Southeast Area

SE BIG GAME HUNTING

March 5, 2026

Currently open

Cougar (check current harvest numbers), Coyote

Announcements, resources

Reminder to report your late season 2025 big game tags by April 15: Report your hunt

2026 spring bear: Draw results are available and the spring bear forecast is also online now, check your hunt areas and start scouting to prepare before the season opening on April 1.

Submit your applications for 2026 controlled hunts by May 15.

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 this season.

Bobcat: season closed February 28. Remember to submit your Furtaker Harvest Report.

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)

Cougar: statewide season for cougar is Jan. 1 – December 31. An additional cougar tag may be purchased throughout the season; however, hunters must purchase the general season tag to be eligible for the additional tag. Look to winter range of prey species where cougars target this food source. Utilizing fresh snow to follow tracks and predator calls can give you an advantage at targeting cougar.

Coyote: Coyote hunting in the county should be good. Remember to ask permission before accessing private property or refer to the Access and Habitat program where enrolled access areas give way to private ground for hunting.

MALHEUR COUNTY (Beulah, Owyhee, and Whitehorse)

Deer: season is closed.

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 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.

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.