Friday, July 3, 2026  |  Oregon's Outdoor Journal
July Archery Fitness and Practice Plan: Get Your Body and Shot Ready Before the Oregon Opener

July Archery Fitness and Practice Plan: Get Your Body and Shot Ready Before the Oregon Opener

With Oregon's archery deer and elk openers just weeks out, July is your last real window to build the fitness and shooting habits that hold under pressure. Here's a practical month-long plan.

By HFR Staff  ·  July 3, 2026
Middle Santiam Wilderness: A Weekend Backpacking Loop Through Oregon's Ancient Lava Country
Backpacking

Middle Santiam Wilderness: A Weekend Backpacking Loop Through Oregon's Ancient Lava Country

The Middle Santiam Wilderness is one of Oregon's least-visited wilderness areas—old-growth Douglas fir, volcanic geology, and genuine solitude just 90 minutes from the Willamette Valley.

July 3, 2026
Reloading the .38 Special: Versatile Loads for Plinking, Competition, and Hunting
Reloading

Reloading the .38 Special: Versatile Loads for Plinking, Competition, and Hunting

The .38 Special is one of the most rewarding cartridges to handload—cheap brass, gentle pressures, and a spectrum of loads from light gallery rounds to hard-hitting hunting loads for revolvers and lever guns.

July 3, 2026
Oregon Archery Elk Season Countdown: July Glassing, Unit Prep, and Opening Day Strategy
Hunting

Oregon Archery Elk Season Countdown: July Glassing, Unit Prep, and Opening Day Strategy

With Oregon's archery elk opener just weeks away, July is your last window to glass velvet bulls, lock down your unit, and get your body and gear dialed before August hits.

July 3, 2026
East Lake Summer Fishing Guide: Kokanee, Rainbow Trout, and Trophy Browns in Newberry's Caldera
Fishing

East Lake Summer Fishing Guide: Kokanee, Rainbow Trout, and Trophy Browns in Newberry's Caldera

East Lake is Newberry Caldera's overlooked twin—hotter in summer, more productive for trollers targeting kokanee and trophy brown trout. Here's your complete July and August guide.

July 3, 2026
Bow Press Basics: DIY Compound Bow Maintenance and String Work for Pacific Northwest Bowhunters
Archery

Bow Press Basics: DIY Compound Bow Maintenance and String Work for Pacific Northwest Bowhunters

A portable bow press removes your dependence on a pro shop for routine compound bow maintenance. Here is what every Oregon bowhunter should know about string care, cam timing, peep rotation, and draw length adjustments before the August opener.

July 2, 2026
Reloading the .264 Winchester Magnum: Oregon's Forgotten Long-Range Elk Cartridge
Reloading

Reloading the .264 Winchester Magnum: Oregon's Forgotten Long-Range Elk Cartridge

Introduced in 1959 and overshadowed by the 7mm Remington Magnum almost immediately, the .264 Winchester Magnum was ahead of its time. With modern 6.5mm bullets and careful handloading, it is still one of the flattest-shooting elk cartridges you can run in a standard long action.

July 2, 2026
Late July Velvet Mule Deer Scouting in Eastern Oregon: Glass, Maps, and Moving Faster Than the Crowds
Hunting

Late July Velvet Mule Deer Scouting in Eastern Oregon: Glass, Maps, and Moving Faster Than the Crowds

July in Eastern Oregon means velvet bucks are on predictable summer range, visible in the open, and patternable before anyone else is looking. Here is how to find a shooter before the draw results even hit your inbox.

July 2, 2026
Hosmer Lake Fly Fishing: Trophy Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon in Oregon's High Cascades
Fishing

Hosmer Lake Fly Fishing: Trophy Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon in Oregon's High Cascades

Hosmer Lake near Bend is one of Oregon's most unique fly fishing destinations — fly-only water holding trophy Atlantic salmon and large brook trout in crystal-clear volcanic Cascade water.

July 2, 2026
Soda Mountain Wilderness: Backpacking Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Backpacking

Soda Mountain Wilderness: Backpacking Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

The Soda Mountain Wilderness sits at the crossroads of the Cascades, Siskiyous, and Great Basin — 24,100 acres of roadless Oregon backcountry with no permit required, extraordinary biodiversity, and almost nobody else on the trail.

July 1, 2026