Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Juniper Unit
Eastern Oregon · WMU 71
Juniper Unit (71): tags, seasons and 2025 harvest
Everything ODFW prints for WMU 71: 28 drawn hunts, 3 general big game rows and how the 2025 seasons went across Harney County and Lake County.
Photo: Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mapping the Juniper Unit
ODFW's unit layer gives the Juniper Unit 2,920 square miles (1,872,238 acres) on the Eastern Oregon side of the Cascade split, and 85% of it is in Harney County. A hunter in the Juniper Unit can be standing in any of 2 counties, with Harney the largest at 2,491 square miles.
| County | Square miles | Of the unit | Of the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harney County | 2,491.1 | 85% | 25% |
| Lake County | 429.2 | 15% | 5% |
3 ODFW wildlife districts reach into the Juniper Unit; the phone numbers below are the district offices.
| District | Based in | Phone | Unit % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harney | Hines | 541-573-6582 | 65% |
| Shared Deschutes-Harney-Lake | Shared Bend-Hines-Lakeview | multiple | 20% |
| Lake | Lakeview and Summer Lake | 541-947-2950 | 15% |
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 Juniper Unit
- The general cougar tag works all year, but Zone F closes once 140 cougars are reported from its 11 units. 8 cougar hunters took 2 here in 2025.
- For deer, read the hunt area codes: DeGarmo (DO: DO01, DO02), Poverty Basin (PB: PB01) and Sage Hen (SH: SH01, SH02) cover parts of the Juniper Unit.
- During Eastern Buck Deer, a centerfire rifle is legal in the Juniper Unit only with a matching big game tag, used or unused.
- ODFW lists no travel management area inside WMU 71.
- 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 C (Lake) and Zone D (Harney).
- 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) |
| Herd range | Code | Deer Hunt Areas |
|---|---|---|
| DeGarmo | DO | DO01, DO02 |
| Poverty Basin | PB | PB01 |
| Sage Hen | SH | SH01, SH02 |
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 Juniper Unit
The Juniper Unit sits inside 28 hunt areas: 8 buck deer, 7 elk, 5 pronghorn, 3 California bighorn and 3 premium deer. Hunt 470C drew 3,262 first choices in 2025, the most of any hunt here; it has 44 tags for 2026. The tightest hunt is 569B, about 242 applicants per tag. ODFW added 8 of these hunts for 2026, so they have no 2025 applicant count. The * on 16 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 (8)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DO102M new | HMNAR Muzzeloader | Muzzleloader | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 11 | — | 70, 71 |
| DO102R new | HMNAR Bow | Archery | Aug 6–14 | One buck with visible antler | 11 | — | 70, 71 |
| DO102R2 new | HMNAR Late Bow | Archery | Nov 6–12 | One buck with visible antler | 11 | — | 70, 71 |
| PB101 new | Poverty Basin 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 66 | — | 70, 71, 73 |
| PB101R new | Poverty Basin 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 28 | — | 70, 71, 73 |
| SH101 new | Sage Hen 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 138 | — | This unit only |
| SH101R new | Sage Hen 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 55 | — | This unit only |
| SH101T new | Sage Hen 01 Youth | Youth only | Sep 28–Oct 14 | One buck with visible antler | 22 | — | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (3)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDO02 | DeGarmo 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 | — | 70, 71 |
| LPB01 | Poverty Basin 01 | 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 | — | 71, 73, 70 |
| LSH01 | Sage Hen 01 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200R * | Oregon Youth Bow | Youth only | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 330 | 124 | 62 units |
| 271A1 * | Silvies – N Juniper No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Sep 30 | One antlerless elk | 138 | 107 | 71, 72, 73 |
| 271A2 * | Silvies – N Juniper No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 1–30 | One antlerless elk | 110 | 108 | 71, 72, 73 |
| 278A1 * | High Desert No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 3 | One elk | 440 | 629 | 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73 |
| 278A2 * | High Desert No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 7–15 | One elk | 440 | 623 | 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73 |
| 278M * | High Desert Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Oct 17–25 | One elk | 138 | 82 | 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73 |
| 278T * | High Desert Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 11 | 24 | 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73 |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M71 | Juniper/Wagontire | 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 | — | 71, 73 |
Pronghorn, 400 series (5)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 466B * | Harney Basin | Any legal weapon | Sep 5–20 | One doe or fawn pronghorn | 33 | 164 | 66, 69, 71, 72 |
| 470C * | Hart Mtn | Any legal weapon | Sep 12–18 | One buck pronghorn | 44 | 3,262 | 70, 71 |
| 470R1 * | Hart Mtn Bow | Archery | Aug 6–14 | One buck pronghorn | 22 | 418 | 70, 71 |
| 470T * | Hart Mtn Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–23 | One buck pronghorn | 3 | 581 | 70, 71 |
| 471A * | Juniper | Any legal weapon | Aug 22–Sep 6 | One buck pronghorn | 63 | 2,844 | This unit only |
Premium pronghorn, N hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N71 * | Juniper | 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 |
California bighorn, 500 series (3)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 569B * | N Catlow Rim | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Sep 14 | — | 2 | 485 | 69, 71 |
| 575A1 * | S Central No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Sep 14 | — | 3 | 545 | 71, 73, 75 |
| 575A2 * | S Central No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Sep 15–Oct 14 | — | 3 | 675 | 71, 73, 75 |
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.
Juniper Unit hunts without a draw
Over-the-counter big game in the Juniper Unit means elk, black bear and cougar; mule deer hunting needs a controlled tag. Elk seasons open to general tag holders in the Juniper 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 |
19 bird and furbearer rows also apply here. Not shown: 13 falconry or pursuit rows.
Birds and small game (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.
Juniper Unit harvest in 2025
The 2025 table for the Juniper Unit lists 21 hunt rows; pronghorn tops it at 51.
Unit total, buck deer, any weapon: 40 animals, 144 hunters. Unit total, elk, any weapon: 5 animals, 82 hunters.
Rows with no hunters and no harvest are left out of the table.
| Kind | Hunt | Hunters | Taken | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 171A N Juniper | 66 | 15 | 24% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 171B S Juniper | 62 | 18 | 29% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 171T Juniper Unit Youth | 16 | 7 | 46% |
| Deer, archery | 171R Juniper Unit Bow | 25 | 6 | 24% |
| Antlerless deer | 679A Harney Basin Agri | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| Antlerless deer | 679T Harney Basin Youth | 5 | 4 | 75% |
| Elk, any weapon | 271A1 Silvies – N Juniper No. 1 | 28 | 3 | 10% |
| Elk, any weapon | 271A2 Silvies – N Juniper No. 2 | 15 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278A1 High Desert No. 1 | 28 | 1 | 5% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278A2 High Desert No. 2 | 11 | 1 | 12% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 278M High Desert Muzzleloader | 6 | 1 | 20% |
| Pronghorn | 466B Harney Basin | 5 | 1 | 25% |
| Pronghorn | 470C Hart Mtn | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Pronghorn | 470R1 Hart Mtn Bow | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Pronghorn | 471A Juniper | 56 | 46 | 81% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 8 | 2 | 20% |
| Bighorn sheep | 569B N Catlow Rim | 2 tags | 2 | 100% |
| Bighorn sheep | 575A1 S Central No. 1 | 2 tags | 2 | 100% |
| Bighorn sheep | 575A2 S Central No. 2 | 3 tags | 3 | 100% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Pronghorn, Black bear, Cougar, Bighorn sheep; checked November 8, 2026.
Juniper Unit wildlife areas and forests
7 land records cross into WMU 71, including 0 Access and Habitat or Open Fields areas. The unit also holds Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands land.
BLM Andrews Field Office
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
BLM Lakeview District
BLM Burns District
BLM Lakeview Field Office
BLM Three Rivers 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 Juniper Unit sunrise and shooting times
Oregon clocks fall back on November 1, 2026 and spring forward on March 14, 2027, so the the Juniper Unit times below jump an hour across those dates.
| Date | Opener | Rise | Set | Mammal hours | Bird table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:17 a.m. | 7:39 p.m. | 5:47 a.m. to 8:09 p.m. | Not in table |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:55 a.m. | 6:37 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 7:07 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:03 a.m. | 6:24 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:12 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:25 a.m. | 4:25 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:18 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:16 a.m. | 7:38 p.m. | 5:46 a.m. to 8:08 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.
Juniper Unit towns and neighbours
The largest place inside WMU 71 is Hines. Within 10 miles: Burns.
If tags in the Juniper Unit run short, these units share its counties:
| Neighbour | Same counties | Sq mi | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steens Mtn Unit | Harney | 1,910 | 25 |
| Silvies Unit | Harney, Lake | 1,788 | 27 |
| Beatys Butte Unit | Harney, Lake | 2,626 | 31 |
| Malheur River Unit | Harney | 2,890 | 31 |
| Whitehorse Unit | Harney | 4,884 | 24 |
| Wagontire Unit | Harney, Lake | 3,109 | 21 |
| Warner Unit | Lake | 921 | 15 |
| Silver Lake Unit | Lake | 956 | 14 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Questions on the Juniper Unit
Is elk hunting in the Juniper Unit general or controlled?
Both. General tags cover Archery elk – Eastern Oregon, and 8 controlled or premium elk hunts reach it.
Which cougar zone takes in the Juniper Unit?
Zone F, Southeast Oregon.
Are any roads closed in the Juniper Unit during hunting season?
None are listed.
Are there ODFW wildlife areas in the Juniper Unit?
None on our records.
Which towns make a good base for the Juniper Unit?
Hines and Burns.
Is the Juniper Unit a good unit?
It depends on the hunt; in 2025 the pronghorn report shows 51 taken.
Where is the nearest ODFW office to the Juniper Unit?
Hines hosts the main district office.
Can I buy a general buck tag for WMU 71?
No; Eastern Oregon buck deer is controlled only.
Which counties does the Juniper Unit cross?
Harney and Lake; Harney County holds 85% of its 2,920 square miles.
Which drawn hunts are valid in WMU 71?
28 hunt numbers (8 buck deer, 7 elk, 5 pronghorn, 3 California bighorn, 3 premium deer, 1 premium pronghorn and 1 premium elk); the table lists each one.
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).