Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Hood Unit
Mid Columbia district · WMU 42
Hood Unit controlled hunts, general seasons and land
Hood River County and Clackamas County: 376 square miles, 3,358 tags in 2026 hunts that reach it and 4 land records inside the unit.
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Hood Unit at a glance
Number 42 on the ODFW map, the Hood Unit measures 376 square miles. The biggest piece, 364 square miles, sits in Hood River County, and big game rules follow Eastern Oregon. Its boundary is drawn on landmarks rather than county lines, which puts parts of Hood River and Clackamas inside it.
| County piece | Sq mi | Unit share | County share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hood River County | 363.6 | 97% | 70% |
| Clackamas County | 11.9 | 3% | 0.6% |
District staff in The Dalles handle the Hood Unit, led by The Dalles with 100% of the ground.
| District | Office town | Phone | Part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Columbia | The Dalles | 541-296-4628 | 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.
Hood Unit rules that change by unit
- For cougar the Hood Unit is in Zone A, set at 180 of the statewide 970. 2025 cougar harvest in the unit: 2.
- Mule deer: from 2026 Eastern Oregon buck hunts follow Deer Hunt Areas, and the Hood Unit touches 1 herd range: Mid Columbia (MC: MC01, MC02).
- Centerfire rifles: during Eastern Buck Deer, Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 2nd Season you may not carry a centerfire rifle in the Hood Unit without a deer, elk, pronghorn, sheep or goat tag valid for that time and place.
- The 2026 road closure tables skip the Hood Unit.
- Goose zone by county: Northwest Permit Zone (Clackamas). Ducks and doves follow the map-only Zones 1 and 2.
- Bird hours by county: Zone A (Clackamas) and Zone B (Hood River).
- No CWD has turned up in Oregon, but whole deer and elk carcasses from other states may not be brought in.
| Season with rifle limit |
|---|
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) |
| Range | Letters | Areas in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Mid Columbia | MC | MC01, MC02 |
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.
Hood Unit drawn tags by series
Drawn hunting in WMU 42: 15 hunt numbers and 3,358 tags for 2026, counting hunts that also cover other units. 474 hunters put 741A first in 2025, more than any other hunt in the Hood Unit. Odds are longest for 241B (roughly 5 first choices a tag). 7 hunts carry the 2026 "new" flag. 9 asterisk hunts do not cover the whole unit.
Leftover tags went on sale online on July 1 at 10 a.m.; spring bear leftovers on March 15. Hunts shown are from the 2026 regulations.
Buck deer, 100 series (5)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC102 new | Mid-Columbia 02 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 550 | — | This unit only |
| MC102-1 new * | Early Mid-Columbia 02 | Any legal weapon | Sep 12–20 | One buck with visible antler | 22 | — | This unit only |
| MC102-2 new | Late Mid-Columbia 02 | Any legal weapon | Nov 15–29 | One buck with visible antler | 11 | — | This unit only |
| MC102M new | Mid-Columbia 02 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Oct 17–25 | One buck with visible antler | 32 | — | This unit only |
| MC102R new | Mid-Columbia 02 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 165 | — | This unit only |
Antlerless deer, 600 series (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC602 new * | Hood River Agri | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–25 | One antlerless deer | 17 | — | This unit only |
| MC602T new * | Mid Columbia 02 Youth | Youth only | Nov 21–Jan 2 2027 | One antlerless deer | 11 | — | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMC02 | Mid-Columbia 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 (5)
| 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 |
| 241B * | White Rvr – Hood | Any legal weapon | Nov 21–29 | One antlerless elk | 55 | 298 | 41, 42 |
| 241T * | White Rvr – Hood Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 40 | 53 | 41, 42 |
| 241X * | White Rvr – Hood No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 550 | 310 | 41, 42 |
| 241Y * | White Rvr – Hood No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 7–15 | One bull elk | 1,210 | 379 | 41, 42 |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M42 | Hood | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 741A * | White Rvr – Hood | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 363 | 474 | 41, 42 |
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.
What else opens in the Hood Unit
3 general rows reach this Eastern Oregon unit, for elk, black bear and cougar. For elk without a draw: Archery elk – Eastern Oregon.
Big game without a draw (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 |
The 18 rows in the second table need licenses, validations or permits rather than big game tags. 13 pursuit and falconry rows are omitted here.
License and validation seasons (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.
How 2025 hunters did in the Hood Unit
ODFW's 2025 estimates put 82 animals in the buck deer, any weapon column for hunts in the Hood Unit, from 295 hunters.
In buck deer, any weapon, about 28 in 100 hunters scored (82 of 295). In elk, any weapon, about 21 in 100 hunters scored (51 of 243).
Eastern deer rows for 2025 use units; the 2026 Deer Hunt Areas came later.
| Report | Hunt | People | Taken | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 141A Hood-White River | 4 | 1 | 33% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 142A Hood Unit No. 1 | 277 | 73 | 26% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 142B Hood Unit No. 2 | 14 | 8 | 60% |
| Deer, archery | 141R Hood – White Rvr Bow | 56 | 13 | 24% |
| Deer, muzzleloader | 141M Hood- N White Rvr Muzzleloader | 7 | 3 | 50% |
| Antlerless deer | 640T Mid-Columbia Private Youth | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Antlerless deer | 642 Hood Agri | 8 | 5 | 57% |
| Elk, any weapon | 241B White Rvr – Hood | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, any weapon | 241T White Rvr – Hood Youth | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Elk, any weapon | 241X White Rvr – Hood No. 1 | 52 | 6 | 11% |
| Elk, any weapon | 241Y White Rvr – Hood No. 2 | 126 | 22 | 17% |
| Elk, any weapon | 242 Hood Private | 57 | 21 | 36% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern General Bow Elk w/ 216R2 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 95 | 20 | 21% |
| Black bear | 741A White Rvr – Hood | 60 | 11 | 18% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 6 | 3 | 50% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 213 | 30 | 14% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 109 | 2 | 1.4% |
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.
Mapped ground inside the Hood Unit
4 public land pages on this site reach into the Hood Unit: 0 ODFW wildlife areas, 3 national forest or ranger district records, 0 BLM units and 0 private-land access areas.
Mt. Hood National Forest
Zigzag Ranger District (Mt. Hood National Forest)
Hood River Ranger District (Mt. Hood National Forest)
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
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.
When hunting light starts in the Hood Unit
Deer, elk, bear and cougar hunters around the Hood Unit follow the mammal window; grouse, quail, chukar, pheasant, ducks and geese follow the bird table.
| When | Event | First sun | Last sun | Big game window | Bird window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:23 a.m. | 7:53 p.m. | 5:53 a.m. to 8:23 p.m. | Not in table |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:40 a.m. | 7:26 p.m. | 6:10 a.m. to 7:56 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:15 a.m. | 6:32 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 7:02 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:22 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:43 a.m. | 4:26 p.m. | 7:13 a.m. to 4:56 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:23 a.m. | 7:51 p.m. | 5:53 a.m. to 8:21 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.
Around the Hood Unit
Towns tied to the Hood Unit: Hood River and Parkdale.
- Hood RiverHood River County
- ParkdaleHood River County
Units around the Hood Unit:
| WMU | Shared | Sq mi | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|
| White River Unit | Clackamas, Hood River | 938 | 19 |
| Santiam Unit | Clackamas, Hood River | 3,327 | 14 |
| Willamette Unit | Clackamas | 2,893 | 6 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Hood Unit answered
Which travel management areas cover WMU 42?
None.
What is the cougar quota around WMU 42?
180 for Zone A.
What towns lie within the Hood Unit?
Hood River and Parkdale.
Is any land in the Hood Unit closed to hunting?
No closed place is listed inside it; private land still needs permission.
Who manages wildlife in the Hood Unit?
The ODFW Mid Columbia district, from The Dalles.
How did hunters do in the Hood Unit last season?
295 hunters took 82 buck deer, any weapon.
How many square miles is the Hood Unit?
376 square miles (240,897 acres) on the ODFW layer.
Which Deer Hunt Areas reach the Hood Unit?
MC01, MC02.
What big game can I buy over the counter for the Hood Unit?
Elk, black bear and cougar.
How many 2026 tags do hunts in the Hood Unit carry?
3,358 tags across 15 hunts, some shared with other units.
Answers drawn from the ODFW sources cited on this page; checked November 8, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Paul VanDerWerf (CC BY 2.0).