Southeast Area

SE BIG GAME HUNTING

December 4, 2025

Currently open

General fall bear, cougar (Check current harvest numbers), coyote

Check regulations for current elk seasons

Always check regulations for exact season dates and open areas prior to hunting big game.

Announcements, resources 

2025 Big Game Hunting Forecast

Big game harvest statistics - You'll find links to population, harvest and point summary reports that can help you decide what hunts to apply for next season.

Please report elk with hoof disease - If you see elk showing signs of elk hoof disease, including lame or limping elk or elk with damaged, injured, missing or deformed hooves, please report it using this online form.

Coyote and wolf ID - Coyote hunters need to take extra care to identify their target as wolves can look like coyotes, especially wolf pups in the mid-summer and fall. Test your ID skills. Please report any wolf sightings or wolf sign to ODFW using the online reporting system.

District updates

HARNEY COUNTY (Silvies, Malheur River, Steens Mt, Juniper, portions of Beatys Butte, and Wagontire)

This past winter came early in Harney County. Snow events occurring in November and December gave way to above average snowfall. January stayed relatively dry but was soon followed by heavy snowfall in February. March temperatures warmed up, which brought heavy snow melt but was followed by a dry spring. Summer precipitation events were above average, and sporadic rain was not uncommon for the county. Temperatures have been cooling with winter weather events occurring later in the week.

Deer: All Harney County units are currently below population management objective (MO) for deer. Most populations declined steadily after the harsh winter of 2016-2017 and have somewhat stabilized since 2020. Buck to doe ratios are above MO for Malheur River, Trout Creeks, Beatys Butte, Juniper, and Silvies units. However, hunter success is expected to stay around the average for what it has been the past 5 years.

Elk: Elk populations are stable in most portions of the Harney District. Elk populations are not above management objective (MO) in Malheur River, Silvies, and High Desert units. Bull ratios have declined in recent years and as a result hunter success rates have also declined. Hunter success for elk hunts is forecasted to remain relative to that of the five-year average.

Currently there are still cow elk hunts occurring in a few WMU's on the district. If you are or someone in your hunting party are lucky enough to harvest an animal and would like to have it tested, reach out to the ODFW district office in Hines, OR to set up an appointment to do so. Ways to get your animal tested for CWD | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Hunters should look to have good paper maps for the area and are encouraged to visit the Harney County website for maps. Making scouting trips pre-season can also aid in figuring out the lay of the land. We encourage those participants to reach out to the local biologists to speak about specifics for their hunt.

Bear & Cougar: Harvest rates for bear and cougar have been stable over the past five years with this year seeing an increase in bear harvest. Always carry a tag in case you cross paths with either of these predators. For bear and cougar, focus on prey species that they utilize.

Coyote: Coyote hunting in the county should be good. Remember to ask permission before hunting private property. Best times for calling are in the early morning and late evening.

MALHEUR COUNTY (Beulah, Owyhee, and Whitehorse)

Deer:

Beulah Unit

More deer, elevated buck ratios, and optimal weather made the 2024 Beulah hunting season better than anticipated. The unit saw an overall success rate of 53 percent for its Any Legal Weapon and Archery buck hunts. That represented a 25 percent increase in total buck harvest compared to the prior 6-year average. This drove post-season buck ratios down to the management objective of 15 bucks:100 does. Unfortunately, poor late season forage conditions, high snowpack, and delayed breakup resulted in considerable winterkill of deer throughout the Southeastern Blue Mountains and associated herd ranges. Biologists expect fewer available yearling bucks and success rates to decline notably in 2025. While plenty of opportunities still exist, finding bucks will be more difficult. However, if you do harvest one, there is a better chance it will be a more mature animal.

Owyhee Unit 

In contrast to Beulah, snow accumulation in the Owyhee and Whitehorse units was minimal. Stable-to-increasing fawn ratios and largely increased buck ratios in Owyhee will make for more deer and more bucks to harvest in 2025. While ODFW has remained conservative with tag allocations following the winter 2016, 2025 marks the third consecutive year of tag increases. Hunter success has remained relatively high during that time and 2025 should be as productive of a hunting season Owyhee has had since 2016.

East Whitehorse Unit 

A mild winter and jump in buck ratios should make for an improved 2025 hunting season. East Whitehorse remains a low-density deer unit with a majority of its population migrating in from Idaho in late fall-early winter. This makes weather a major factor in deer occupancy during hunting season. The more time you spend before, during, and after season identifying migration behavior and pinpointing resident deer, the better your chances of harvesting success during hunting seasons. ODFW recommends high ridges and topographical gradients in and around riparian corridors as the best landscape features to encounter deer.

Trout Creek Mountains

The 2025 population estimate of the Trout Creeks herd range showed an initial decline in deer numbers in the Trout Creek Mountains. Although declines have not been detected in the Trout Creeks for several decades, ODFW will continue to monitor the ongoing health of the herd there. Little effect is anticipated on the Trout Creeks hunting experience as buck ratios remain above management objective and overall hunt quality will remain with low numbers of tags allocated. Deer will be spread throughout the unit at the mid and high elevations as elevated water tables have made water sources readily available despite dry weather conditions this summer. Challenging, high-elevation terrain can make finding deer difficult at times, but persistence and willingness to get downslope in big canyons or hike into high plateaus will pay dividends.

Elk:

Beulah Unit

Elk populations in Beulah remain healthy. However, an already unpredictable hunting experience will be more complex in 2025 as elk redistribute and adjust seasonal patterns in response to the loss of major winter range in the Cow Valley and Durkee wildfires of 2024. Traditional success rates of 20 percent are idealistic this early season as herds appear smaller but more dispersed over the landscape. Late season hunts will continue to be dependent on weather as elk move out of the National Forest to the north and down across the woodland and sage to agricultural valleys in the far southern and eastern portions of the unit. The more time you can spend in the area during the Any Elk late seasons, the better your chances are of filling your tag.

Whitehorse and Owyhee Units

The Whitehorse and Owyhee units are part of the High Desert Any Legal Weapon hunt area but can also be hunted on an antlerless ALW Tag for the respective unit. The Whitehorse unit has very few elk with the majority found along the Oregon-Idaho border and throughout travel corridors in the winter months. The Owyhee unit is also a low-density desert elk unit but has several areas holding additional elk as herds in adjacent units expand.

Healthy sagebrush systems, rolling hills and basalt buttresses interior of major road boundaries on the north and west side of the Owyhee unit are the best places to see elk. Elk in both units can be difficult to find due to their nomadic nature. Being mobile and covering as much ground as possible while glassing from high points can be a productive strategy hunting in open country. Small basins, pockets, and draws can turn up desert elk in unexpected places.

Black bear: Bear harvest in the Beulah unit is up so far early in the Fall General Season of 2025. If interested and hunting other species there this fall, this would be a good year to have a bear tag available as well.

Cougar: Cougar densities are low, and animals are widely distributed throughout the district in areas where there is a big game prey base available. Early season cougar hunting is difficult as cats ranges expand in response to the mobility and dispersal of summer prey. Hunting gets easier as prey congregates on winter grounds and cougar consequently move into these areas.

Coyote: A big year for small mammal populations in 2024 has bolstered coyotes in 2025. Hunting opportunities abound throughout Malheur County with potential for success utilizing a variety of methods. Be aware that bobcats and cougars may respond to predator calls, and separate licensing and season limitations exist for these species.