Recreation Report
Northeast Area
Recreation Report
NE BIG GAME HUNTING
August 6, 2026
Currently open
Bear, Cougar (check current harvest numbers), Coyote
Season openings beginning in August
Archery & Youth Only Controlled series hunts; Premium, auction and raffle hunts *Check Big Game regulations for hunt details and purchase your tag before hunting.
Announcements and resources
Summertime is here for youth to get ahead of the game--Register for Hunter Safety Education before the hunt.
2026 Point Summary Reports are posted to help you plan this season's big game hunts.
It's not too late to purchase Point Savers for each series, available now until November 30, 2026.
Check the Leftover Tag List for an opportunity to hunt this year.
Big game harvest statistics - You'll find links to population, harvest and maps that can help you decide where to hunt this 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.
Hunting in drought and wildfire season - actions you can take to protect wildlife and yourself.
For the most current fire closures and restrictions--KNOW BEFORE YOU GO.
District updates
Habitat conditions:
Watch local weather reports and prepare for possible weather changing conditions over the extension of your hunt. Areas are showing warmer and drier than normal conditions, please be mindful when recreating outdoors.
BAKER DISTRICT (Sumpter, Keating, Pine Creek, Lookout Mt.)
Cougar: Find cougars just about anywhere; remember to carry a tag. Hunters should target areas with high concentrations of deer and elk. Setting up on a fresh kill or using distress calls can all be productive techniques.
Coyote: Numbers are good throughout the district. Try calling in early morning and late afternoon. Remember to ask for permission before hunting private property.
GRANT DISTRICT (Murderers Creek, Northside, Desolation)
Habitat Conditions: Lower than normal snowpack has led to range conditions drying out earlier than normal. Animals will be searching for green forage in wet meadows, riparian areas, and irrigated fields. Please check local BLM and USFS for update closures and fire activity. Currently the Prineville BLM district is closed to public access which affects portions of the Murderers Creek and Northside WMU's.
Cougar: Cougar are well-distributed in our forested areas. Calling with distress calls or cougar vocalizations can be effective. However, locating a fresh, naturally made kill has the best chance of success.
Coyote: Numbers are good in most of the district. Coyotes may respond to distress calls. Try calling in the early morning and late evening.
Bears: Fall black bear season opened on August 1. Bears can be found in huckleberry patches, in riparian areas, or around fruit trees. Please remember that hunters must check in harvested bears.
Phillip W. Schneider wildlife area is open to public access. However, BLM lands within the wildlife area boundary are closed to public access because of fire related closure orders. For more information contact the Wildlife Area at (541) 987-2171.
HEPPNER DISTRICT (Heppner, Fossil, East Biggs, Southern Columbia Basin)
Cougar: Cougar are well-distributed in our forested areas. Calling with distress calls or cougar vocalizations can be effective. However, locating a fresh, naturally made kill has the best chance of success.
Coyote: The population is healthy with good numbers of coyotes available for those who wish to pursue them. Watch wind directions to help prevent giving away your location. Calling with game distress calls can be very successful.
UMATILLA DISTRICT (Walla Walla, Mt. Emily, Ukiah, eastern portion of Heppner, northern Columbia Basin)
If you have questions about where to go hunting in Umatilla County, please call the Pendleton office at (541) 276-2344.
Habitat Conditions: It is extremely dry and smoky. Make sure to check for public land closures if you are planning to go out hunting. Feel free to call the Pendleton office with any questions about fires and closures. There is currently a very large closure associated with the Hagen fire in the Mt. Emily Unit.
Black Bear: Fall bear opened on August 1. Consider setting up and calling near food sources. Any sort of distress call is probably a good choice. If planning to glass for bears, focus your effort at daylight and evening time frames and stay out until shooting light ends. Mt. Emily and Walla units have high bear numbers due to higher precipitation and diversity of foods that bears prefer. Ukiah unit also has a healthy bear population, but it is more common to harvest bears in Ukiah while pursuing something else.
Elk: General season antlerless elk damage tag opened on August 1. Youth elk hunts open August 15. Hunting early on youth tags can be very productive, especially on public lands where elk have not yet felt the pressure of other hunting seasons.
Cougar: Well-distributed in forested areas of the Walla Walla, Mt. Emily, and Ukiah units. Hunters will have best success by finding a fresh naturally made kill and hunting near it, or by using predator calls. Some success has come from following tracks until the cougar is located.
Coyote: Numerous throughout the county and hunters should have good success calling. Remember to ask permission before hunting on private lands.
Columbia Basin Wildlife Areas (Willow Cr WA, Coyote Springs WA, Irrigon WA, Power City WA)
Big game hunting is permitted except at Coyote Springs WA. Use of rifles and handguns are prohibited at all times except Willow Cr WA. Please review the regulations for shot and weapon restrictions. Please be mindful of our neighbors and respect the safety zones.
UNION COUNTY (Starkey, Catherine Creek, East Mt. Emily, southern portion of Wenaha, southwest portion of Sled Springs)
Habitat Conditions: We have one large fire burning in the Mt Emily Unit and other fires have burned and are being mopped up in the Starkey Unit. Forest closures are in effect so hunters should be aware that access may be limited for the time being. It is very dry and no precipitation is expected in the near forecast.
Elk: The GSEDT has started and hunters have been harvesting elk within that hunt boundary. Premium hunts have started as well and hunters who were fortunate to draw those tags that want to hunt now should be aware of the various forest service closures that may impact where they want to hunt.
Deer: Premium hunts have started and hunters who were fortunate to draw those tags that want to hunt now should be aware of the various forest service closures that may impact where they want to hunt.
Black Bear: Fall Bear opened on August 1. The berry crop is very spotty with many people saying that huckleberries are very sparse. This time of year, berries are a huge part of a bears diet, so finding pockets of huckleberries, choke cherries, hawthorn, thimbleberries, etc. are where bears are going to be. Glassing open slopes like hunters do in the spring is not very productive if there is no food source nearby. Early in the morning and late in the evening are the times that bears are most active during the hot summer months.
Cougars: Common in Union County. Focus on game rich areas with long ridgelines or saddles that cats typically travel. Setting up downwind of a deer or elk killed by a cougar and calling can be productive. Finding fresh snow has been a little difficult this year with the mild winter we have had, but that just means travelling around in the mountains may be easier. If we do get fresh snow, cutting fresh tracks and pursuing can be effective.
Coyote: Numbers are high throughout the district. Try calling in early morning and late afternoon. Remember to ask for permission before hunting on private property.
All lands north and east of Foothill Road are open to hunting weekends, Wednesdays and all federal holidays. Please refer to Big Game and Game Bird regulations for season dates and additional regulations.
Hunting equipment is limited to short range (shotgun, archery or muzzleloader) equipment only. Rifles and handguns are prohibited at all times.
The Glass Hill portion of the wildlife area is open seven days a week as of April 1. Please refer to Big Game and Game Bird regulations for season dates and additional regulations. The wildlife Area is closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. In addition, there is no camping in the wildlife area. Violators will be asked to leave and or will be issued citations.
Please call the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area with any questions (541) 963-4954.
WALLOWA COUNTY (Wenaha, Sled Springs, Chesnimnus, Snake River, Minam, Imnaha)
Conditions: Manulife properties in NE Oregon are open for camping. For more information on recreation on Manulife lands call (541) 962-2184. TMAs are in effect in the Imnaha and Chesnimnus units.
Cougar: Populations are moderate throughout Wallowa County. Most lions are taken incidentally to other hunting. However, calling with fawn bleat, or locating a cougar kill and waiting for a cat to return are often successful techniques. Please remember to check in your harvest at your local district office to help with population estimates.
Coyote: Good numbers of coyotes can be found throughout Wallowa County. Calling coyotes with rabbit distress type calls has been effective for hunters. It is important to choose areas with abundant coyote signs and little human activity.