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Hunting BLM Medford District
BLM district in Jackson County and 4 more counties with 898,557 acres across the 7 hunting units.
Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to BLM Medford District
The ground at BLM Medford District in brief
BLM land like BLM Medford District (a BLM district) is federal ground with state game laws, mixed with private ranches in many places. The mapped area works out to about 898,557 acres, a GIS measure figure. The land lies in Jackson County, Josephine County, Douglas County, Curry County and Coos County, inside the ODFW West Region. District coverage on the ODFW map: Rogue (Central Point), Douglas (Roseburg) and Charleston (Charleston).
The district page does not list species; Oregon seasons for the WMUs apply.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around BLM Medford District
BLM Medford District and its ODFW units
The WMU overlay places BLM Medford District in Dixon Unit (22), Powers Unit (26), Chetco Unit (27), Applegate Unit (28), Evans Creek Unit (29) and Rogue Unit (30) and 1 more. It straddles the Western/Eastern Oregon split, so general buck deer is open in the west units and deer is controlled only in the east units.
| Unit name | No. | Half | Area (sq mi) | Zone | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dixon Unit | 22 | West | 1,553 | B (200) | Douglas (Roseburg) |
| Powers Unit | 26 | West | 825 | A (180) | Charleston (Charleston) |
| Chetco Unit | 27 | West | 1,688 | A (180) | Rogue (Central Point) |
| Applegate Unit | 28 | West | 1,325 | B (200) | Rogue (Central Point) |
| Evans Creek Unit | 29 | West | 1,040 | B (200) | Rogue (Central Point) |
| Rogue Unit | 30 | West | 1,460 | B (200) | Rogue (Central Point) |
| Keno Unit | 31 | East | 1,041 | B (200) | Klamath (Klamath) |
Units from the ODFW Wildlife Management Units layer overlaid on the land record; cougar quotas from the 2026 cougar zone table; checked November 8, 2026.
How the rules read for hunters at BLM Medford District
BLM's rule of thumb is that its land is open to hunting unless an order closes it, and that holds for BLM Medford District. Plan routes on public roads or get permission, since BLM says crossing private land to public land is not allowed otherwise. Check with the BLM office for BLM Medford District closures and restrictions; they change through the year.
Sources: BLM hunting and fishing · BLM office page; checked November 8, 2026.
Seasons you can buy into at BLM Medford District
General seasons valid in the units of BLM Medford District take a tag bought outright, not drawn: black bear, cougar, deer and elk. Bear and cougar are the two general hunts open across the state; cougar zones close when their quota is met. ODFW set the Western Oregon general buck season for October 3 to November 6, and youth could hunt November 7 and 8 too.
| Season | Game | Open | Close | Units on this land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Western Oregon buck deer – Any legal weapon | Deer | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 6, 2026 | 22, 26, 27 + |
| Youth extension – Western Oregon general buck deer | Deer | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | 22, 26, 27 + |
| General archery – Western Oregon deer | Deer | Aug 29, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | 22, 27, 28 |
| General archery – Western Oregon deer | Deer | Aug 29, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | 26, 29, 30 |
| General West Cascade bull elk | Elk | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 | 22, 29, 30 |
| General Western Oregon Coast bull elk – 1st season | Elk | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 17, 2026 | 28 |
| General Western Oregon Coast bull elk – 2nd season | Elk | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | 28 |
| General archery elk – Western Oregon | Elk | Aug 29, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | 22, 26, 27 + |
| General archery elk – Eastern Oregon | Elk | Aug 29, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | 31 |
| General season antlerless elk damage | Elk | Aug 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 27, 29, 30 |
| General fall black bear (statewide) | Black bear | Aug 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | All |
| General cougar (statewide, zone quotas) | Cougar | Jan 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | All |
General seasons and dates from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations; tag sale deadlines on the general seasons page. Checked November 8, 2026.
Controlled hunts that reach BLM Medford District
Game drawn for in the units around BLM Medford District.
The 2026 booklet lists 60 controlled and premium hunts whose 2026 hunt area overlaps the units of BLM Medford District (14,313 tags). Overlap with a unit does not mean the whole hunt area lies on BLM Medford District; confirm boundaries in the booklet. For 2026, big game applications closed May 15 (spring bear February 10), with results June 12; up to five choices per series. Points matter for deer, elk, pronghorn and spring bear (75% of tags); bighorn sheep, mountain goat and premium tags are random draws.
| Series | Number of hunts | 2026 tag total | 2025 1st choices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck deer (100) | 11 | 5,048 | 3,622 |
| Premium deer (L) | 7 | 7 | – |
| Antlerless deer (600) | 10 | 612 | 4,299 |
| Elk (200) | 23 | 3,194 | 3,045 |
| Premium elk (M) | 7 | 7 | – |
| Spring bear (700) | 2 | 5,445 | 6,065 |
The most crowded hunt here is 122, Dixon Unit, with 1,012 first choices for 15 tags. The friendliest odds belong to 200M (Cascade Muzzleloader), 990 tags and 300 first choices. ODFW added 8 hunts here for 2026 (228, 228T, 229, 229T, KE101 and KE101R).
| Hunt no. | Hunt name | Type | Season | 2026 tags | 2025 apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119A | W High Cascade | Any legal weapon | Sep 12–20, 2026 | 3,300 | 1,311 |
| KE101 | Keno 01 | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–14, 2026 | 825 | – |
| 128M | Applegate Unit Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 14–Dec 6, 2026 | 330 | 1,028 |
| KE101R | Keno 01 Bow | Archery | Aug 29–Sep 27, 2026 | 275 | – |
| L22 | Dixon | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| L26 | Powers | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| L27 | Chetco | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| L28 | Applegate | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| 621 | W Indigo | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–Nov 6, 2026 | 142 | 701 |
| 626 | Powers Unit | Any legal weapon | Oct 3–Nov 6, 2026 | 91 | 440 |
| 629T | Evans Creek Unit Youth | Youth only | Dec 15–Jan 5, 2027 | 69 | 145 |
| 630T | Rogue Unit Youth | Youth only | Dec 15–Jan 5, 2027 | 60 | 392 |
| 200M | Cascade Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader | Nov 21–27, 2026 | 990 | 300 |
| 231X | SE Cascades | Any legal weapon | Oct 28–Nov 1, 2026 | 880 | 393 |
| 200R | Oregon Youth Bow | Youth only | Aug 29–Sep 27, 2026 | 330 | 124 |
| 226X | Powers Unit No. 1 | Any legal weapon | Nov 14–18, 2026 | 330 | 126 |
| M22 | Dixon | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| M26 | Powers | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| M27 | Chetco | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| M28 | Applegate | Premium (any legal weapon) | Aug 1–Nov 30, 2026 | 1 | – |
| 722A | SW Oregon | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31, 2026 | 4,840 | 5,532 |
| 731A | S Central | Any legal weapon | Apr 1–May 31, 2026 | 605 | 533 |
Hunt numbers, 2026 tags and 2025 first-choice applicants from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations; hunt areas from ODFW’s 2026 controlled hunt boundary layers; draw rules from ODFW. Checked November 8, 2026.
2025 harvest in the units around BLM Medford District
These 2025 numbers cover the units around BLM Medford District; ODFW does not split them by landowner or property. The elk leader here is Powers Unit: some 96 elk in 2025, all hunts combined. Deer hunters took the most bucks in Dixon Unit, some 1,879.
| Unit | Buck deer hunters | Buck deer harvest | Elk hunters | Elk harvest | Black bear hunters | Black bear harvest | Cougar hunters | Cougar harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dixon Unit | 4,095 | 1,879 | 732 | 65 | 874 | 104 | 298 | 9 |
| Powers Unit | 1,284 | 581 | 339 | 96 | 364 | 38 | 96 | 2 |
| Chetco Unit | 2,071 | 992 | 145 | 44 | 743 | 110 | 209 | 9 |
| Applegate Unit | 3,740 | 1,523 | 262 | 16 | 1,236 | 176 | 374 | 14 |
| Evans Creek Unit | 2,518 | 1,319 | 250 | 19 | 661 | 83 | 217 | 6 |
| Rogue Unit | 5,701 | 1,612 | 1,336 | 78 | 1,611 | 147 | 614 | 8 |
| Keno Unit | 579 | 189 | 447 | 28 | 304 | 24 | 163 | 2 |
ODFW 2025 harvest summaries (2025 buck deer, any legal weapon summary · 2025 elk, any legal weapon summary · 2025 black bear summary · 2025 cougar summary); unit totals summed from the report rows; checked November 8, 2026.
BLM Medford District: zones, areas and closures
BLM Medford District lies in cougar Zone A (Coast/North Cascade) and Zone B (Southwest Cascades); the statewide quota is 970. Mule deer hunts are now drawn by Deer Hunt Area; around BLM Medford District that means the Keno range. Travel management applies: 4 areas in these units close roads for part of the fall. One or more antlerless elk damage areas overlap here, open August 1 to March 31 on private-land damage ground.
| Kind | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cougar zone | Zone A, Coast/North Cascade | Quota 180 |
| Cougar zone | Zone B, Southwest Cascades | Quota 200 |
| Deer herd range | Keno (KE) | KE01 |
| Damage area | Evans Creek | Aug. 1 – Mar. 31 |
| Damage area | Chetco | Aug. 1 – Mar. 31 |
| Travel management | 30A Upper Rogue | 3 days prior to opening of general West Cascade elk season through the close of general… |
| Travel management | 30B Jackson | October 15 – April 30 |
| Travel management | 31A Pokegama | November 20 – March 31 |
| Travel management | 31B Green Diamond (formerly JWTR) | Permanent Closure |
| Centerfire rule | West Cascade Bull Elk (November 7 – November 13) | Units 16-30 |
| Centerfire rule | Rocky Mountain Bull Elk (controlled) 1st Season (October 28 – November 1) | Units 31-77 |
| Centerfire rule | Coast Bull Elk 1st Season (November 14 – November 17) | Units 10-27 |
| Centerfire rule | Coast Bull Elk 2nd Season (November 21 – November 27) | Units 10-27 |
| Centerfire rule | S. Coast Controlled Bull Elk (November 14 – November 18) (November 21 – November 29) | Units 24-27 |
From the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations: cougar zones, Deer Hunt Areas, travel management areas, elk damage areas, rifle restrictions. Checked November 8, 2026.
Closures around BLM Medford District
Closed ground near BLM Medford District: tribal land, park units and refuges where an Oregon tag does not apply. There are no Oregon seasons on tribal land, and posted reservation boundaries count as enclosed land under ORS 498.120.
| Name | Why closed | Counties | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cow Creek Reservation | Tribal land | Douglas | 22,823 |
| Coquille Reservation | Tribal land | Coos | 6,494 |
| Coquille trust land | Tribal land | Coos, Jackson, Lane | 146 |
| Crater Lake NP | National Park Service unit | Klamath, Douglas, Jackson | 182,234 |
| Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw reservation | Tribal land | Douglas, Lane, Coos, Curry | 14,732 |
| Oregon Islands NWR | Refuge not in 50 CFR 32.56 | Curry, Coos, Lincoln, Tillamook, Clatsop, Lane | 514 |
| Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw trust land | Tribal land | Lane, Coos | 129 |
| Dean Creek elk viewing area | Closed by regulation | Douglas | – |
Closed places from lands.json: tribal land (Census TIGERweb; 18 U.S.C. 1165; ODFW), NPS units (36 CFR 2.2), refuges not in 50 CFR 32.56 and ODFW regulation closures. Checked November 8, 2026.
Where BLM Medford District sits in the hierarchy
Administratively, BLM Medford District belongs to BLM land in Oregon. It takes in 2 smaller records with pages of their own.
Counties covered by BLM Medford District
County pages for all 5 counties of BLM Medford District carry seasons, units and services.
| County | GIS public acres | County seat | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 888,035 | Medford | West Region |
| Josephine County | 686,421 | Grants Pass | West Region |
| Douglas County | 1,619,403 | Roseburg | West Region |
| Curry County | 667,741 | Gold Beach | West Region |
| Coos County | 242,670 | Coquille | West Region |
County public land is a GIS measure from counties.json (tribal and national park land excluded); checked November 8, 2026.
Goose zones and bird hours at BLM Medford District
Zone A (Western Oregon) of the game bird hours table covers BLM Medford District. The goose zones for BLM Medford District: Southwest Zone and South Coast Zone. Duck and dove zone lines are map-only in Oregon, so open the ODFW map for this area.
| County | Hours table zone | Geese |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | A (Western Oregon) | Southwest Zone |
| Josephine County | A (Western Oregon) | Southwest Zone |
| Douglas County | A (Western Oregon) | Southwest Zone, South Coast Zone |
| Curry County | A (Western Oregon) | Southwest Zone, South Coast Zone |
| Coos County | A (Western Oregon) | Southwest Zone, South Coast Zone |
From the 2026-27 Oregon Game Bird Hunting Regulations: goose zones, shooting-hours zones, duck zone map. Checked November 8, 2026. Waterfowl and goose zones.
Base towns for a BLM Medford District hunt
Glendale is the nearest town with a page here, 15 miles from BLM Medford District in a straight line. Grants Pass is the largest of the five, with 39,468 residents in 2024. BLM Medford District appears on the town pages of Ashland, Cave Junction, Glendale and Grants Pass. ODFW staff nearest to BLM Medford District work in Gold Beach, 40 miles off.
| Town | County | Pop. 2024 | Miles off | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glendale | Douglas | 867 | 15 miles | east |
| Powers | Coos | 703 | 23 miles | northwest |
| Grants Pass | Josephine | 39,468 | 26 miles | southeast |
| Cave Junction | Josephine | 2,092 | 36 miles | south |
| Gold Beach | Curry | 2,272 | 40 miles | southwest |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODFW offices from the ODFW contact page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 8, 2026.
Public land that neighbours BLM Medford District
Next closest on the map: BLM Grants Pass FO, under a mile north. By type, the six neighbours count as 3 ranger districts, 2 BLM field offices and 1 national forest.
| Name | Kind | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLM Grants Pass FO | BLM field office | 437,698 | Josephine | under a mile | north |
| Powers Ranger District | Ranger district | 138,999 | Curry | 23 miles | west |
| Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests | National forest | 1,635,981 | Curry | 23 miles | southwest |
| Wild Rivers RD | Ranger district | 456,462 | Josephine | 24 miles | south |
| Gold Beach RD | Ranger district | 463,028 | Curry | 31 miles | southwest |
| BLM Myrtlewood FO | BLM field office | 123,475 | Coos | 36 miles | north |
Point: OR_FRAMEWORK BLM land inside the BLM administrative unit boundaries of the district (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Legal light on key dates at BLM Medford District
ODFW lets game mammals be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; around BLM Medford District that window is worked out here with the NOAA solar formula for this spot.
| When | Event | First sun | Last sun | Big game window | Bird window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:35 a.m. | 7:57 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 8:27 p.m. | Not in table |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Eastern buck rifle | 6:50 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 8:02 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | General buck opener | 7:13 a.m. | 6:55 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:21 a.m. | 6:43 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:13 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:31 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:41 a.m. | 4:44 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:35 a.m. | 7:55 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 8:25 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.
BLM Medford District: closest ranges for a zero check
Josephine County Sportsman Association, 20 miles from BLM Medford District, heads the three nearest range cards.
From ODFW’s E.E. Wilson visitors guide, the BLM qualified range list, club sites and directory listings, checked November 8, 2026.
Hunter FAQ for BLM Medford District, checked against the rules
What drawn hunts include BLM Medford District?
60 drawn hunts touch its units; the table above lists the biggest by series.
What general tags work on BLM Medford District?
Black bear, cougar, deer and elk can be hunted on general tags in its units.
What does it cost to hunt BLM Medford District in 2026?
Start with the $39.00 resident or $193.00 nonresident hunting license, then add species tags or bird validations.
When do legal hours begin and end at BLM Medford District?
On November 8, 2026 legal light for mammals is 6:27 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. (NOAA solar formula). Game birds follow ODFW’s table: 6:31 a.m. to 4:51 p.m.
Who has to wear orange at BLM Medford District?
Adults may choose; under-18 firearm hunters of mammals and upland birds (not turkey) must wear it.
Is CWD a worry for hunters at BLM Medford District?
CWD is not known in Oregon; ODFW testing through October 15, 2026 found none in 3,682 deer and 1,607 elk.
What is the published acreage of BLM Medford District?
About 898,557 acres (GIS measure).
Where do hunters at BLM Medford District find the closest town?
The handiest are Glendale (15 miles) and the ODFW Gold Beach Field Office (40 miles).
Which places close to BLM Medford District are shut to hunting?
Yes: Cow Creek Reservation, Coquille Reservation and Coquille trust land share units or counties with it and are closed to state-licensed hunting.
Can I ride an ATV on BLM Medford District roads?
Only on routes open on the agency map, and travel management areas close more roads in season.
Does Oregon limit hunting days at BLM Medford District?
Oregon has no Sunday restriction, though some wildlife areas and refuges limit hunt days; check the rules above.
Which agency manages BLM Medford District, and who sets its seasons?
The manager is the Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office.
Before you head out to BLM Medford District
Validate your tag in the MyODFW app or on paper as soon as the animal is down, and report your hunt by the ODFW deadline.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations and the 2026-27 Oregon Game Bird Hunting Regulations. Checked November 8, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (CC BY-SA 2.0); Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (CC BY-SA 2.0).