Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Owyhee Unit
Eastern Oregon · WMU 67
Oregon Owyhee Unit hunt guide, 2026-27
Wildlife Management Unit 67 spreads over 3,019 square miles of Malheur County, with 22 controlled or premium hunts and 3 general season rows that work here.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Owyhee Unit at a glance
At 1,935,282 acres the Owyhee Unit is a Eastern Oregon unit; Malheur County holds 100% of its ground by the GIS overlay used here. The Owyhee Unit stays within Malheur County from edge to edge.
| In county | Area, sq mi | % of unit | % of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur County | 3,018.6 | 100% | 30% |
ODFW biologists in the Malheur district look after the Owyhee Unit; the Ontario office covers 100% of it.
| District | Office town | Phone | Part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur | Ontario | 541-889-6975 | 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 Owyhee Unit
- Southeast Oregon is the cougar zone here (letter F); its quota of 140 is shared by 11 units. Last year ODFW counted 5 cougars taken in the unit.
- Eastern Oregon deer is controlled only. Hunt areas reaching WMU 67 belong to Juntura (JT: JT01, JT02, JT03) and Southeast (SE: SE01, SE02).
- Rifle rule for WMU 67: no centerfire rifle hunting during Eastern Buck Deer unless you hold a big game tag good for those dates and this area.
- WMU 67 has no cooperative access closure in the booklet.
- For waterfowl the Owyhee Unit relies on ODFW's zone map.
- Upland and waterfowl hunters here read the ODFW hours table for Zone D (Malheur).
- 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) |
| Herd | Code | Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Juntura | JT | JT01, JT02, JT03 |
| Southeast | SE | SE01, SE02 |
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 Owyhee Unit
All 22 hunt numbers valid somewhere in the Owyhee Unit are below, with dates, bag, 2026 tags and 2025 first-choice applicants. Demand peaks at 467 (Owyhee Unit): 1,952 first-choice applicants against 55 tags. Look for the "new" tag: 9 hunts did not exist in 2025. Check the boundary text for the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JT102 new | Juntura 02 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 402 | — | 66, 67 |
| JT102R new | Juntura 02 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 116 | — | 66, 67 |
| JT102T new | Juntura 02 Youth | Youth only | Sep 28–Oct 14 | One buck with visible antler | 22 | — | 66, 67 |
| SE102 new | Southeast 02 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 319 | — | This unit only |
| SE102R new | Southeast 02 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 55 | — | This unit only |
Antlerless deer, 600 series (4)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JT601 new * | Juntura Agri | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–25 | One antlerless deer | 11 | — | 65, 67 |
| JT601T new * | Juntura Agri Youth | Youth only | Aug 1–Oct 31 | One antlerless deer | 44 | — | 65, 67 |
| SE602 new * | Southeast 02 Agri | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–25 | One antlerless deer | 11 | — | This unit only |
| SE602T new * | Southeast 02 Agri Youth | Youth only | Aug 1–Oct 31 | One antlerless deer | 11 | — | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LJT02 | Juntura 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 | — | 66, 67 |
| LSE02 | Southeast 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 (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 |
| 267 | Owyhee Unit | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–Jan 31 2027 | One antlerless elk | 83 | 238 | This unit only |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M67 | Owyhee/Whitehorse | 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 | — | 67, 68 |
Pronghorn, 400 series (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 467 | Owyhee Unit | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–23 | One pronghorn either sex | 55 | 1,952 | This unit only |
| 467R | Owyhee Unit Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 6 | One pronghorn either sex | 44 | 128 | This unit only |
Premium pronghorn, N hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N67 | Owyhee | 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 |
Sage-grouse permits (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Permits 2025 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J67 | Owyhee Unit | Controlled (permit) | Sep 12–20 | — | 45 | 52 | This unit only |
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.
Owyhee Unit season dates, 2026-27
Without drawing, a hunter in the Owyhee 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 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 second table lists the 19 game bird, small game and furbearer rows whose area includes the Owyhee Unit. Falconry and no-kill pursuit seasons (14 rows) are left out.
Other 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.
2025 results for the Owyhee Unit
The largest 2025 figure for WMU 67 is buck deer, any weapon: 262 taken by 412 hunters.
Buck deer, any weapon: 262 from 412 hunters, about 64% success. Elk, any weapon: 78 from 241 hunters, about 32% 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 | 167 Owyhee Unit | 326 | 204 | 62% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 167A NE Owyhee | 86 | 58 | 68% |
| Deer, archery | 167R Owyhee Unit Bow | 71 | 19 | 27% |
| Antlerless deer | 665T Malheur Co Youth | 6 | 4 | 75% |
| Antlerless deer | 667A NE Owyhee Agri | 16 | 10 | 64% |
| Elk, any weapon | 267 Owyhee Unit | 73 | 12 | 16% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278A1 High Desert No. 1 | 70 | 31 | 45% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278A2 High Desert No. 2 | 97 | 34 | 35% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278T High Desert Youth | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 18 | 4 | 20% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 278M High Desert Muzzleloader | 18 | 8 | 43% |
| Pronghorn | 467 Owyhee Unit | 58 | 38 | 65% |
| Pronghorn | 467R Owyhee Unit Bow | 28 | 9 | 30% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 36 | 5 | 12.5% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Pronghorn, Black bear, Cougar; checked November 8, 2026.
Owyhee Unit public ground
Our land records place 6 places in WMU 67, the biggest first: BLM Malheur Field Office, BLM Andrews Field Office and Snake River Islands Wildlife Area. Also present: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands and Bureau of Reclamation lands in Oregon.
BLM Malheur Field Office
BLM Andrews Field Office
Snake River Islands Wildlife Area
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge
BLM Vale District
BLM Burns 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 Owyhee 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 Owyhee Unit table.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Mammals | Birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:08 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 5:38 a.m. to 8:02 p.m. | Not in table |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:47 a.m. | 6:28 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 6:58 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 6:55 a.m. | 6:16 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:12 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:19 a.m. | 4:14 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:18 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:07 a.m. | 7:31 p.m. | 5:37 a.m. to 8:01 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 Owyhee Unit
No listed town lies in the Owyhee Unit. Nyssa and Vale are close by.
Units that share a county with the Owyhee Unit, closest first:
| Unit | Counties in common | Square miles | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beulah Unit | Malheur | 2,738 | 38 |
| Whitehorse Unit | Malheur | 4,884 | 24 |
| Lookout Mtn Unit | Malheur | 555 | 15 |
| Malheur River Unit | Malheur | 2,890 | 31 |
| Sumpter Unit | Malheur | 1,523 | 29 |
| Steens Mtn Unit | Malheur | 1,910 | 25 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Owyhee Unit answered
What is the ODFW phone number for WMU 67?
541-889-6975 (Ontario).
Is buck deer in WMU 67 drawn by unit or by hunt area?
By Deer Hunt Area since 2026.
What share of the Owyhee Unit lies in Malheur County?
100%, about 3,019 square miles.
What can I draw for the Owyhee Unit?
6 elk, 5 buck deer, 4 antlerless deer, 2 pronghorn, 2 premium deer, 1 premium pronghorn, 1 premium elk and 1 sage-grouse hunts.
Does the Western Oregon general deer tag cover WMU 67?
No; it is an Eastern Oregon unit.
Can cougar season in the Owyhee Unit close early?
Yes, once Zone F reaches its quota of 140.
Can a coyote hunter use a centerfire rifle in the Owyhee Unit in the fall?
Not during Eastern Buck Deer without a deer, elk, pronghorn, sheep or goat tag valid there.
Are there ODFW wildlife areas in the Owyhee Unit?
Yes, 1 wildlife area.
Which towns make a good base for the Owyhee Unit?
Nyssa and Vale.
How did hunters do in the Owyhee Unit last season?
412 hunters took 262 buck deer, any weapon.
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).