Oregon › Hunting seasons › Units › Whitehorse Unit
ODFW East Region · 4,884 sq mi
What you can hunt in the Whitehorse Unit (68)
ODFW draws the Whitehorse Unit at 3,132,638 acres in Malheur County and Harney County; 24 hunt numbers from the 2026 booklets reach inside its lines.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (CC BY 2.0)
Whitehorse Unit by county
Malheur County carries 3,760 of the 4,884 square miles inside WMU 68, which ODFW files with Eastern Oregon for deer and elk seasons. Pieces of Malheur County and Harney County make up the Whitehorse Unit.
| County | Overlap sq mi | Part of unit | Part of county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur County | 3,760.4 | 77% | 38% |
| Harney County | 1,123.3 | 23% | 11% |
Questions about access, closures or animal numbers in the Whitehorse Unit go to the Malheur district office in Ontario (541-889-6975), which manages 77% of the unit.
| Biologist district | Office | Phone | % here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur | Ontario | 541-889-6975 | 77% |
| Harney | Hines | 541-573-6582 | 23% |
Closed places that sit inside the Whitehorse Unit: Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation. Leave them out of any plan made on a state tag.
| Not open | Reason |
|---|---|
| Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation | Tribal land |
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.
Whitehorse Unit cougar zone, rifle limits and roads
- Cougar: the Whitehorse Unit belongs to Zone F (Southeast Oregon), whose 2026 mortality quota is 140 cats across 11 units; the zone shuts when the quota is met. In 2025 the hunts in this unit reported 0 cougars from 18 hunters.
- The 2026 deer reorganisation puts the Whitehorse Unit inside Southeast (SE: SE01, SE02) and Trout Creek (TC: TC01, TC02); buck tags name the hunt area, not the unit.
- ODFW lists the Whitehorse Unit under the centerfire rifle restriction for Eastern Buck Deer; coyote and other hunters need a valid big game tag to use one then.
- No travel management area names the Whitehorse Unit.
- None of the counties in the Whitehorse Unit is in a goose zone defined by county; ODFW maps the rest, and duck Zones 1 and 2, only on its map.
- ODFW's game bird hours zone: Zone D (Malheur, Harney).
- ODFW tests deer and elk for CWD and has not found it in Oregon.
| Centerfire rifle limit |
|---|
Eastern Buck Deer (Oct. 3 – Oct. 14) |
| Herd range | Code | 2026 hunt areas |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast | SE | SE01, SE02 |
| Trout Creek | TC | TC01, TC02 |
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.
Whitehorse Unit draw list
24 hunt numbers from the 2026 booklets reach into the Whitehorse Unit, carrying 2,171 big game tags between them; elk has the most (6). Busiest application in the unit: 468, 3,731 first choices for 129 tags. Hardest to draw by ratio is 570B1: about 460 first choices per tag. 5 of the hunts here are new this year. An asterisk marks 12 hunts open in only part of their area; read the hunt description first.
Party applications draw together or not at all, with preference points averaged. Dates are the 2026 hunts, since ODFW has not published 2027 big game rules.
Buck deer, 100 series (5)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE101 new | Southeast 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 248 | — | This unit only |
| SE101M new * | Southeast 01 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 14–30 | One buck with visible antler | 22 | — | This unit only |
| SE101R new | Southeast 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 138 | — | This unit only |
| TC101 new | Trout Creek 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14 | One buck with visible antler | 66 | — | This unit only |
| TC101R new | Trout Creek 01 Traditional Bow (Traditional Bow ONLY) | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27 | One buck with visible antler | 110 | — | This unit only |
Premium deer, L hunts (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSE01 | Southeast 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 |
| LTC01 | Trout Creek 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 (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 |
| 268 | Whitehorse Unit | Any legal weapon | Oct 17–Jan 31 2027 | One antlerless elk | 83 | 117 | 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 (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 468 | Whitehorse Unit | Any legal weapon | Aug 22–Sep 6 | One pronghorn either sex | 129 | 3,731 | This unit only |
Premium pronghorn, N hunts (1)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N68 | 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 | — | This unit only |
California bighorn, 500 series (6)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 568A1 * | Sheepshead Mtns No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Sep 14 | — | 2 | 638 | This unit only |
| 568A2 * | Sheepshead Mtns No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Sep 15–Oct 14 | — | 1 | 237 | This unit only |
| 568B1 * | E Whitehorse No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Sep 14 | — | 2 | 711 | This unit only |
| 568B2 * | E Whitehorse No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Sep 15–Oct 14 | — | 2 | 485 | This unit only |
| 570B1 * | E Beatys Butte/Alvord Peaks No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Aug 15–Sep 14 | — | 2 | 920 | 68, 69, 70 |
| 570B2 * | E Beatys Butte/Alvord Peaks No. 2 | Any legal weapon | Sep 15–Oct 14 | — | 3 | 437 | 68, 69, 70 |
Sage-grouse permits (2)
| Hunt | Name | Type | Dates | Bag | Permits 2025 | 1st choice 2025 | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J68A | Trout Cr Mtns a | Controlled (permit) | Sep 12–20 | — | 45 | 82 | This unit only |
| J68B | E. Whitehorse b | Controlled (permit) | Sep 12–20 | — | 110 | 119 | 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.
Whitehorse Unit hunt calendar
Eastern Oregon buck deer is controlled only, so the general rows for the Whitehorse Unit (3) cover elk, black bear and cougar. General elk in WMU 68 means Archery elk – Eastern Oregon.
General seasons (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 |
Game birds, furbearers and small game add 18 more rows; most need a hunting license plus a validation or a furtaker's license. 14 falconry and pursuit rows are not shown.
Birds, small game, 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 – 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.
Whitehorse Unit success rates, 2025
Buck deer, any weapon led the 2025 results in the Whitehorse Unit with 147 animals and 245 hunters afield.
For buck deer, any weapon the unit total is 147 of 245 hunters (60%). For elk, any weapon the unit total is 19 of 87 hunters (22%).
Success is the share of hunters who took an animal, as printed by ODFW.
| Report | Hunt | Hunters | Taken | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 168A Trout Cr Mtns | 59 | 47 | 80% |
| Buck deer, any weapon | 168B E Whitehorse | 186 | 100 | 54% |
| Deer, archery | 168R1 E Whitehorse Bow | 21 | 6 | 27% |
| Deer, archery | 168R2 Trout Cr Mtns Traditional Bow | 35 | 3 | 8% |
| Deer, muzzleloader | 168M NE Whitehorse Muzzleloader | 20 | 8 | 38% |
| Elk, any weapon | 268 Whitehorse Unit | 46 | 11 | 24% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278A1 High Desert No. 1 | 13 | 4 | 33% |
| Elk, any weapon | 278A2 High Desert No. 2 | 28 | 4 | 15% |
| Elk, archery | Eastern Elk Archery | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Elk, muzzleloader | 278M High Desert Muzzleloader | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Pronghorn | 468 Whitehorse Unit | 134 | 118 | 88% |
| Cougar | Additional Cougar | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Cougar | Cougar | 15 | 0 | 0% |
| Bighorn sheep | 568A1 Sheepshead Mtns No. 1 | 1 tags | 2 | 200% |
| Bighorn sheep | 568A2 Sheepshead Mtns No. 2 | 1 tags | 1 | 100% |
| Bighorn sheep | 568B1 E Whitehorse No. 1 | 2 tags | 2 | 100% |
| Bighorn sheep | 568B2 E Whitehorse No. 2 | 2 tags | 1 | 50% |
| Bighorn sheep | 570B1 E Beatys Buttes/Alvord Peaks No. 1 | 2 tags | 1 | 50% |
| Bighorn sheep | 570B2 E Beatys Buttes/Alvord Peaks No. 2 | 3 tags | 2 | 67% |
ODFW 2025 harvest estimates: Buck deer, any weapon, Deer, archery, Deer, muzzleloader, Elk, any weapon, Elk, archery, Elk, muzzleloader, Pronghorn, Cougar, Bighorn sheep; checked November 8, 2026.
Public land across the Whitehorse Unit
The Whitehorse Unit overlaps 4 mapped lands, from wildlife areas (0) to forest units (0) and BLM ground (4). Statewide programs that also reach it: Bureau of Land Management Oregon public lands.
BLM Malheur Field Office
BLM Andrews Field Office
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.
Sun and shooting hours for the Whitehorse Unit
ODFW lets game mammals be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; around the Whitehorse Unit that window is worked out here with the NOAA solar formula for this spot.
| Day | Note | Sunup | Sundown | Big game | Game birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:12 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. | 5:42 a.m. to 8:04 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 | 6:58 a.m. | 6:19 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 6:49 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:12 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:20 a.m. | 4:19 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 4:49 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 4:18 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:11 a.m. | 7:33 p.m. | 5:41 a.m. to 8:03 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.
Whitehorse Unit neighbours and towns
For fuel, food and a room near the Whitehorse Unit, look at the county pages.
If tags in the Whitehorse Unit run short, these units share its counties:
| Nearby unit | Shared counties | Sq mi | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur River Unit | Harney, Malheur | 2,890 | 31 |
| Steens Mtn Unit | Harney, Malheur | 1,910 | 25 |
| Owyhee Unit | Malheur | 3,019 | 22 |
| Beulah Unit | Harney, Malheur | 2,738 | 38 |
| Juniper Unit | Harney | 2,920 | 28 |
| Silvies Unit | Harney | 1,788 | 27 |
| Beatys Butte Unit | Harney | 2,626 | 31 |
| Lookout Mtn Unit | Malheur | 555 | 15 |
Towns and their units from Census places and the ODFW unit layer; checked November 8, 2026.
Whitehorse Unit in brief
Is the Whitehorse Unit in Western or Eastern Oregon?
Eastern Oregon; unit 68 is filed with the ODFW East Region.
Which herd range is the Whitehorse Unit in?
Southeast and Trout Creek.
Can I hunt the Whitehorse Unit without drawing a tag?
Yes, for elk, black bear and cougar on general tags.
Do I need preference points to hunt the Whitehorse Unit?
For deer, elk, pronghorn and spring bear, points decide 75% of first-choice tags; general tags here need none.
How many road closure areas are in the Whitehorse Unit?
None.
Can I use dogs for cougar in the Whitehorse Unit?
No. Dogs are not allowed; Zone F is a general tag hunt.
Where can I get fuel and food near the Whitehorse Unit?
Towns elsewhere in Malheur County.
Is any national forest inside the Whitehorse Unit?
Not on our records.
Which ODFW office covers the Whitehorse Unit?
Ontario, for 77% of the unit.
Does ODFW publish harvest for the Whitehorse Unit?
Yes, by hunt within each unit in its 2025 reports.
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).