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Wildlife Management Unit 29
Evans Creek Unit (29): tags, seasons and 2025 harvest
Everything ODFW prints for WMU 29: 10 drawn hunts, 8 general big game rows and how the 2025 seasons went across Jackson County, Josephine County and Douglas County.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Counties inside the Evans Creek Unit
ODFW's unit layer gives the Evans Creek Unit 1,040 square miles (666,794 acres) on the Western Oregon side of the Cascade split, and 47% of it is in Jackson County. A hunter in the Evans Creek Unit can be standing in any of 3 counties, with Jackson the largest at 486 square miles.
| County | Square miles | Of the unit | Of the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 486.2 | 47% | 18% |
| Josephine County | 287.5 | 28% | 18% |
| Douglas County | 265.9 | 26% | 5% |
2 ODFW wildlife districts reach into the Evans Creek Unit; the phone numbers below are the district offices.
| District | Office | Phone | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue | Central Point | 541-826-8774 | 74% |
| Douglas | Roseburg | 541-440-3353 | 26% |
Plan around Cow Creek Reservation: no state-licensed hunting is allowed there.
| Area | Status |
|---|---|
| Cow Creek Reservation | 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.
Special areas and limits in the Evans Creek Unit
- The general cougar tag works all year, but Zone B closes once 200 cougars are reported from its 8 units. 217 cougar hunters took 6 here in 2025.
- The Evans Creek Unit is open to the Western Oregon general buck season (October 3 to November 6) with a youth extension on November 7 and 8.
- During West Cascade Bull Elk, a centerfire rifle is legal in the Evans Creek Unit only with a matching big game tag, used or unused.
- 1 cooperative road closure area cover parts of the Evans Creek Unit; check dates before driving in.
- A damage tag for cow elk is valid in the Evans Creek area inside the Evans Creek Unit.
- The Evans Creek Unit touches Southwest Zone (Jackson, Josephine, Douglas) and South Coast Zone (Douglas) for geese; the Zone 1 and Zone 2 duck line is drawn only on a map.
- Game bird shooting hours come from ODFW's printed table: Zone A (Jackson, Josephine, Douglas).
- 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 |
|---|
West Cascade Bull Elk (Nov. 7 – Nov. 13) |
| TMA | Name | In effect |
|---|---|---|
| 30B | Jackson | Oct. 15 – Apr. 30 |
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 Evans Creek Unit
The Evans Creek Unit sits inside 10 hunt areas: 4 elk, 2 antlerless deer, 1 buck deer, 1 spring bear and 1 premium deer. Hunt 722A drew 5,532 first choices in 2025, the most of any hunt here; it has 4,840 tags for 2026. The tightest hunt is 629, about 20 applicants per tag. ODFW added 2 of these hunts for 2026, so they have no 2025 applicant count. The * on 4 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 (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 629 | Evans Cr Unit | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–Nov 6 | One antlerless deer | 31 | 632 | This unit only |
| 629T | Evans Cr Unit Youth | Youth only | Dec 15–Jan 5 2027 | One deer | 69 | 145 | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L29 | Evans Cr | 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 (4)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200M * | Cascade Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 21–27 | **One elk outside all USFS lands **One bull elk inside all USFS lands | 990 | 300 | 16, 19, 21, 22, 29, 30 |
| 200R * | Oregon Youth Bow | Youth only | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 330 | 124 | 62 units |
| 229 new | Evans Cr Unit | Any legal weapon | Nov 15–Mar 31 2027 | One antlerless elk | 22 | — | This unit only |
| 229T new | Evans Cr Unit Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 11 | — | This unit only |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M29 | Evans Cr | 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.
Evans Creek Unit hunts without a draw
Besides drawn tags, the Evans Creek Unit offers 8 general big game rows covering deer, elk, black bear and cougar. Elk seasons open to general tag holders in the Evans Creek Unit: Archery elk – Western Oregon and West Cascade bull elk.
General tags (8)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | General archery – Western Oregon deer | General tag | Units 25, 29 and 30 | Aug 29–Sep 27 Nov 14–Dec 6 | 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 season antlerless elk damage | General tag | Biggs Unit; Columbia Plateau; Maupin Unit; Melrose; Evans Creek; Willamette Valley; Chetco | Aug 1–Mar 31 2027 | One antlerless elk | |
| Elk | General archery elk – Western Oregon | General tag | Units 16, 19, 21, 22, 29 and 30 | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One bull elk, except one elk outside of USFS lands | |
| Elk | General West Cascade bull elk | General tag | West Cascade (Units 16, 19, 21, 22, 29, 30) | Nov 7–13 | 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 |
20 bird and furbearer rows also apply here. Not shown: 13 falconry or pursuit rows.
Birds and small game (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.
Evans Creek Unit harvest in 2025
The 2025 table for the Evans Creek Unit lists 18 hunt rows; buck deer, any weapon tops it at 1,319.
Unit total, buck deer, any weapon: 1,319 animals, 2,518 hunters. Unit total, elk, any weapon: 19 animals, 250 hunters.
Rows with no hunters and no harvest are left out of the table.
| Kind | Hunt | Hunters | Taken | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | General Any Legal Weapon Western Oregon w/ 119A | 35 | 26 | 74% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | General Western Deer | 2,483 | 1,293 | 52% |
| Deer, archery | 130R Rogue-Siskiyou Early Bow | 7 | 5 | 75% |
| Deer, archery | Late Bow Deer w/ 123R1 | 4 | 1 | 33% |
| Deer, archery | Early Bow Deer | 155 | 26 | 17% |
| Deer, archery | Late Bow Deer | 451 | 128 | 28% |
| Antlerless deer | 629 Evans Cr Unit | 34 | 20 | 59% |
| Elk, any weapon | 228A Applegate-Evans Cr | 16 | 3 | 20% |
| Elk, any weapon | 228T Applegate-Evans Cr Youth | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, any weapon | West Cascade | 229 | 16 | 7% |
| Elk, archery | 200R Oregon Youth Bow | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, archery | Western Elk Archery | 105 | 15 | 15% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 200M Cascade Muzzleloader | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk damage tags | General Season Antlerless Elk Damage | 82 | 39 | 48% |
| Black bear | 722A SW Oregon | 106 | 23 | 22% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 15 | 3 | 20% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 540 | 57 | 10.5% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 217 | 6 | 2.8% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Elk damage tags, Black bear, Cougar; checked November 8, 2026.
Evans Creek Unit wildlife areas and forests
10 land records cross into WMU 29, including 1 Access and Habitat or Open Fields area. Also present: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands.
Umpqua National Forest
BLM Grants Pass Field Office
Tiller Ranger District (Umpqua National Forest)
BLM Butte Falls Field Office
BLM South River Field Office
Jackson Access & Cooperative Travel Management Area
Ken Denman Wildlife Area
Only in WMU 29
BLM Medford District
BLM Roseburg 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.
the Evans Creek Unit sunrise and shooting times
Oregon clocks fall back on November 1, 2026 and spring forward on March 14, 2027, so the the Evans Creek Unit times below jump an hour across those dates.
| Date | Opener | Rise | Set | Mammal hours | Bird table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:33 a.m. | 7:54 p.m. | 6:03 a.m. to 8:24 p.m. | Not in table |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:47 a.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 6:17 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. | 6:40 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:31 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:38 a.m. | 4:41 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:32 a.m. | 7:52 p.m. | 6:02 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.
Evans Creek Unit towns and neighbours
Grants Pass lies in the unit. Medford, Glendale and Trail are close by.
- Grants PassJosephine County
- MedfordJackson County
- GlendaleDouglas County
- TrailJackson County
- White CityJackson County
If tags in the Evans Creek Unit run short, these units share its counties:
| Neighbour | Same counties | Sq mi | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue Unit | Douglas, Jackson | 1,460 | 12 |
| Dixon Unit | Douglas, Jackson | 1,553 | 17 |
| Applegate Unit | Jackson, Josephine | 1,325 | 10 |
| Powers Unit | Douglas, Josephine | 825 | 10 |
| Melrose Unit | Douglas | 958 | 21 |
| Chetco Unit | Josephine | 1,688 | 11 |
| Keno Unit | Jackson | 1,041 | 11 |
| Tioga Unit | Douglas | 1,545 | 13 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Evans Creek Unit questions
Which counties does the Evans Creek Unit cross?
Jackson, Josephine and Douglas; Jackson County holds 47% of its 1,040 square miles.
Which drawn hunts are valid in WMU 29?
10 hunt numbers (4 elk, 2 antlerless deer, 1 buck deer, 1 spring bear, 1 premium deer and 1 premium elk); the table lists each one.
Is elk hunting in the Evans Creek Unit general or controlled?
Both. General tags cover Archery elk – Western Oregon and West Cascade bull elk, and 5 controlled or premium elk hunts reach it.
Which cougar zone takes in the Evans Creek Unit?
Zone B, Southwest Cascades.
Are any roads closed in the Evans Creek Unit during hunting season?
Yes, 1 cooperative travel management area.
How many land pages on this site touch the Evans Creek Unit?
10.
What towns lie within the Evans Creek Unit?
Grants Pass.
What did 2025 hunts in the Evans Creek Unit take?
1,319 in buck deer, any weapon, the largest report.
Where is the nearest ODFW office to the Evans Creek Unit?
Central Point hosts the main district office.
Does the Evans Creek Unit have an elk damage area?
Yes.
Answers drawn from the ODFW sources cited on this page; checked November 8, 2026.
Other photos on this page: NPS Photo (Public domain).