Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Sumpter Unit
Eastern Oregon · WMU 51
Sumpter Unit hunting seasons and hunt numbers
Hunt numbers, general tags, cougar quota, road closures, 2025 harvest and the public ground of the Sumpter Unit (Baker County, Malheur County and Grant County).
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Mapping the Sumpter Unit
The Sumpter Unit (WMU 51) covers 1,523 square miles. ODFW places it in Eastern Oregon, and Baker County makes up 87% of the unit. ODFW unit lines follow rivers, ridges and roads, so the Sumpter Unit reaches 4 counties: Baker (1,322 sq mi), Malheur (161 sq mi), Grant (38 sq mi) and Union (2 sq mi). Only a thin margin, under 2%, falls in Union.
| Where | Sq mi | Unit % | County % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker County | 1,321.9 | 87% | 43% |
| Malheur County | 160.8 | 11% | 2% |
| Grant County | 38.2 | 2% | 0.8% |
| Union County | 2.0 | 0.1% | — |
The Baker City wildlife district holds 100% of WMU 51.
| District | Based in | Phone | Unit % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Sumpter 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: 13 cougars, 293 hunters.
- Buck deer hunts here are drawn by Deer Hunt Area within the Elkhorn and Fox herd ranges.
- 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 Sumpter Unit under the centerfire rifle limit.
- The Sumpter Unit has 2 travel management areas, each with its own closure dates; the table below gives them.
- Part of the Sumpter Unit lies in the Grande Ronde Baker Keating Valleys damage area for antlerless elk.
- Goose and duck zones for WMU 51 come from the ODFW map, not a county list.
- Shooting hours for birds in the Sumpter Unit follow Zone D (Baker, Malheur, Grant, Union).
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 51A | Dark Canyon | 3 days prior to opening of controlled buck deer ALW season through the close of the last elk ALW season. |
| 51B | Patrick Cr | 3 days prior to opening of controlled buck deer ALW season through the close of the last elk ALW season and May 1 – June 30. |
| Range | Code | Hunt areas |
|---|---|---|
| Elkhorn | EH | EH01, EH02 |
| Fox | FX | FX01, FX02, FX03 |
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 Sumpter Unit
ODFW's 2026 hunt boundaries put 29 controlled, premium or sage-grouse hunts inside WMU 51, led by 12 elk hunts. Their 2026 tags add up to 6,479, many shared with nearby units. 950A1 leads the 2025 first-choice count for hunts in WMU 51 with 3,014. 8 hunts are new for 2026 (marked "new"). 18 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 (6)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EH101 new | Elkhorn 01 Mule Deer | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One mule deer buck with visible antler | 825 | — | 50, 51 |
| EH101-1 new | Elkhorn 01 Whitetail | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | 33 | — | 50, 51 |
| EH101M new | Elkhorn 01 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 16–30 | One white-tailed deer | 28 | — | 50, 51 |
| EH101R new | Elkhorn 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One mule deer buck with visible antler | 512 | — | 50, 51 |
| FX101 new | Fox 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 880 | — | 48, 49, 50, 51 |
| FX101R new | Fox 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 715 | — | 48, 49, 50, 51 |
Antlerless deer, 600 series (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EH601T new * | Elkhorn 01 Youth | Youth only | Oct 24–Nov 1 | One antlerless deer | 6 | — | This unit only |
| EH601T1 new * | Elkhorn 01 Youth Whitetail | Youth only | Oct 24–Nov 1 | One antlerless white-tailed deer | 11 | — | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEH01 | Elkhorn 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 | — | 51, 50 |
| LFX01 | Fox 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 | — | 50, 49, 48, 51 |
Elk, 200 series (12)
| 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 |
| 250R2 * | N Fork Traditional Bow (Traditional Bow Only) | Archery | Aug 29–Oct 2 | One elk | 110 | 33 | 49, 50, 51 |
| 251A * | N Sumpter | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 825 | 1,300 | This unit only |
| 251B1 * | S Sumpter No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One elk | 138 | 93 | This unit only |
| 251B2 * | S Sumpter No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 7–15 | One elk | 138 | 104 | This unit only |
| 251C * | S Sumpter | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 193 | 113 | This unit only |
| 251D1 * | Elkhorn Mtn No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–25 | One antlerless elk | 22 | 25 | This unit only |
| 251D2 * | Elkhorn Mtn No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Nov 21–29 | One antlerless elk | 22 | 49 | This unit only |
| 251M1 * | Elkhorn No. 1 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Aug 1–Oct 15 | One antlerless elk | 55 | 19 | This unit only |
| 251M2 * | Elkhorn No. 2 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Oct 16–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 55 | 5 | This unit only |
| 251R * | N Sumpter Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 583 | 329 | This unit only |
| 251T * | Baker Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 100 | 165 | 51, 62, 63 |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M51 | Sumpter | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 451 | Sumpter Unit | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–23 | One buck pronghorn | 5 | 336 | This unit only |
Premium pronghorn, N hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N51 | Sumpter | 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 (3)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 950A1 * | Elkhorn No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Aug 1–31 | — | 3 | 3,014 | 50, 51 |
| 950A2 * | Elkhorn No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Sep 1–30 | — | 3 | 1,452 | 50, 51 |
| 950A3 * | Elkhorn No. 3 | Any legal weapon | Oct 1–31 | — | 3 | 1,651 | 50, 51 |
Spring bear, 2026 hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 746A * | S Blue Mtns | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31 | — | 880 | 1,288 | 11 units |
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.
Sumpter Unit general seasons and other game
In WMU 51 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: Archery elk – Eastern Oregon and Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain elk – 2nd season.
Big game, general (5)
| 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 archery elk – Eastern Oregon | General tag | Units 35, 38, 40-45, southern Unit 51 | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One 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 51. 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.
Sumpter Unit take and hunter numbers
Across the 2025 reports, hunts in the Sumpter Unit produced the most in buck deer, any weapon (358).
Buck deer, any weapon success worked out near 47% (358 taken, 758 hunters). Elk, any weapon success worked out near 19% (254 taken, 1,318 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 | 151 Sumpter Unit | 758 | 358 | 47% |
| Deer, archery | 151R Sumpter Unit Bow | 365 | 80 | 22% |
| Deer, muzzleloader | 151M Baker Muzzleloader | 44 | 22 | 50% |
| Antlerless deer | 651T1 Baker No. 1 Youth | 8 | 6 | 80% |
| Antlerless deer | 651T2 Baker No. 2 Youth | 6 | 4 | 75% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251A N Sumpter | 569 | 94 | 17% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251B1 S Sumpter No. 1 | 84 | 28 | 33% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251B2 S Sumpter No. 2 | 114 | 50 | 44% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251C S Sumpter | 127 | 21 | 16% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251D1 Elkhorn Mtn No. 1 | 17 | 3 | 20% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251D2 Elkhorn Mtn No. 2 | 20 | 4 | 18% |
| Elk, any weapon | 251T Baker Youth | 71 | 36 | 51% |
| Elk, any weapon | Rocky Mtn 2nd season | 316 | 18 | 6% |
| Elk, archery | 200R Oregon Youth Bow | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, archery | 250R2 N Fork Traditional Bow | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, archery | 251R N Sumpter Bow | 414 | 66 | 16% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 73 | 35 | 48% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 251M1 Elkhorn No. 1 Muzzleloader | 24 | 11 | 47% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 251M2 Elkhorn No. 2 Muzzleloader | 9 | 1 | 14% |
| Elk damage tags | General Season Antlerless Elk Damage | 265 | 142 | 54% |
| Pronghorn | 451 Sumpter Unit | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Black bear | 746A S Blue Mtns | 32 | 1 | 4% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 14 | 0 | 0% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 355 | 34 | 9.6% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 3 | 2 | 50% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 290 | 11 | 3.7% |
| Mountain goat | 950A1 Elkhorn No. 1 | 3 tags | 3 | 100% |
| Mountain goat | 950A2 Elkhorn No. 2 | 3 tags | 3 | 100% |
| Mountain goat | 950A3 Elkhorn No. 3 | 3 tags | 2 | 67% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Deer, muzzleloader, Antlerless deer, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Elk damage tags, Pronghorn, Black bear, Cougar, Mountain goat; checked November 8, 2026.
Sumpter Unit public land map
Public ground in the Sumpter Unit: 10 records sorted with unit-only places first, each linked to its own rules. The unit also holds Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands and Bureau of Reclamation lands in Oregon land.
BLM Malheur Field Office
Whitman Ranger District (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest)
Elkhorn Wildlife Area
Troy Ranches Access Area
M.R. King Ranches Access Area
BLM Vale District
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Malheur National Forest
Blue Mountain Ranger District (Malheur 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 Sumpter Unit shooting light by date
Game birds run on ODFW's own printed table, and the Sumpter 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 | 6:50 a.m. | 6:31 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 7:01 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:24 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 6:59 a.m. | 6:18 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 6:48 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 | 6:09 a.m. | 7:35 p.m. | 5:39 a.m. to 8:05 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 Sumpter Unit
The largest place inside WMU 51 is Baker City.
- Baker CityBaker County
- HainesBaker County
- UnityBaker County
Units around the Sumpter Unit:
| Unit | Shared counties | Sq mi | Hunt numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keating Unit | Baker, Union | 607 | 19 |
| Lookout Mtn Unit | Baker, Malheur | 555 | 15 |
| Pine Creek Unit | Baker, Union | 378 | 18 |
| Starkey Unit | Baker, Grant, Union | 806 | 18 |
| Catherine Creek Unit | Baker, Union | 662 | 26 |
| Beulah Unit | Baker, Grant, Malheur | 2,738 | 38 |
| Minam Unit | Union | 574 | 21 |
| Desolation Unit | Baker, Grant, Union | 670 | 19 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Questions on the Sumpter Unit
Which general tags work in WMU 51?
5 general rows: elk, black bear and cougar.
How many units share the cougar quota with the Sumpter Unit?
20 units, including this one, share Zone E.
What access limits apply in WMU 51?
3 rifle-restricted seasons and 2 travel management areas.
Where is public land in the Sumpter Unit?
10 land records reach it, led by BLM Malheur Field Office, Whitman Ranger District (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest) and Elkhorn Wildlife Area.
Where can I get fuel and food near the Sumpter Unit?
Baker City, Haines and Unity.
Is the Sumpter Unit a good unit?
It depends on the hunt; in 2025 the buck deer, any weapon report shows 358 taken.
Who do I call about access in the Sumpter Unit?
The Baker City district at 541-523-5832.
How did the 2026 deer change affect the Sumpter Unit?
Buck hunts now follow Deer Hunt Areas inside herd ranges instead of units.
Which counties split WMU 51?
Baker, Malheur, Grant and Union, with the largest piece in Baker.
Which hunt in the Sumpter Unit gets the most applicants?
950A1, with 3,014 first choices in 2025.
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).