With this type of hunting, meat care is a real concern as well, making the "buddy system" an even better call. Two men can lug a buck out on one trip. If you're alone, make sure to skin and bag your meat (cotton pillowcases work great), and try to find a shade tree or rimrock to hang it from until your return trip.

Randy Wills has changed his focus from the canyons to the flats.

"We get up on a high vantage point and glass the sage flats between canyons all morning long," he says. "Bucks bed down right in that waist-high sage, and you will never find them unless they get up to reposition. A buck might stand up for just a minute or two, and then they lay right back down.

'We leave a spotter to keep an eye on the buck. And from there, it's spot-and-stalk and not uncommon to drop to a belly-crawl to get within range. Often we kick them out of their beds and have to make a quick shot before they disappear into the sage."

In the high desert, the winds are consistently inconsistent: They swirl and are highly unpredictable. That not only makes it a challenge to close within gun range, but it's all the more likely you'll bump bedded deer while hunting. Many times, I have come upon beds with fresh sign telling me that I just slipped up, and that old buck smelled me long before I could see him. The wind should be your biggest concern when either moving on a bedded buck or sneaking over a rise into a likely coulee.

Of course, binoculars are the most important tool a hunter can have in the wide-open country of southeast Oregon, especially during early fall when the temperature can still approach the 90s and create virtually blinding thermal waves.

If you have cheap binoculars, invest as much money as you can and buy the finest pair you can afford. Nikon and Wind River both make quality glass that most of us hunters can pony up for. A spotting scope can be a great benefit, especially when trying to evaluate trophy potential.

Most hunters favor long-reaching cartridges such as the .25-06, .270, 7mm, or one of the .300 magnums for making the 200-plus yard shots associated with this country. Make sure to spend ample time at the range practicing your distance shooting.

Tagging a big bruiser in Southeast Oregon is a more daunting task than it was 10 or 20 years ago. But those hunters willing to put in scouting time and hard work during season still manage to find a rack for the mantle and meat for the freezer. It's a challenge makes both of those rewards all the more satisfying.

Good hunting!