Yeah my brother and I hunted the unit north of John Day a couple years ago. I like the country and we had a fun hunt but it was tough with us not really knowing the area that well. My brother almost had a chance at a nice bull the first morning but didn't get a clear shooting lane and waited too long to get into a better position for a shot before the bull was gone. I didn't see an elk until the third day, and then I ended up pushing the small herd to a guy on stand and he killed the small raghorn that was running with the herd.
Anyway there are elk all around John Day but I don't think in great numbers, although on private land it could be a different story. A big problem for us is that, like here, the archery hunters were in there before us, and they have a month-long season that starts in late August. There are also lots of roads and cattle all over the National Forest, which doesn't leave much feed for the elk.
I would jump at the chance to hunt with somebody that is familiar with the country and knows how to hunt it. That's even better if your uncle has been successful every year for 11 years! It sure is nice being able to kill any bull you without having to count points. We plan on going back and hunting in a few more years, the same area. It takes about 5 years to draw the unit we hunted.
