Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Keating Unit
Eastern Oregon · WMU 63
Keating Unit hunting seasons and hunt numbers
Hunt numbers, general tags, cougar quota, road closures, 2025 harvest and the public ground of the Keating Unit (Baker County and Union County).
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Keating Unit by county
The Keating Unit (WMU 63) covers 607 square miles. ODFW places it in Eastern Oregon, and Baker County makes up 93% of the unit. ODFW unit lines follow rivers, ridges and roads, so the Keating Unit reaches 3 counties: Baker (563 sq mi), Union (44 sq mi) and Wallowa (0 sq mi). Only a thin margin, under 2%, falls in Wallowa.
| Where | Sq mi | Unit % | County % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker County | 562.7 | 93% | 18% |
| Union County | 43.9 | 7% | 2% |
| Wallowa County | 0.3 | under 0.1% | — |
The Baker City wildlife district holds 100% of WMU 63.
| Biologist district | Office | Phone | % here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker City | Baker City | 541-523-5832 | 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.
What sets the Keating Unit apart
- Cougars taken here count toward Zone E, Blue Mountains, quota 270. Hunting with dogs is not allowed. ODFW's 2025 estimate for the unit: 2 cougars, 123 hunters.
- Buck deer hunts here are drawn by Deer Hunt Area within the South Wallowas herd range.
- Plan predator or ground squirrel hunts with care: Eastern Buck Deer, Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 2nd Season put the Keating Unit under the centerfire rifle limit.
- The Keating Unit has 4 travel management areas, each with its own closure dates; the table below gives them.
- Part of the Keating Unit lies in the Halfway Valley, Richland Valley and Grande Ronde Baker Keating Valleys damage area for antlerless elk.
- Goose and duck zones for WMU 63 come from the ODFW map, not a county list.
- Shooting hours for birds in the Keating Unit follow Zone D (Baker, Union, Wallowa).
- CWD status: not detected anywhere in Oregon as of October 15, 2026.
| Season (2026) |
|---|
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) |
| Closure | Name | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 53A | Bald/Angel | April 30 – Dec 1. |
| 62A | Mehlhorn | Permanent Closure |
| 63A | Summit Point | Permanent Closure |
| 63B | Eagle Cr | Dec. 1 – Apr. 15 |
| Range | Code | Hunt areas |
|---|---|---|
| South Wallowas | SW | SW01, SW02 |
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.
Drawn tags for the Keating Unit
ODFW's 2026 hunt boundaries put 19 controlled, premium or sage-grouse hunts inside WMU 63, led by 6 elk hunts. Their 2026 tags add up to 5,076, many shared with nearby units. 953A leads the 2025 first-choice count for hunts in WMU 63 with 1,032. 7 hunts are new for 2026 (marked "new"). 9 hunts carry an asterisk: they cover only part of the named unit.
Apply by May 15, 2026 (spring bear by February 10); 75% of deer, elk, pronghorn and spring bear tags go to first choices with the most preference points and 25% are random. All hunts listed are 2026 hunts; spring bear rows are the April and May 2026 hunts.
Buck deer, 100 series (5)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW102 new | South Wallowas 02 Mule Deer | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One mule deer buck with visible antler | 704 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
| SW102-1 new | South Wallowas 02 Whitetail | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | 33 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
| SW102M new | South Wallowas 02 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 16–30 | One white-tailed deer | 77 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
| SW102R new | South Wallowas 02 Bow Mule Deer | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One mule deer buck with visible antler | 935 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
| SW102R1 new | South Wallowas 02 Bow Whitetail | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | 28 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
Antlerless deer, 600 series (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW602T new * | South Wallowas 02 Youth | Youth only | Oct 24–Nov 1 | One antlerless deer | 11 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
| SW602T1 new * | South Wallowas 02 Youth Whitetail | Youth only | Oct 24–Nov 1 | One antlerless white-tailed deer | 22 | — | 53, 62, 63 |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSW02 | South Wallowas 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 | — | 63, 53, 62 |
Elk, 200 series (6)
| 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 |
| 251T * | Baker Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 100 | 165 | 51, 62, 63 |
| 253R1 * | Eagle Cap Zone | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One bull elk | 1,795 | 1,016 | 53, 61, 62, 63 |
| 253R2 * | Eagle Cap Traditional Bow (Traditional Bow Only) | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 200 | 34 | 53, 61, 62, 63 |
| 263 | Keating Unit | Any legal weapon | Nov 21–29 | One antlerless elk | 88 | 277 | This unit only |
| 263X | Keating Unit | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 248 | 541 | This unit only |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M63 | Keating | 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 |
Pronghorn, 400 series (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 462 * | Pine Cr – Keating | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–23 | One buck pronghorn | 5 | 440 | 62, 63 |
Premium pronghorn, N hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N63 | Keating | 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 |
Mountain goat, 900 series (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 953A * | S Wallowa Mtn | Any legal weapon | Aug 1–Oct 31 | — | 2 | 1,032 | 53, 60, 62, 63 |
Spring bear, 2026 hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 762A * | Pine Cr – Keating – Catherine Cr | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 495 | 995 | 53, 62, 63 |
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.
Keating Unit general seasons and other game
In WMU 63 a general tag buys elk, black bear and cougar; deer here always go through the draw. Elk you can hunt on a general tag here: Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain elk – 2nd season.
Big game, general (4)
| 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 | |
| Elk | General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain elk – 2nd season | General tag | Units 49, 50, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63; Unit 48 north and west of the N Fork John Day River; Unit 51 north of Hwy 245 and Burnt River Canyon Rd between Unity and Durkee | Nov 7–15 | One spike 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 |
Below the big game rows sit 19 upland, migratory, turkey and furbearer rows valid in WMU 63. Pursuit-only and falconry rows (13) are on the season pages instead.
Other seasons (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.
Keating Unit take and hunter numbers
Across the 2025 reports, hunts in the Keating Unit produced the most in buck deer, any weapon (178).
Buck deer, any weapon success worked out near 61% (178 taken, 294 hunters). Elk, any weapon success worked out near 19% (102 taken, 526 hunters).
ODFW reports harvest by hunt and unit, not by county; a hunt row here counts only its part in this unit.
| Report | Hunt row | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 163 Keating Unit | 294 | 178 | 60% |
| Deer, archery | 163R Keating Unit Bow | 172 | 44 | 26% |
| Deer, muzzleloader | 151M Baker Muzzleloader | 4 | 2 | 67% |
| Antlerless deer | 651T1 Baker No. 1 Youth | 8 | 8 | 100% |
| Antlerless deer | 651T2 Baker No. 2 Youth | 8 | 2 | 20% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251T Baker Youth | 22 | 14 | 67% |
| Elk, any weapon | 263 Keating Unit | 74 | 25 | 33% |
| Elk, any weapon | 263X Keating Unit | 198 | 39 | 20% |
| Elk, any weapon | Rocky Mtn 2nd season | 232 | 24 | 11% |
| Elk, archery | 200R Oregon Youth Bow | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Elk, archery | 253R1 Eagle Cap Zone | 146 | 27 | 18% |
| Elk, archery | 253R2 Eagle Cap Traditional Bow | 13 | 3 | 20% |
| Elk damage tags | General Season Antlerless Elk Damage | 228 | 130 | 57% |
| Pronghorn | 462 Pine Cr – Keating | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Black bear | 762A Pine Cr – Keating – Catherine Cr | 45 | 9 | 21% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 189 | 13 | 7.1% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 123 | 2 | 1.2% |
| Mountain goat | 953A S Wallowa Mtn | 2 tags | 2 | 100% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Deer, muzzleloader, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk damage tags, Pronghorn, Black bear, Cougar, Mountain goat; checked November 8, 2026.
Keating Unit public land map
Public ground in the Keating Unit: 6 records sorted with unit-only places first, each linked to its own rules. Statewide programs that also reach it: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands.
Whitman Ranger District (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest)
La Grande Ranger District (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest)
Eagle Cap Ranger District (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest)
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.
the Keating Unit shooting light by date
Game birds run on ODFW's own printed table, and the Keating Unit uses Zone D of it, so the bird column below is copied from the 2026-27 booklet rather than calculated.
| Date | Marker | Sunrise | Sunset | Game mammals | Game birds (ODFW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:09 a.m. | 7:36 p.m. | 5:39 a.m. to 8:06 p.m. | Not in table |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:49 a.m. | 6:30 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 6:58 a.m. | 6:17 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 6:47 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:12 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:25 a.m. | 4:13 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:18 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:08 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. | 5:38 a.m. to 8:04 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.
Near the Keating Unit
No listed town lies in the Keating Unit. Baker City and Haines are close by.
- Baker CityBaker County
- HainesBaker County
Units around the Keating Unit:
| Unit | Shared counties | Sq mi | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumpter Unit | Baker, Union | 1,523 | 29 |
| Lookout Mtn Unit | Baker | 555 | 15 |
| Pine Creek Unit | Baker, Union, Wallowa | 378 | 18 |
| Starkey Unit | Baker, Union | 806 | 18 |
| Catherine Creek Unit | Baker, Union, Wallowa | 662 | 26 |
| Beulah Unit | Baker | 2,738 | 38 |
| Minam Unit | Union, Wallowa | 574 | 21 |
| Chesnimnus Unit | Wallowa | 656 | 19 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Keating Unit in brief
What access limits apply in WMU 63?
3 rifle-restricted seasons and 4 travel management areas.
Is any national forest inside the Keating Unit?
Yes, 4 forest or ranger district records.
Which towns make a good base for the Keating Unit?
Baker City and Haines.
Does ODFW publish harvest for the Keating Unit?
Yes, by hunt within each unit in its 2025 reports.
Who do I call about access in the Keating Unit?
The Baker City district at 541-523-5832.
How did the 2026 deer change affect the Keating Unit?
Buck hunts now follow Deer Hunt Areas inside herd ranges instead of units.
Which counties split WMU 63?
Baker, Union and Wallowa, with the largest piece in Baker.
Which hunt in the Keating Unit gets the most applicants?
953A, with 1,032 first choices in 2025.
Which general tags work in WMU 63?
4 general rows: elk, black bear and cougar.
How many units share the cougar quota with the Keating Unit?
20 units, including this one, share Zone E.
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).