregon's most overlooked fall Chinook fisheries — and if you time it right, you can load the cooler without fighting the crowds upstream. Here's everything you need to know about bank fishing this Astoria-area estuary from late August through September.

August 24, 2026
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge: A 3-Day Backpacking Loop Through Southeast Oregon's High Desert
Backpacking

Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge: A 3-Day Backpacking Loop Through Southeast Oregon's High Desert

Hart Mountain is one of Oregon's most remote and rewarding backpacking destinations — a massive fault-block escarpment rising 3,600 feet above the Warner Valley floor, surrounded by sagebrush sea and wild pronghorn. Here's how to do it right.

August 23, 2026
Reloading 28-Gauge Shotshells for Oregon Upland Bird Hunters: Components, Load Data, and Why the Little Gauge Is Worth the Effort
Reloading

Reloading 28-Gauge Shotshells for Oregon Upland Bird Hunters: Components, Load Data, and Why the Little Gauge Is Worth the Effort

The 28 gauge is the most refined upland shotgun gauge ever made — light, balanced, and lethal on birds inside 35 yards. Here's how to reload it right and why it's worth the effort over factory ammo.

August 23, 2026
Oregon Duck Season Opener 2026: Decoy Spreads, Blind Setup, and Pacific Flyway Strategy for Opening Day
Hunting

Oregon Duck Season Opener 2026: Decoy Spreads, Blind Setup, and Pacific Flyway Strategy for Opening Day

Oregon's general duck season opener is six weeks out. Here's how to get your blind, decoys, and calling dialed so you're not scrambling the night before.

August 23, 2026
Trask River Fall Chinook Salmon: Tillamook County's Premier September Bank Fishing Guide
Fishing

Trask River Fall Chinook Salmon: Tillamook County's Premier September Bank Fishing Guide

The Trask River is one of Oregon's most productive north coast Chinook rivers, and the fall run is the main event. Here's how to target big kings from the bank before the rain blows it out.

August 23, 2026
Paper Tuning Your Compound Bow: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Arrow Flight Before Oregon's Season
Archery

Paper Tuning Your Compound Bow: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Arrow Flight Before Oregon's Season

Paper tuning is the fastest, most reliable way to confirm your compound bow is launching arrows with a clean nock-high bullet hole. Here's how to do it right before Oregon's August archery opener.

August 22, 2026
Reloading the .416 Rigby: Big-Bore Precision for Oregon Black Bear and Dangerous Game
Reloading

Reloading the .416 Rigby: Big-Bore Precision for Oregon Black Bear and Dangerous Game

The .416 Rigby is one of the great dangerous game cartridges — a 400-grain bullet at 2,400 fps in a package that feeds reliably and hits like a freight train. Here's how to handload it for both safari applications and close-range Pacific Northwest black bear hunting.

August 22, 2026