Available Oregon Deer Hunts --- Search HF Aventures
Oregon has four different species of deer available to hunt – mule deer, Columbian whitetail deer, Eastern whitetail deer, and blacktail deer. Mule deer can be found throughout the central and eastern parts of the state. Columbian whitetail deer are only found in small pockets in Western Oregon. The Eastern whitetail are found in the northeast portion of the state in and along the Washington and Idaho borders. Blacktail deer inhabit the coastal mountains along the western third of the state.
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Oregon is typically more of an opportunity state than a trophy state when it comes to mule deer. There are very few draw units that will give you a chance at a 180" buck. Most of these units are going to take more than two decades of points. The other option at a 180" buck is a guided private land hunt where the outfitters have been managing for quality. The better rifle draw unit is the Trout Creek Mtns. The best archery hunt is the late hunt on the Metolius and Beulah, but it will most likely take 25 points to draw that tag in 2024.
We don’t recommend building a lot of points in Oregon for mule deer as there is no reason to wait 20+ years for a decent tag. We recommend hunting there more often. We list several mule deer hunts that take 3-11 points to draw. The southeast area of the state is where we recommend you should focus.
A couple years ago, Oregon did away with all over-the-counter tags for archery mule deer in the eastern portion of the state. Most of these units are going undersubscribed in the draw, and there were resident tags leftover. Unfortunately, Oregon held the non-residents to 5% of those tags and they would rather not issue them than give them to a non-resident hunter. If you want to hunt the eastern archery deer units, you should be able to draw them every other year.
If you are just starting to apply in Oregon for mule deer, your best bet is to go after the premium tags. The odds are completely random, and the tag can be drawn by either a resident or non-resident. The premium application is only $8. Each unit will offer one any weapon premium deer tag with season dates of August 1-November 30. This allows you to chase big velvet bucks or wait for the rut where you are the only one out there chasing them.
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Columbian whitetail deer are small with mature bucks typically scoring 90-125". If a Columbian whitetail deer is on your bucket list, you have two options. One is to try to draw a tag, and the second is to pick up a landowner tag. There are only two units in Oregon that allow hunting for these deer – Umpqua and North Bank Habitat. Umpqua is hands down the best unit. The North Bank Habitat unit is going to be a tough hunt. There are outfitters available that have guaranteed tags for the Umpqua unit. If you are interested in a Columbian whitetail deer hunt with an outfitter, give us a call.
There is some decent whitetail hunting in the northeast corner of the state. Two of the better hunts for whitetail are the muzzleloader hunts in the Sled Springs and Baker units. The Sled Springs hunt (157M) will have season dates of December 4-17. The Baker hunt (151M) will have better rut dates of November 20-December 3. Both are going to be tough hunts, but there are a couple of good bucks available.
If you are sitting on 25+ points, the White River has the best rifle blacktail hunt, but they are not considered true blacktails by the Boone and Crockett Club. If you are after a blacktail that the Boone and Crockett Club recognizes, the best hunt in the state is the muzzleloader hunt in the Applegate unit, which takes 15+ points to draw. There are also a handful of other rut muzzleloader tags available that can be drawn every couple of years. The best rifle rut blacktail hunt is available in the Dixon unit which took 26 points to draw last year.
Oregon offers over-the-counter archery and rifle hunts. Your best chance at taking a big buck is going to be during the archery hunts. Look towards the Applegate, S Indigo, Chetco, Dixon, and Trask units as they all have good trophy potential and have early archery season dates. Other units to look at that offer great potential and have late archery seasons that encompass the rut are Rogue, Evans Creek, McKenzie, and Sixes.
Blacktail are doing great in Oregon, and we expect this is going to be another good year to be hunting on an over-the-counter tag. If you are looking for a guided hunt, give us a call as we work with some of the best outfitters in Oregon.
Oregon does a great job of giving youth hunters opportunities at hunting deer during the pre-rut, rut, and post-rut with a rifle. The Interstate and Warner units have been available for mule deer, but for 2024, the state added five more youth mule deer hunts. The new units include Beulah, Malheur River, Steens, Juniper, and Silvies. Youth hunters get to be the first rifle hunters on the unit with a five-day head start on the hunters with general season tags in the above seven units. If your youth hunter wants a blacktail, we cover the opportunities in the Applegate, Chetco, Evans Creek, and Rogue units. These units have some great blacktail bucks available.
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The Western Oregon general (over-the-counter) buck deer any legal weapon season was extended two days for youth 12-17 years of age. You can refer to our August issue for more information on Oregon general deer opportunities.
For access to all of our research and data we've collected over the last 20+ years, then join today and access the best research tools for hunting Deer in Oregon including 3D Maps, Draw Odds, Consultations and much more. Go on more hunts with better information!
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The Oregon big game application deadline is May 15, 2024.
Our online/print magazine has everything in one location: Application info, draw details and odds, fees, hunter requirements, point structure, age restrictions, youth information, weapon restrictions, other tag opportunities, hunt planning and much more. If you would like access to all of our research join today!
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| Adult Hunting License | $172 |
| Juvenile Hunting License (9-17 years old) | $10 |
| Application Fee per Species | $8 |
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| Bighorn Sheep | $1,513.50 |
| Mountain Goat | $1,513.50 |
| Elk (controlled or general) | $588 |
| Deer (controlled or general) | $443.50 |
| Antelope | $395.50 |
Oregon Deer Hunting Articles from Huntin' Fool Magazine
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