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Deschutes district · WMU 34
Hunting the Upper Deschutes Unit (34) in Oregon
1,400 square miles of Eastern Oregon, 16 hunt numbers and 10 public land pages, managed from the Bend office.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Counties inside the Upper Deschutes Unit
Measured on the ODFW Wildlife Management Unit layer, unit 34 runs to 897,236 acres, mostly in Deschutes County (86%), and it sits in Eastern Oregon. The Upper Deschutes Unit crosses into 3 counties. By area the split runs Deschutes 86%, Klamath 12% and Lane 2%.
| County | Sq mi in unit | Share of unit | Share of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deschutes County | 1,201.9 | 86% | 39% |
| Klamath County | 165.9 | 12% | 3% |
| Lane County | 32.0 | 2% | 0.7% |
Call 541-388-6363 for the Bend biologists, who manage the largest part of the Upper Deschutes Unit (100%).
| District | Office | Phone | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deschutes | Bend | 541-388-6363 | 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.
Upper Deschutes Unit unit-level rules
- Zone C (Southeast Cascades) takes in WMU 34 and 6 other units under a quota of 80. The 2025 cougar report credits the unit with 3 animals.
- Herd ranges overlapping WMU 34: Deschutes (DE: DE01) and Devils Garden (DG: DG01, DG02, DG03, DG04). No general buck tag works in Eastern Oregon.
- The centerfire rifle restriction covers WMU 34 during Eastern Buck Deer and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season.
- No cooperative travel management area is printed for the Upper Deschutes Unit.
- County-based goose zones touching WMU 34: Northwest Permit Zone (Lane). Read the duck and dove zone from the ODFW map.
- Game bird hours table zone for this unit: Zone A (Lane), Zone B (Deschutes) and Zone C (Klamath).
- Testing continues statewide and no chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in Oregon.
| When rifles are limited |
|---|
Eastern Buck Deer (Oct. 3 – Oct. 14) |
Rocky Mtn Bull Elk (controlled) 1st Season (Oct. 28 – Nov. 1) |
| Mule deer range | Prefix | Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Deschutes | DE | DE01 |
| Devils Garden | DG | DG01, DG02, DG03, DG04 |
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.
Upper Deschutes Unit hunt numbers
Apply for any of these 16 hunts to carry a drawn tag in the Upper Deschutes Unit. Tag counts total 5,504, though multi-unit hunts spread them wider. The most-requested hunt touching the unit is 234X E Central Cascades, with 1,300 first-choice applicants in 2025 for 1,320 tags this year. 234B has the worst odds here, near 6 first-choice applicants for every tag. New in 2026: DE101, DG102, DE101R, DE101R1, DG102R and DE101M and more. Hunts with * (5) are limited to part of the area named.
Results came out by June 12. Sheep, goat and premium hunts are drawn fully at random, with no preference points. Read each row as 2026; 2027 hunts come with the next booklet.
Buck deer, 100 series (7)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE101 new | Deschutes 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 990 | — | 34, 39 |
| DE101M new | Deschutes 01 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Oct 17–25 | One buck with visible antler | 77 | — | 34, 39 |
| DE101R new | Deschutes 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 523 | — | 34, 39 |
| DE101R1 new | Late Deschutes 01 Bow | Archery | Nov 1–30 | One buck with visible antler | 22 | — | 34, 39 |
| DG102 new | Devils Garden 02 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 1,430 | — | 34, 35 |
| DG102R new | Devils Garden 02 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 385 | — | 34, 35 |
| DG102T new | Devils Garden 02 Youth | Youth only | Sep 28–Oct 14 | One buck with visible antler | 28 | — | 34, 35 |
Premium deer, L hunts (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDE01 | Deschutes 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 | — | 34, 39 |
| LDG02 | Devils Garden 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 | — | 35, 34 |
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 |
| 234B * | Tumalo | Any legal weapon | Nov 20–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 22 | 140 | 34, 39 |
| 234M * | E Cascade Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 7–15 | One elk | 198 | 462 | 34, 39, 77 |
| 234R | Upper Deschutes Unit Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One elk | 121 | 184 | This unit only |
| 234T * | E Central Cascades Youth | Youth only | Aug 15–Dec 31 | One antlerless elk | 55 | 135 | 34, 39, 77 |
| 234X * | E Central Cascades | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1 | One bull elk | 1,320 | 1,300 | 34, 39, 77 |
Premium elk, M hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M34 | Upper Deschutes | 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 |
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.
Seasons open in the Upper Deschutes Unit
The Upper Deschutes Unit has 3 general big game rows, none of them for buck deer, which is drawn by hunt area east of the Cascades. General elk options here: Archery elk – Eastern Oregon.
General 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 |
Non-big-game hunting in the Upper Deschutes Unit runs to 18 season rows, from grouse and turkey to raccoon and otter. The table skips 13 falconry and pursuit seasons.
Game birds and furbearers (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 – North-Central Oregon | License | Units 34, 35, 39, 41 and 42 | Sep 15–Oct 31 | 3 daily, 6 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.
Last season in the Upper Deschutes Unit
1,235 hunters took 261 buck deer, any weapon in the Upper Deschutes Unit in 2025, the top line in the table.
1,235 buck deer, any weapon hunters took 261. 662 elk, any weapon hunters took 88.
Figures are ODFW estimates from mandatory hunter reports, by hunt within the unit.
| ODFW report | Hunt | Hunters | Animals | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 134 Upper Deschutes Unit | 1,235 | 261 | 21% |
| Deer, archery | 134R Upper Deschutes Unit Bow | 272 | 75 | 28% |
| Elk, any weapon | 234B Tumalo | 35 | 4 | 11% |
| Elk, any weapon | 234T E Cascade Youth | 33 | 20 | 59% |
| Elk, any weapon | 234X E Central Cascades | 594 | 64 | 11% |
| Elk, archery | 200R Oregon Youth Bow | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, archery | 234R Upper Deschutes Unit Bow | 59 | 4 | 8% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern General Bow Elk w/ 218R | 8 | 1 | 14% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern General Bow Elk w/ 219R | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 215 | 26 | 12% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 234M E Cascade Muzzleloader | 128 | 35 | 27% |
| Black bear | Additional Fall Bear | 6 | 2 | 25% |
| Black bear | Fall Bear | 284 | 16 | 5.8% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 178 | 3 | 1.7% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Black bear, Cougar; checked November 8, 2026.
Land records in the Upper Deschutes Unit
These 10 lands share ground with the Upper Deschutes Unit; open each for camping, vehicle and parking rules. Also present: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands.
Willamette National Forest
Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest)
Middle Fork Ranger District (Willamette National Forest)
McKenzie River Ranger District (Willamette National Forest)
Sisters Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest)
Crescent Ranger District (Deschutes National Forest)
Gilchrist State Forest
BLM Prineville District
Deschutes National Forest
BLM Deschutes 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.
Legal hours around the Upper Deschutes Unit
Spring turkey hunters near the Upper Deschutes Unit start half an hour before sunrise but must stop at sunset, earlier than deer and elk hunters on the same evening.
| Day | Why it matters | Sun up | Sun down | Deer and elk | Upland and ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:24 a.m. | 7:49 p.m. | 5:54 a.m. to 8:19 p.m. | Not in table |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 7:03 a.m. | 6:44 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 6:34 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:12 a.m. | 6:32 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 7:02 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:22 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:36 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:23 a.m. | 7:47 p.m. | 5:53 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.
Towns and units near the Upper Deschutes Unit
For fuel, food and a room near the Upper Deschutes Unit, look at Bend, Redmond and Sisters.
- BendDeschutes County
- RedmondDeschutes County
- SistersDeschutes County
- Black Butte RanchDeschutes County
- CrescentKlamath County
Units that share a county with the Upper Deschutes Unit, closest first:
| Unit | Counties shared | Size, sq mi | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulina Unit | Deschutes, Klamath | 2,173 | 15 |
| Metolius Unit | Deschutes | 666 | 12 |
| Maury Unit | Deschutes | 1,100 | 13 |
| Grizzly Unit | Deschutes | 1,684 | 19 |
| Fort Rock Unit | Klamath, Lane | 1,762 | 21 |
| Indigo Unit | Klamath, Lane | 1,939 | 25 |
| McKenzie Unit | Deschutes, Klamath, Lane | 2,642 | 12 |
| Wagontire Unit | Deschutes | 3,109 | 21 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Upper Deschutes Unit questions
Where can I get fuel and food near the Upper Deschutes Unit?
Bend, Redmond and Sisters.
How many land pages on this site touch the Upper Deschutes Unit?
10.
Which ODFW district handles WMU 34?
Deschutes.
What did 2025 hunts in the Upper Deschutes Unit take?
261 in buck deer, any weapon, the largest report.
How big is WMU 34, and where is it?
1,400 square miles over 3 counties, mostly Deschutes.
What deer hunt codes cover the Upper Deschutes Unit?
DE and DG.
Is there a general buck deer season in the Upper Deschutes Unit?
No. Eastern Oregon buck deer is controlled only.
How many controlled hunts include the Upper Deschutes Unit?
16: 7 buck deer, 6 elk, 2 premium deer and 1 premium elk.
Are centerfire rifles restricted in the Upper Deschutes Unit?
Yes, during Eastern Buck Deer and Rocky Mtn Bull Elk 1st Season, unless you carry a valid big game tag.
When is cougar season in WMU 34?
January 1 to December 31 on a general tag, until Zone C hits 80.
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).