Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Chesnimnus Unit
Wallowa district · WMU 58
Hunting the Chesnimnus Unit (58) in Oregon
656 square miles of Eastern Oregon, 19 hunt numbers and 6 public land pages, managed from the Enterprise office.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Chesnimnus Unit by county
Measured on the ODFW Wildlife Management Unit layer, unit 58 runs to 420,881 acres, mostly in Wallowa County (100%), and it sits in Eastern Oregon. No county line splits the Chesnimnus Unit; all of it lies in Wallowa County.
| County | Sq mi in unit | Share of unit | Share of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallowa County | 655.9 | 100% | 21% |
Call 541-426-3279 for the Enterprise biologists, who manage the largest part of the Chesnimnus Unit (100%).
| Biologist district | Office | Phone | % here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallowa | Enterprise | 541-426-3279 | 100% |
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.
Chesnimnus Unit unit-level rules
- Zone E (Blue Mountains) takes in WMU 58 and 19 other units under a quota of 270. The 2025 cougar report credits the unit with 6 animals.
- Herd ranges overlapping WMU 58: Northeast (NE: NE01, NE02, NE03, NE04, NE05, NE06). No general buck tag works in Eastern Oregon.
- The centerfire rifle restriction covers WMU 58 during Eastern Buck Deer, Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 2nd Season.
- Walk-in or limited motor access applies in 58A Chesnimnus, 58B Cemetery Ridge Ridge Rd, 58C Wildhorse Ridge-Teepee Butte* and 58D Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.
- ODFW maps the Wallowa Valley antlerless elk damage area across WMU 58.
- Check the ODFW waterfowl map for the Chesnimnus Unit: its counties fall in map-only goose and duck zones.
- Game bird hours table zone for this unit: Zone D (Wallowa).
- Testing continues statewide and no chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in Oregon.
| When rifles are limited |
|---|
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) |
| Code | Area name | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 58A | Chesnimnus | 3 days prior to 1st Chesnimnus ALW bull elk season through the end of the 2nd Chesnimnus ALW bull elk season. |
| 58B | Cemetery Ridge Ridge Rd | Permanent Closure |
| 58C | Wildhorse Ridge-Teepee Butte* | 3 days prior to opening of archery season through end of elk ALW seasons. |
| 58D | Hells Canyon National Recreation Area | Permanent Closure |
| Mule deer range | Prefix | Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | NE | NE01, NE02, NE03, NE04, NE05, NE06 |
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.
Chesnimnus Unit hunt numbers
Apply for any of these 19 hunts to carry a drawn tag in the Chesnimnus Unit. Tag counts total 3,037, though multi-unit hunts spread them wider. The most-requested hunt touching the unit is 559A1 N Snake Rvr, with 2,070 first-choice applicants in 2025 for 2 tags this year. New in 2026: NE101-2, NE102, NE102-1, NE102R, NE102R1 and NE102M and more. Hunts with * (9) 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 (6)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE101-2 new * | Late Wallowa Valley Whitetail | Any legal weapon | Nov 16–25 | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | 55 | — | 57, 58, 60, 61 |
| NE102 new | Northeast 02 Mule Deer | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One mule deer buck with visible antler | 281 | — | This unit only |
| NE102-1 new | Northeast 02 Whitetail | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | 121 | — | This unit only |
| NE102M new * | Northeast 02 Muzzleloader Whitetail | Muzzleloader | Dec 1–15 | One white-tailed deer CWD Sampling Required | 110 | — | This unit only |
| NE102R new | Northeast 02 Bow Mule Deer | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One mule deer buck with visible antler | 165 | — | This unit only |
| NE102R1 new | Northeast 02 Bow Whitetail | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One white-tailed deer | 55 | — | This unit only |
Antlerless deer, 600 series (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE601 new * | Wallowa Valley | Any legal weapon | Sep 1–Jan 31 2027 | One antlerless white-tailed deer | 528 | — | 57, 58, 60, 61 |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LNE02 | Northeast 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 | — | This unit only |
Elk, 200 series (7)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 258A1 * | Zumwalt No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Sep 1–30 | One antlerless elk | 72 | 148 | 57, 58 |
| 258A2 * | Zumwalt No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Oct 1–31 | One antlerless elk | 72 | 83 | 57, 58 |
| 258A3 * | Zumwalt No. 3 | Any legal weapon | Nov 17–Dec 11 | One antlerless elk | 72 | 119 | 57, 58 |
| 258R | Chesnimnus Unit Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 330 | 487 | This unit only |
| 258T | Chesnimnus Unit Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 11 | 50 | This unit only |
| 258X | Chesnimnus Unit No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 385 | 557 | This unit only |
| 258Y | Chesnimnus Unit No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 7–15 | One bull elk | 385 | 613 | This unit only |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M58 | Chesnimnus | 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 |
Rocky Mountain bighorn (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 559A1 * | N Snake Rvr | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Oct 31 | — | 2 | 2,070 | 58, 59 |
Spring bear, 2026 hunts (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 757A * | Sled Springs – Chesnimnus | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 303 | 931 | 57, 58 |
| 757T * | Sled Springs – Chesnimnus Youth | Youth only | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 88 | 114 | 57, 58 |
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 Chesnimnus Unit
The Chesnimnus Unit has 3 general big game rows, none of them for buck deer, which is drawn by hunt area east of the Cascades. Every elk hunt in the Chesnimnus Unit is a controlled hunt.
General big game (3)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | General season antlerless elk damage | General tag | Halfway Valley; Richland Valley; Ukiah and Heppner; Walla Walla; Wallowa Valley; John Day Valley ; Grande Ronde Baker Keating Valleys | Aug 1–Nov 30 | One antlerless 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 Chesnimnus Unit runs to 19 season rows, from grouse and turkey to raccoon and otter. The table skips 13 falconry and pursuit seasons.
Game birds and furbearers (19)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Turkey | Fall wild turkey | General tag | WMUs 36, 37 | Oct 10–Nov 30 Dec 1–Jan 31 2027 | One wild turkey of either sex | |
| 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 Chesnimnus Unit
690 hunters took 214 elk, any weapon in the Chesnimnus Unit in 2025, the top line in the table.
316 buck deer, any weapon hunters took 153. 690 elk, any weapon hunters took 214.
Figures are ODFW estimates from mandatory hunter reports, by hunt within the unit.
| ODFW report | Hunt | Hunters | Animals | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 158 Chesnimnus Unit | 316 | 153 | 49% |
| Deer, archery | 158R Chesnimnus Unit Bow | 121 | 19 | 16% |
| Deer, muzzleloader | 158M Chenimnus Private Muzzleloader | 22 | 7 | 32% |
| Antlerless deer | 660A Upper Wallowa Valley | 33 | 28 | 86% |
| Elk, any weapon | 258A1 Zumwalt No. 1 | 40 | 23 | 57% |
| Elk, any weapon | 258A2 Zumwalt No. 2 | 34 | 13 | 39% |
| Elk, any weapon | 258A3 Zumwalt No. 3 | 46 | 17 | 38% |
| Elk, any weapon | 258T Chesnimnus Unit Youth | 10 | 8 | 83% |
| Elk, any weapon | 258X Chesnimnus Unit No. 1 | 273 | 93 | 34% |
| Elk, any weapon | 258Y Chesnimnus Unit No. 2 | 287 | 60 | 21% |
| Elk, archery | 258R Chesnimnus Unit Bow | 267 | 65 | 24% |
| Elk damage tags | General Season Antlerless Elk Damage | 74 | 48 | 65% |
| Black bear | 757A Sled Springs -Chesnimnus | 121 | 27 | 22% |
| Black bear | 757T Sled Springs-Chesnimnus Youth | 18 | 5 | 27% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 178 | 15 | 8.3% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 160 | 6 | 3.8% |
| Bighorn sheep | 559A1 N Snake Rvr | 2 tags | 1 | 50% |
| Bighorn sheep | 559A1 S Snake Rvr | 2 tags | 1 | 50% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Deer, muzzleloader, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk damage tags, Black bear, Cougar, Bighorn sheep; checked November 8, 2026.
Land records in the Chesnimnus Unit
These 6 lands share ground with the Chesnimnus Unit; open each for camping, vehicle and parking rules. Statewide programs that also reach it: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands.
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest)
Wallowa Valley Ranger District (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest)
Little Sheep Wildlife Area
Only in WMU 58
BLM Vale District
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
BLM Baker 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.
Legal hours around the Chesnimnus Unit
Spring turkey hunters near the Chesnimnus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:47 a.m. | 6:27 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 6:57 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 6:56 a.m. | 6:14 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:12 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:25 a.m. | 4:07 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:18 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:04 a.m. | 7:33 p.m. | 5:34 a.m. to 8:03 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 Chesnimnus Unit
For fuel, food and a room near the Chesnimnus Unit, look at Enterprise and Joseph.
- EnterpriseWallowa County
- JosephWallowa County
Units that share a county with the Chesnimnus Unit, closest first:
| Unit | Counties shared | Size, sq mi | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snake River Unit | Wallowa | 459 | 17 |
| Imnaha Unit | Wallowa | 424 | 18 |
| Minam Unit | Wallowa | 574 | 21 |
| Sled Springs Unit | Wallowa | 882 | 22 |
| Wenaha Unit | Wallowa | 412 | 16 |
| Catherine Creek Unit | Wallowa | 662 | 26 |
| Pine Creek Unit | Wallowa | 378 | 18 |
| Keating Unit | Wallowa | 607 | 19 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Chesnimnus Unit in brief
How big is WMU 58, and where is it?
656 square miles over 1 county, mostly Wallowa.
What deer hunt codes cover the Chesnimnus Unit?
NE.
Is there a general buck deer season in the Chesnimnus Unit?
No. Eastern Oregon buck deer is controlled only.
How many controlled hunts include the Chesnimnus Unit?
19: 7 elk, 6 buck deer, 2 spring bear, 1 antlerless deer, 1 Rocky Mountain bighorn, 1 premium deer and 1 premium elk.
Are centerfire rifles restricted in the Chesnimnus Unit?
Yes, during Eastern Buck Deer, Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 2nd Season, unless you carry a valid big game tag.
When is cougar season in WMU 58?
January 1 to December 31 on a general tag, until Zone E hits 270.
Where can I get fuel and food near the Chesnimnus Unit?
Enterprise and Joseph.
Is any national forest inside the Chesnimnus Unit?
Yes, 3 forest or ranger district records.
Which ODFW district handles WMU 58?
Wallowa.
Does ODFW publish harvest for the Chesnimnus Unit?
Yes, by hunt within each unit in its 2025 reports.
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).