Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Keno Unit
Eastern Oregon · WMU 31
Oregon Keno Unit hunt guide, 2026-27
Wildlife Management Unit 31 spreads over 1,041 square miles of Klamath County and Jackson County, with 11 controlled or premium hunts and 3 general season rows that work here.
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mapping the Keno Unit
At 667,826 acres the Keno Unit is a Eastern Oregon unit; Klamath County holds 98% of its ground by the GIS overlay used here. 2 counties share the Keno Unit; the table gives each piece in square miles and as a share of the unit and of the county.
| In county | Area, sq mi | % of unit | % of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County | 1,019.6 | 98% | 15% |
| Jackson County | 21.5 | 2% | 0.8% |
ODFW biologists in the Klamath district look after the Keno Unit; the Klamath office covers 100% of it.
| District | Based in | Phone | Unit % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath | Klamath | 541-883-5732 | 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.
Zones, quotas and closures in the Keno Unit
- Southwest Cascades is the cougar zone here (letter B); its quota of 200 is shared by 8 units. Last year ODFW counted 2 cougars taken in the unit.
- Eastern Oregon deer is controlled only. Hunt areas reaching WMU 31 belong to Keno (KE: KE01).
- Rifle rule for WMU 31: no centerfire rifle hunting during Eastern Buck Deer and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season unless you hold a big game tag good for those dates and this area.
- Road closures: 2 cooperative travel management areas lie in the Keno Unit (31A Pokegama and 31B Green Diamond (formerly JWTR)).
- Geese: by county, the Keno Unit reaches Southwest Zone (Jackson). Ducks, coots, snipe and doves use Zones 1 and 2, which ODFW shows only on its map.
- Upland and waterfowl hunters here read the ODFW hours table for Zone A (Jackson) and Zone C (Klamath).
- Oregon has no detected CWD; the parts import ban still applies to animals killed out of state.
| Restricted season |
|---|
Eastern Buck Deer (Oct. 3 – Oct. 14) |
Rocky Mtn Bull Elk (controlled) 1st Season (Oct. 28 – Nov. 1) |
| No. | Closure | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| 31A | Pokegama | Nov. 20 – Mar. 31 |
| 31B | Green Diamond (formerly JWTR) | Permanent Closure |
| Herd | Code | Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Keno | KE | KE01 |
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.
Hunt numbers that include the Keno Unit
All 11 hunt numbers valid somewhere in the Keno Unit are below, with dates, bag, 2026 tags and 2025 first-choice applicants. Demand peaks at 119A (W High Cascade): 1,311 first-choice applicants against 3,300 tags. Expect to wait for 231T: around 4 applicants per tag. Look for the "new" tag: 4 hunts did not exist in 2025. Check the boundary text for the 4 hunts marked *.
Nonresidents can draw at most 5% of controlled deer, elk and bear tags and 3% of pronghorn tags. Every row is a 2026 hunt; the 2027 big game booklet is not out yet.
Buck deer, 100 series (5)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119A * | W High Cascade | Any legal weapon | Sep 12–20 | One buck with visible antler | 3,300 | 1,311 | 16, 19, 21, 22, 30, 31, 77 |
| KE101 new | Keno 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 825 | — | This unit only |
| KE101R new | Keno 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 275 | — | This unit only |
| KE101R1 new | Late Keno 01 Bow | Archery | Nov 4–19 | One buck with visible antler | 110 | — | This unit only |
| KE101T new | Keno 01 Youth | Youth only | Sep 28–Oct 14 | One buck with visible antler | 22 | — | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LKE01 | Keno 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 (3)
| 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 |
| 231T | Keno Unit Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 26 | 99 | This unit only |
| 231X * | SE Cascades | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 880 | 393 | 31, 33 |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M31 | Keno | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 731A * | S Central | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 605 | 533 | 31, 32, 33, 74, 75, 76, 77 |
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.
Keno Unit season dates, 2026-27
Without drawing, a hunter in the Keno Unit can still chase elk, black bear and cougar on general tags. The elk rows that need no application are Archery elk – Eastern Oregon.
Over-the-counter big game (3)
| Species | Season | Tag | Area | Dates | Bag | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | General archery elk – Eastern Oregon | General tag | Units 31-34, 39, 74, 75, 76 and Unit 77 west of Hwy 97 | Aug 29–Sep 27 | 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 |
The second table lists the 18 game bird, small game and furbearer rows whose area includes the Keno Unit. Falconry and no-kill pursuit seasons (13 rows) are left out.
Other game (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 – 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.
2025 results for the Keno Unit
The largest 2025 figure for WMU 31 is buck deer, any weapon: 189 taken by 579 hunters.
Buck deer, any weapon: 189 from 579 hunters, about 33% success. Elk, any weapon: 28 from 447 hunters, about 6% success.
Bighorn and goat rows are 2025 hunts matched to the 2026 hunt area for the same hunt number.
| Season report | Hunt | Hunters | Bagged | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 119A W High Cascade | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 131 Keno Unit | 552 | 178 | 32% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 131T Keno Unit Youth | 21 | 11 | 53% |
| Deer, archery | 131R1 Keno Unit Bow | 174 | 49 | 28% |
| Deer, archery | 131R2 Keno Unit Late Bow | 94 | 36 | 39% |
| Elk, any weapon | 231T Keno Unit Youth | 22 | 8 | 35% |
| Elk, any weapon | 231X SE Cascades | 425 | 20 | 5% |
| Elk, archery | 200R Oregon Youth Bow | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 113 | 15 | 13% |
| Black bear | 731A South Central | 47 | 3 | 6% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 12 | 2 | 12.5% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 245 | 19 | 7.9% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 161 | 2 | 0.9% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Black bear, Cougar; checked November 8, 2026.
Keno Unit public ground
Our land records place 15 places in WMU 31, the biggest first: Chiloquin Ranger District (Fremont-Winema National Forest), High Cascades Ranger District (Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests) and BLM Ashland Field Office. Also present: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands and Bureau of Reclamation lands in Oregon.
Chiloquin Ranger District (Fremont-Winema National Forest)
BLM Ashland Field Office
BLM Klamath Falls Field Office
Klamath Ranger District (Fremont-Winema National Forest)
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
Only in WMU 31
Sun Pass State Forest
Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Only in WMU 31
Klamath Wildlife Area
Only in WMU 31
BLM Lakeview District
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 Keno Unit hours on key season dates
Fee pheasant hunts, youth upland hunts and the Northwest Permit goose season keep their own hours, which are not in this the Keno Unit table.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Mammals | Birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:29 a.m. | 7:49 p.m. | 5:59 a.m. to 8:19 p.m. | Not in table |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:43 a.m. | 7:25 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:55 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:13 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | General buck opener | 7:05 a.m. | 6:48 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 6:36 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:13 a.m. | 6:36 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 7:06 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:33 a.m. | 4:38 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 4:33 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:28 a.m. | 7:47 p.m. | 5:58 a.m. to 8:17 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.
Bases and nearby units for the Keno Unit
The largest place inside WMU 31 is Keno. Within 10 miles: Klamath Falls, Chiloquin, Altamont and Falcon Heights.
- KenoKlamath County
- Oregon ShoresKlamath County
- Rocky PointKlamath County
- Klamath FallsKlamath County
- ChiloquinKlamath County
- AltamontKlamath County
- Falcon HeightsKlamath County
- Fort KlamathKlamath County
Units that share a county with the Keno Unit, closest first:
| Unit | Counties in common | Square miles | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath Falls Unit | Klamath | 1,249 | 15 |
| Sprague Unit | Klamath | 774 | 27 |
| Rogue Unit | Jackson, Klamath | 1,460 | 12 |
| Fort Rock Unit | Klamath | 1,762 | 21 |
| Evans Creek Unit | Jackson | 1,040 | 10 |
| Interstate Unit | Klamath | 2,192 | 19 |
| Applegate Unit | Jackson | 1,325 | 10 |
| Silver Lake Unit | Klamath | 956 | 14 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Questions on the Keno Unit
Does the Western Oregon general deer tag cover WMU 31?
No; it is an Eastern Oregon unit.
Can cougar season in the Keno Unit close early?
Yes, once Zone B reaches its quota of 200.
Can a coyote hunter use a centerfire rifle in the Keno Unit in the fall?
Not during Eastern Buck Deer and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season without a deer, elk, pronghorn, sheep or goat tag valid there.
Where is public land in the Keno Unit?
15 land records reach it, led by Chiloquin Ranger District (Fremont-Winema National Forest), High Cascades Ranger District (Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests) and BLM Ashland Field Office.
Where can I get fuel and food near the Keno Unit?
Keno, Oregon Shores and Rocky Point.
Is the Keno Unit a good unit?
It depends on the hunt; in 2025 the buck deer, any weapon report shows 189 taken.
What is the ODFW phone number for WMU 31?
541-883-5732 (Klamath).
Is buck deer in WMU 31 drawn by unit or by hunt area?
By Deer Hunt Area since 2026.
What share of the Keno Unit lies in Klamath County?
98%, about 1,020 square miles.
What can I draw for the Keno Unit?
5 buck deer, 3 elk, 1 spring bear, 1 premium deer and 1 premium elk hunts.
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).