Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Applegate Unit
ODFW West Region · 1,325 sq mi
Hunting the Applegate Unit (28) in Oregon
1,325 square miles of Western Oregon, 10 hunt numbers and 12 public land pages, managed from the Central Point office.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Applegate Unit by county
Measured on the ODFW Wildlife Management Unit layer, unit 28 runs to 848,011 acres, mostly in Jackson County (55%), and it sits in Western Oregon. The Applegate Unit crosses into 2 counties. By area the split runs Jackson 55% and Josephine 45%.
| County | Sq mi in unit | Share of unit | Share of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 726.4 | 55% | 26% |
| Josephine County | 593.1 | 45% | 36% |
Call 541-826-8774 for the Central Point biologists, who manage the largest part of the Applegate Unit (100%).
| Biologist district | Office | Phone | % here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue | Central Point | 541-826-8774 | 100% |
1 closed place overlap the Applegate Unit, among them Coquille Off-Reservation Trust Land.
| Name | Closed because |
|---|---|
| Coquille Off-Reservation Trust Land | Tribal land |
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.
Applegate Unit unit-level rules
- Zone B (Southwest Cascades) takes in WMU 28 and 7 other units under a quota of 200. The 2025 cougar report credits the unit with 14 animals.
- Western Oregon general buck deer runs from October 3 to November 6 across Units 10-30, so an over-the-counter tag works in the Applegate Unit.
- No cooperative travel management area is printed for the Applegate Unit.
- County-based goose zones touching WMU 28: Southwest Zone (Jackson, Josephine). Read the duck and dove zone from the ODFW map.
- Game bird hours table zone for this unit: Zone A (Jackson, Josephine).
- Testing continues statewide and no chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in Oregon.
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.
Applegate Unit hunt numbers
Apply for any of these 10 hunts to carry a drawn tag in the Applegate Unit. Tag counts total 5,688, though multi-unit hunts spread them wider. The most-requested hunt touching the unit is 722A SW Oregon, with 5,532 first-choice applicants in 2025 for 4,840 tags this year. 628 has the worst odds here, near 18 first-choice applicants for every tag. New in 2026: 228 and 228T. Hunts with * (3) are limited to part of the area named.
Results came out by June 12. Sheep, goat and premium hunts are drawn fully at random, with no preference points. Read each row as 2026; 2027 hunts come with the next booklet.
Buck deer, 100 series (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128M | Applegate Unit Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 14–Dec 6 | One deer | 330 | 1,028 | This unit only |
| 130R * | Rogue-Siskiyou Early Bow | Archery | Aug 1–15 | One buck with visible antler | 55 | 76 | 22, 28, 29, 30 |
Antlerless deer, 600 series (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 628 | Applegate Unit | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–Nov 6 | One antlerless deer | 48 | 840 | This unit only |
| 628T | Applegate Unit Youth | Youth only | Dec 15–Jan 5 2027 | One deer | 39 | 162 | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L28 | Applegate | 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 |
Elk, 200 series (3)
| 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 |
| 228 new | Applegate Unit | Any legal weapon | Nov 15–Mar 31 2027 | One antlerless elk | 22 | — | This unit only |
| 228T new | Applegate Unit Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 22 | — | This unit only |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M28 | Applegate | 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 |
Spring bear, 2026 hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 722A * | SW Oregon | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 4,840 | 5,532 | 11 units |
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.
Seasons open in the Applegate Unit
Buy-and-go hunting in the Applegate Unit: 8 general season rows for deer, elk, black bear and cougar. General elk options here: Archery elk – Western Oregon, Western Oregon Coast bull elk – 1st season and Western Oregon Coast bull elk – 2nd season.
General big game (8)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | General archery – Western Oregon deer | General tag | Units 11, 12, 14, 22, 24, 27 and 28 | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | |
| Deer | General Western Oregon buck deer – Any legal weapon | General tag | Units 10-30 | Oct 3–Nov 6 | One buck with visible antler | |
| Deer | Youth extension – Western Oregon general buck deer | General tag | Units 10-30 | Nov 7–8 | One buck with visible antler | |
| Elk | General archery elk – Western Oregon | General tag | Units 15, 20, 23, 25 and 28 | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | |
| Elk | General Western Oregon Coast bull elk – 1st season | General tag | Coast (Units 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 23, 28) | Nov 14–17 | One bull elk | |
| Elk | General Western Oregon Coast bull elk – 2nd season | General tag | Coast (Units 11, 15, 17, 18, 23, 28) | Nov 21–27 | One bull 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 |
Non-big-game hunting in the Applegate Unit runs to 20 season rows, from grouse and turkey to raccoon and otter. The table skips 13 falconry and pursuit seasons.
Game birds and furbearers (20)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Turkey | Fall wild turkey | General tag | WMUs 14-30 | Sep 1–Jan 31 2027 | Two wild turkeys of either sex | |
| Wild Turkey | Beardless wild turkey permit season | Permit | Private lands in WMUs 37 | Oct 1–Feb 28 2027 | 3 hen turkeys and/or turkeys without a visible beard per day; season limit 9 (3 permits) | |
| 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 – remainder of state | License | Statewide | Sep 1–Nov 15 | 5 daily, 15 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.
Last season in the Applegate Unit
3,740 hunters took 1,523 buck deer, any weapon in the Applegate Unit in 2025, the top line in the table.
3,740 buck deer, any weapon hunters took 1,523. 262 elk, any weapon hunters took 16.
Figures are ODFW estimates from mandatory hunter reports, by hunt within the unit.
| ODFW report | Hunt | Hunters | Animals | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | General Any Legal Weapon Western Oregon w/ 119A | 34 | 13 | 38% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | General Western Deer | 3,706 | 1,510 | 41% |
| Deer, archery | 130R Rogue-Siskiyou Early Bow | 18 | 13 | 70% |
| Deer, archery | Early Bow Deer | 140 | 42 | 30% |
| Deer, archery | Late Bow Deer | 28 | 4 | 15% |
| Deer, muzzleloader | 128M Applegate Unit Muzzleloader | 296 | 135 | 46% |
| Antlerless deer | 628 Applegate Unit | 33 | 29 | 86% |
| Elk, any weapon | 228A Applegate-Evans Cr | 14 | 5 | 33% |
| Elk, any weapon | 228T Applegate-Evans Cr Youth | 8 | 2 | 29% |
| Elk, any weapon | Coast 1st season | 106 | 3 | 3% |
| Elk, any weapon | Coast 2nd season | 134 | 6 | 5% |
| Elk, archery | 200R Oregon Youth Bow | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, archery | Western General Bow Elk w/ 218R | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Elk, archery | Western Elk Archery | 132 | 20 | 15% |
| Black bear | 722A SW Oregon | 195 | 69 | 35% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 43 | 12 | 28.6% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 998 | 95 | 9.5% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 374 | 14 | 3.7% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Deer, muzzleloader, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Black bear, Cougar; checked November 8, 2026.
Land records in the Applegate Unit
These 12 lands share ground with the Applegate Unit; open each for camping, vehicle and parking rules. Add Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands in Oregon to the list for WMU 28.
BLM Grants Pass Field Office
BLM Coos Bay District
BLM Ashland Field Office
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Klamath National Forest (Oregon part)
Only in WMU 28
Oak Knoll Ranger District (Klamath National Forest)
Only in WMU 28
Oregon Caves National Preserve
Only in WMU 28
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests
BLM Medford District
Other ODF state forestlands (West Oregon, Western Lane, Coos and Southwest districts)
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.
Legal hours around the Applegate Unit
Spring turkey hunters near the Applegate Unit start half an hour before sunrise but must stop at sunset, earlier than deer and elk hunters on the same evening.
| Day | Why it matters | Sun up | Sun down | Deer and elk | Upland and ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:34 a.m. | 7:54 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 8:24 p.m. | Not in table |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:48 a.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | General buck opener | 7:10 a.m. | 6:52 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:18 a.m. | 6:41 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:31 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:37 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:33 a.m. | 7:52 p.m. | 6:03 a.m. to 8:22 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.
Towns and units near the Applegate Unit
For fuel, food and a room near the Applegate Unit, look at Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass.
- AshlandJackson County
- MedfordJackson County
- Grants PassJosephine County
- Cave JunctionJosephine County
- White CityJackson County
Units that share a county with the Applegate Unit, closest first:
| Unit | Counties shared | Size, sq mi | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue Unit | Jackson | 1,460 | 12 |
| Evans Creek Unit | Jackson, Josephine | 1,040 | 10 |
| Chetco Unit | Josephine | 1,688 | 11 |
| Powers Unit | Josephine | 825 | 10 |
| Keno Unit | Jackson | 1,041 | 11 |
| Dixon Unit | Jackson | 1,553 | 17 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Applegate Unit in brief
Is there a general buck deer season in the Applegate Unit?
Yes, October 3 to November 6, with a youth extension on November 7 and 8.
How many controlled hunts include the Applegate Unit?
10: 3 elk, 2 buck deer, 2 antlerless deer, 1 spring bear, 1 premium deer and 1 premium elk.
Are there ODFW wildlife areas in the Applegate Unit?
None on our records.
When is cougar season in WMU 28?
January 1 to December 31 on a general tag, until Zone B hits 200.
Does ODFW publish harvest for the Applegate Unit?
Yes, by hunt within each unit in its 2025 reports.
Does any town sit inside the Applegate Unit?
Yes: Ashland.
How big is WMU 28, and where is it?
1,325 square miles over 2 counties, mostly Jackson.
Which ODFW district handles WMU 28?
Rogue.
Answers drawn from the ODFW sources cited on this page; checked November 8, 2026.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region (Public domain).