Not sure if hunting is allowed in that area, but I'm guessing so. Thing is with Oregon you have timber companies who own land, and then most of that also backs into BLM land (Bureau of Land Management). There will be roads that are maintained by BLM and the lumber companies that lead to, well, nowhere, to a landing where the logging equipment was used to log the side of a mountain. (AND then replanted BTW) So it is very easy to get lost in those areas, because some roads just end, and some just lead right back to where you started from. I'm probably not explaining this very well, but IIRC lumber companies are required, once they get approval to make a road, to "sort of" maintain it. Now these are just dirt roads, but BLM gives all these roads numbers and one can get a BLM map that has numbers of all those roads in a given "section" on the map.
Heck, I probably don't have this exactly right, but I'm just trying to explain how easy it would be to get lost out there.
Anyway, I'm guessing one can hunt up in this area and I also wonder if some kind of tip may have come from a hunter who maybe saw something that just didn't look quite right. ?
These logging landings are sometimes littered with all kinds of garbage, everything from ciggy butts and beer cans to bullet casings and God knows what all. (Pigs, as far I'm concerned, but I won't talk about that now.) They are places where many people go to target practice also.
So, in answer to Carbuff's question, yes people use these roads (not to mention that creeps that just go and dump a refrigerator or car off the side of them!)
Anyway, searching around today, I found this which I thought was interesting too, from a Skyline Ridge Neighbors Newsletter from April 2010:
The Logie Trail crew will meet at 18529 NW Logie Trail at 9AM which is *** ******** house. Over a hundred tires have been found down a hill and the Logie Crew is looking for some strong youth that would be willing to climb down the hill and hook up the tires to winch lines. They need to be 18 years of age or their parents need to be on site. If you're interested please call ********** and let us know you can help.
http://srnpdx.org/newsline-april-3-2010