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Eastern Oregon · WMU 35
Paulina Unit (35): tags, seasons and 2025 harvest
Everything ODFW prints for WMU 35: 15 drawn hunts, 3 general big game rows and how the 2025 seasons went across Deschutes County, Lake County, Crook County and Klamath County.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Paulina Unit size and offices
ODFW's unit layer gives the Paulina Unit 2,173 square miles (1,392,750 acres) on the Eastern Oregon side of the Cascade split, and 48% of it is in Deschutes County. A hunter in the Paulina Unit can be standing in any of 4 counties, with Deschutes the largest at 1,050 square miles.
| County | Square miles | Of the unit | Of the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deschutes County | 1,049.6 | 48% | 35% |
| Lake County | 716.2 | 33% | 9% |
| Crook County | 255.5 | 12% | 9% |
| Klamath County | 151.4 | 7% | 3% |
2 ODFW wildlife districts reach into the Paulina Unit; the phone numbers below are the district offices.
| Wildlife district | Town | Call | Of unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deschutes | Bend | 541-388-6363 | 88% |
| Ochoco | Prineville | 541-447-5111 | 12% |
Plan around Newberry Crater Wildlife Refuge: no state-licensed hunting is allowed there.
| Area | Status |
|---|---|
| Newberry Crater Wildlife Refuge | Refuge, no hunting |
Area, side, county overlap and districts from the ODFW Wildlife Management Units layer and the ODFW wildlife district layer (overlay with Census county lines; GIS measures); closed places from the big game regulations and land manager sources; checked November 8, 2026.
Special areas and limits in the Paulina Unit
- The general cougar tag works all year, but Zone C closes once 80 cougars are reported from its 7 units. 84 cougar hunters took 2 here in 2025.
- For deer, read the hunt area codes: Devils Garden (DG: DG01, DG02, DG03, DG04) cover parts of the Paulina Unit.
- During Eastern Buck Deer, Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 2nd Season, a centerfire rifle is legal in the Paulina Unit only with a matching big game tag, used or unused.
- 3 cooperative road closure areas cover parts of the Paulina Unit; check dates before driving in.
- Waterfowl zones here are map-only (duck Zones 1 and 2 and the map-drawn goose zones).
- Game bird shooting hours come from ODFW's printed table: Zone B (Deschutes, Crook) and Zone C (Lake, Klamath).
- Chronic wasting disease has not been detected in Oregon; ODFW listed 3,682 deer and 1,607 elk results as not detected on October 15, 2026.
| Rifle-restricted season |
|---|
Eastern Buck Deer (Oct. 3 – Oct. 14) |
Rocky Mtn Bull Elk (controlled) 1st Season (Oct. 28 – Nov. 1) |
Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 2nd Season (Nov. 7 – Nov. 15) |
| TMA | Name | In effect |
|---|---|---|
| 35A | Fox Butte | 3 days prior to opening of controlled buck deer ALW season through the close of the controlled buck deer season. |
| 35B | Timbers | Permanent Closure |
| 35C | Spring Butte | Permanent Closure |
| Herd range | Code | Deer Hunt Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Devils Garden | DG | DG01, DG02, DG03, DG04 |
Cougar zones, Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas, centerfire rifle restrictions, travel management areas, antlerless elk damage areas, goose zones, game bird hours and CWD testing from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; checked November 8, 2026.
Controlled hunts in the Paulina Unit
The Paulina Unit sits inside 15 hunt areas: 6 elk, 3 buck deer, 3 pronghorn, 1 premium deer and 1 premium pronghorn. Hunt 435 drew 650 first choices in 2025, the most of any hunt here; it has 17 tags for 2026. ODFW added 3 of these hunts for 2026, so they have no 2025 applicant count. The * on 6 hunts means a partial hunt area.
Each series takes one application with up to five choices; points and the random pool apply only to the first choice. These are 2026 tags and dates.
Buck deer, 100 series (3)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DG102 new | Devils Garden 02 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 1,430 | — | 34, 35 |
| DG102R new | Devils Garden 02 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 385 | — | 34, 35 |
| DG102T new | Devils Garden 02 Youth | Youth only | Sep 28–Oct 14 | One buck with visible antler | 28 | — | 34, 35 |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDG02 | Devils Garden 02 | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30 | One animal (either sex); premium deer tags are good for any species of deer hunted in that unit | 1 | — | 35, 34 |
Elk, 200 series (6)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200R * | Oregon Youth Bow | Youth only | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 330 | 124 | 62 units |
| 235M * | Paulina – E Fort Rock Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Oct 17–25 | One elk | 55 | 111 | 35, 77 |
| 235T * | Paulina – E Ft Rock Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 30 | 56 | 35, 77 |
| 235X * | Paulina – E Fort Rock No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 495 | 573 | 35, 77 |
| 235Y * | Paulina – E Fort Rock No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 7–15 | One bull elk | 330 | 520 | 35, 77 |
| 277A * | North Lake | Any legal weapon | Oct 1–Mar 31 2027 | One antlerless elk | 150 | 575 | 35, 77 |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M35 | Paulina | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30 | One animal (either sex); premium deer tags are good for any species of deer hunted in that unit | 1 | — | This unit only |
Pronghorn, 400 series (3)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 435 | Paulina Unit | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–23 | One buck pronghorn | 17 | 650 | This unit only |
| 435M | Paulina Unit Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Aug 29–Sep 6 | One pronghorn either sex | 6 | 66 | This unit only |
| 435R | Paulina Unit Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 6 | One buck pronghorn | 6 | 36 | This unit only |
Premium pronghorn, N hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N35 | Paulina | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30 | One animal (either sex); premium deer tags are good for any species of deer hunted in that unit | 1 | — | This unit only |
Hunt numbers, dates, bags, 2026 tags and 2025 first-choice applicants from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations and the 2026-27 game bird regulations (sage-grouse); hunt areas from ODFW’s 2026 hunt boundary layers; draw rules from the controlled hunt pages; checked November 8, 2026.
Paulina Unit hunts without a draw
Over-the-counter big game in the Paulina Unit means elk, black bear and cougar; mule deer hunting needs a controlled tag. Elk seasons open to general tag holders in the Paulina Unit: Archery elk – Eastern Oregon.
General tags (3)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | General archery elk – Eastern Oregon | General tag | Units 35, 38, 40-45, southern Unit 51 | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | |
| Black bear | General fall black bear (statewide) | General tag | Statewide | Aug 1–Dec 31 | One bear per tag; unlawful to take cubs less than one year old or sows with cubs less than one year old | |
| Cougar | General cougar (statewide, zone quotas) | General tag | Statewide | Jan 1–Dec 31 | One cougar per tag; unlawful to take spotted kittens or females with spotted kittens |
18 bird and furbearer rows also apply here. Not shown: 13 falconry or pursuit rows.
Birds and small game (18)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Turkey | Spring 2027: youth spring wild turkey hunt | General tag | Statewide | Apr 10–11 Apr 15–May 31 | One male or bearded turkey per day | |
| Wild Turkey | Spring 2027: spring wild turkey | General tag | Statewide | Apr 15–May 31 | One male wild turkey or a wild turkey with a visible beard per day; season limit 3 | |
| Western Gray Squirrel | Western gray squirrel – North-Central Oregon | License | Units 34, 35, 39, 41 and 42 | Sep 15–Oct 31 | 3 daily, 6 in possession | |
| Ruffed Grouse | Ruffed grouse | Validation | Statewide | Sep 1–Jan 31 2027 | 3 daily, 9 in possession | |
| Blue Grouse | Blue grouse (dusky and sooty) | Validation | Statewide | Sep 1–Jan 31 2027 | 3 daily, 9 in possession | |
| Chukar | Partridge (chukar and Hungarian combined) | Validation | Statewide | Oct 10–Jan 31 2027 | 8 daily, 24 in possession (combined) | |
| Hungarian Partridge | Partridge (chukar and Hungarian combined) | Validation | Statewide | Oct 10–Jan 31 2027 | 8 daily, 24 in possession (combined) | |
| Pheasant | Rooster pheasant | Validation | Statewide | Oct 10–Dec 31 | 2 daily, 8 in possession | |
| Ducks | Youth waterfowl hunt (ducks, mergansers, coots, geese) | Validation | Statewide | Sep 26–27 | Regular bag limits | |
| Ducks | Veterans and active military personnel waterfowl hunt | Validation | Statewide | Feb 6 | Regular bag limits | |
| Band-tailed Pigeon | Band-tailed pigeon | Permit | Statewide | Sep 15–23 | 2 daily, 6 in possession | |
| Crow | Crow | Validation | Statewide | Oct 1–Jan 31 2027 | No limit | |
| Brant | Brant | Permit | Statewide | Nov 28–Dec 13 | 2 daily, 6 in possession | |
| Gray Fox | Gray fox | Furtaker | Statewide | Oct 15–Feb 28 2027 | — | |
| Muskrat | Muskrat and mink | Furtaker | Statewide | Nov 15–Mar 31 2027 | — | |
| Mink | Muskrat and mink | Furtaker | Statewide | Nov 15–Mar 31 2027 | — | |
| Raccoon | Raccoon | Furtaker | Statewide | Nov 15–Mar 15 2027 | — | |
| River Otter | River otter | Furtaker | Statewide | Nov 15–Mar 15 2027 | — |
Season rows from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, the 2026-27 Oregon Game Bird Hunting Regulations and the furbearer regulations; general tag deadlines from the general season page; duck and dove zones on the ODFW waterfowl map; checked November 8, 2026.
Paulina Unit harvest in 2025
The 2025 table for the Paulina Unit lists 13 hunt rows; buck deer, any weapon tops it at 183.
Unit total, buck deer, any weapon: 183 animals, 696 hunters. Unit total, elk, any weapon: 33 animals, 390 hunters.
Rows with no hunters and no harvest are left out of the table.
| Kind | Hunt | Hunters | Taken | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 135 Paulina Unit | 696 | 183 | 26% |
| Deer, archery | 135R Paulina Unit Bow | 222 | 55 | 25% |
| Elk, any weapon | 235T Paulina – E Fort Rock Youth | 13 | 3 | 22% |
| Elk, any weapon | 235X Paulina – E Fort Rock No. 1 | 211 | 23 | 11% |
| Elk, any weapon | 235Y Paulina – E Fort Rock No. 2 | 140 | 4 | 3% |
| Elk, any weapon | 277A North Lake | 26 | 3 | 13% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 102 | 16 | 16% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 235M Paulina – E Fort Rock Muzzleloader | 19 | 3 | 14% |
| Pronghorn | 435 Paulina Unit | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| Pronghorn | 435M Paulina Unit Muzzleloader | 6 | 5 | 80% |
| Pronghorn | 435R Paulina Unit Bow | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 43 | 3 | 6.9% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 84 | 2 | 1.8% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Pronghorn, Black bear, Cougar; checked November 8, 2026.
Paulina Unit wildlife areas and forests
11 land records cross into WMU 35, including 0 Access and Habitat or Open Fields areas. The Paulina Unit includes Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands and Bureau of Reclamation lands in Oregon.
Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest)
Crescent Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest)
Silver Lake Ranger District (Fremont-Winema National Forest)
Gilchrist State Forest
Prineville Reservoir Wildlife Area
BLM Lakeview District
BLM Lakeview Field Office
Fremont-Winema National Forest
BLM Prineville District
Deschutes National Forest
BLM Deschutes Field Office
Land records and unit overlaps from ODFW, USFS, BLM, USFWS and ODF layers (see each land page); A&H and Open Fields access rules on the ODFW access program pages; checked November 8, 2026.
the Paulina Unit sunrise and shooting times
Oregon clocks fall back on November 1, 2026 and spring forward on March 14, 2027, so the the Paulina Unit times below jump an hour across those dates.
| Date | Opener | Rise | Set | Mammal hours | Bird table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:22 a.m. | 7:47 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 8:17 p.m. | Not in table |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 7:02 a.m. | 6:43 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 7:13 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 6:34 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:10 a.m. | 6:30 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:22 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:34 a.m. | 4:28 p.m. | 7:04 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:22 a.m. | 7:45 p.m. | 5:52 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. | Not in table |
Hours rules from the ODFW general hunting regulations; game bird times from the 2026-27 game bird shooting hours table; mammal sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Pacific Time); checked November 8, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Paulina Unit towns and neighbours
1 town on our list sit inside the Paulina Unit (Prineville), and 4 mores lie within 10 miles.
- PrinevilleCrook County
- BendDeschutes County
- RedmondDeschutes County
- CrescentKlamath County
- Prineville Lake AcresCrook County
If tags in the Paulina Unit run short, these units share its counties:
| Neighbour | Same counties | Sq mi | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Deschutes Unit | Deschutes, Klamath | 1,400 | 16 |
| Maury Unit | Crook, Deschutes, Lake | 1,100 | 13 |
| Ochoco Unit | Crook | 1,605 | 22 |
| Grizzly Unit | Crook, Deschutes | 1,684 | 19 |
| Metolius Unit | Deschutes | 666 | 12 |
| Fort Rock Unit | Klamath, Lake | 1,762 | 21 |
| Wagontire Unit | Deschutes, Lake | 3,109 | 21 |
| Silver Lake Unit | Klamath, Lake | 956 | 14 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Paulina Unit FAQ
Which towns make a good base for the Paulina Unit?
Prineville, Bend, Redmond and Crescent.
How many animals came out of WMU 35 in 2025?
183 buck deer, any weapon from 696 hunters.
Where is the nearest ODFW office to the Paulina Unit?
Bend hosts the main district office.
Can I buy a general buck tag for WMU 35?
No; Eastern Oregon buck deer is controlled only.
Which counties does the Paulina Unit cross?
Deschutes, Lake, Crook and Klamath; Deschutes County holds 48% of its 2,173 square miles.
Which drawn hunts are valid in WMU 35?
15 hunt numbers (6 elk, 3 buck deer, 3 pronghorn, 1 premium deer, 1 premium pronghorn and 1 premium elk); the table lists each one.
Is elk hunting in the Paulina Unit general or controlled?
Both. General tags cover Archery elk – Eastern Oregon, and 7 controlled or premium elk hunts reach it.
Which cougar zone takes in the Paulina Unit?
Zone C, Southeast Cascades.
Are any roads closed in the Paulina Unit during hunting season?
Yes, 3 cooperative travel management areas.
Where is public land in the Paulina Unit?
11 land records reach it, led by Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest), Crescent Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest) and Silver Lake Ranger District (Fremont-Winema National Forest).
Answers drawn from the ODFW sources cited on this page; checked November 8, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (CC BY-SA 2.0).