Southeast Area

SE BIG GAME HUNTING

August 20, 2026

Currently open

Bear, Cougar (check current harvest numbers), and Coyote

Season openings beginning in August

Limited Youth Only Controlled series hunts; Premium, Auction and Raffle hunts; many Pronghorn Antelope hunts opened August 15. *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.

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

Bighorn sheep: For those lucky enough to have drawn tags for bighorn sheep this year, season dates run from August 15 through September 14, with a second season following from September 15 through October 14.

Pronghorn: First pronghorn season started August 14 to August 23. Second season will follow beginning August 26 to September 3. The district also has some later pronghorn seasons occurring in September. Buck ratios continue to stay above M.O. in all management units, and dry arid conditions should make targeting water sources key to a successful hunt this year.

Elk: Currently cow elk hunts are beginning in various parts of the district and will continue to occur into November. Archery elk season will begin August 29 and end on September 27. Rifle bull hunts are as follows: First season October 28 – November 1 and second season November 7 – November 15. When you have harvested an elk, drop by your local ODFW District office to have it sampled for chronic wasting disease. The district is also requesting liver and heart samples from elk harvested in the Silvies unit and are requesting a golf ball size piece of each organ placed in a Ziploc bag.

Deer: Controlled deer archery seasons will begin August 29 – September 27 followed by controlled rifle deer seasons October 3 – October 14. When you harvest your deer drop by your local ODFW District office to have it sampled for chronic wasting disease.

Bear: The statewide fall bear season started August 1 until December 31. Bear hunting continues to do well in the district, and targeting water sources or utilizing a predator call can be good advantages for harvesting a bear. Note that Centerfire Rifle Restrictions do apply for hunting bear and referring to page 19 in the Oregon Big Game Regulations for clarification is a must.

Cougar: Cougar season is open year-round. 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. 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. Typically 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 and requires a hunting license only to harvest coyotes. 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)

Beulah, Whitehorse and Owyhee Units

Cougar: Cougar densities are low and cats are maximizing the use of large home ranges this time of year as prey remains abundant. Most cougar will be harvested opportunistically while seeking other big game during late summer and early fall, which is even more reason to make sure you have a cougar tag before going off on your archery deer, elk, or even pronghorn hunt in the coming couple weeks.

Coyote: Coyote hunting opportunities abound almost anywhere you go in Malheur County and can make for an enjoyable alternative while hunting other species throughout the fall. Earlier courting, breeding, denning, and rearing intervals over this past light winter will mean increased opportunity as juvenile coyotes will be more active and mature than most years.

Beulah Pronghorn: Season starts Saturday, August 22. Despite the low moisture year, water availability is much better than anticipated throughout the Beulah unit, with more holes still containing water than not. Pronghorn are thus well distributed and not congregating in large herds. Bendire is the place to be for pronghorn this year, Bendire Creek, Bendire Road, Bendire Ridge, lots of animals in there. Work east towards Westfall from there. If you get bored, go check out Benson Creek near I-84 and see if there are a few goats reinhabiting that area following the 2024 Durkee Fire.

Owyhee Pronghorn: Like Beulah, the Owyhee has held on to water better than anticipated over the dry winter and summer. Water sources will be stretched thin by the time Any Legal Weapon season opens but expect low densities of pronghorn throughout the unit. BLM land south of Mahogany Mountain around Cove, Mahogany, and Fish Creeks and south to Table Mountain and Clarks Butte are reliable spots to turn up antelope. This unit has not performed as well as the marquee Southeast Oregon pronghorn units over the last 10 years, but plenty of opportunity exists to harvest a mature antelope and have a quality hunt experience.

Whitehorse Pronghorn: Season starts Saturday, August 22. The Big Grass fire that started in the unit in July is no longer actively burning in Oregon and is not adversely affecting the pronghorn hunt. A BLM land closure is in effect for the sections touching the fire footprint, but nowhere else in the unit. No tag refunds or point reinstatements are being issued to hunters awarded the 468 tag as of now. Hunters are encouraged to check the Vale District Fire Closures and Restrictions on the BLM website prior to travelling for the latest information and will be notified by ODFW should conditions change and refunds or reinstatements be made available. Most of the antelope reside in the southern portion of the unit on the east side of Highway 95 closer to the Nevada border. Working areas such as Jackies Butte, Antelope Reservoir, and Spring Creek to the north immediately outside the Big Grass fire perimeter is a worthwhile strategy as pronghorn have moved out of traditional ranges that burned.

ODFW requests that recreational users of our wild lands exercise extreme caution with the extreme fire danger levels over all of eastern Oregon. We have already set a state record for acreage being burned and there is a lot of time left in fire season with no major breaks in the hot, dry weather predicted. Please adhere to land management fire restrictions, be careful with any ignition source, and keep motorized vehicles on established roads and free of undercarriage debris. We are in a situation where any start poses significant risk to large landscapes, habitats, wildlife populations, and private property.