New for 2020

State Information

Oregon snow water equivalent as of April 22, 2020. Source: NRCS

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Oregon snow water equivalent as of April 30, 2019. Source: NRCS

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Oregon drought monitor status as of April 14, 2020. Source: US Drought Monitor

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Oregon drought monitor status on April 30, 2019. Source: US Drought Monitor

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The Oregon Draw System

Oregon's 2020 Mule Deer Breakdown

Oregon's 2020 Columbian Blacktail Deer Breakdown

Oregon's 2020 Columbian Whitetail Deer Breakdown

Oregon's 2020 Northeastern Whitetail Deer Breakdown

Oregon's 2020 Deer Application Overview

As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread, the in-person option for applications may become increasingly difficult. For 2020, it would be best to plan on online or phone applications. See all current COVID-19 state impacts on hunting here.

Note: The application deadline in Oregon for all species is May 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. PST and all applications must be submitted online or at a license sales agent.

New 100 Series Controlled Hunts

Antlerless Opportunities

Remember that GOHUNT has Draw Odds for all female species.

Antlerless Mule Deer Draw Odds

Find your resident antlerless mule deer draw odds here

Find your nonresident antlerless mule deer draw odds here

Antlerless Blacktail Deer Draw Odds

Find your resident antlerless blacktail deer draw odds here

Find your nonresident antlerless blacktail deer draw odds here

Antlerless Whitetail Draw Odds

Find your resident antlerless whitetail deer draw odds here

Find your nonresident antlerless whitetail deer draw odds here

To view more important information including a state overview of Oregon’s rules/regulations, the draw system, draw odds and license fee go to the Oregon state profile. It also includes an interactive map where you can research unit boundaries and data on a unit by unit basis.

Note: Like other preference point states, there is point creep in the more popular units of the state. What this means is if you see a unit that you are currently five points away from being in the maximum point status, chances are high that it will actually take more than five years to draw as it may take more than five years to get through all of the applicants who have more points than you.

Important Dates and Information

*Tag fees only required if you are successful in the draw.

Drought and Snowpack in Oregon

In 2020, Oregon is once again having a pretty average snowpack and moisture year. The central portion of the state is slightly below the 2019 totals with most areas at nearly 80% of annual precipitation. The northeast portion of the state is at 120% plus annual and the rest of the state is hovering just below 100% of annual precipitation. Overall, while it’s not necessarily a drought, we would not anticipate records being broken in antler growth either. Overall, this will likely be an average year of moisture and antler growth.

Snow Water Equivalent

2020

Oregon snow water equivalent as of April 22, 2020. Source: NRCS

2019

Oregon snow water equivalent as of April 30, 2019. Source: NRCS

Drought Status

2020

Oregon drought monitor status as of April 14, 2020. Source: US Drought Monitor

2019

Oregon drought monitor status on April 30, 2019. Source: US Drought Monitor

Understanding the Draw

The Oregon deer system is quite simple. First and foremost, nonresidents are allocated a maximum of 5% of the controlled deer tags. The devil is in the details though and, prior to the main draw, the guides and outfitters program is allocated 2.5% of these tags. That does not leave a whole lot of tags for nonresidents in the main draw pool. In most cases, for good hunts, the only nonresident tag drawn will be from the maximum point holder pool because there are so few points.

Oregon is a modified preference point state for controlled deer, meaning that 75% of the tags are allocated to the applicants with the most points. The other 25% are randomly allocated with no weight given to the number of points you have. Every applicant is on the same playing field for the random tags. If there are three tags or less for a particular hunt, those will be given to highest point holders.

Hunt Choices

Applicants can enter five hunt choices. Every applicant's first choice is considered prior to the consideration of any applicant's second choice, and so on. You will only lose points if you draw your first choice. There is no waiting period for reapplying for controlled deer if you drew a tag last year.

Group Application

Oregon will allow group applications for deer of any size. A group application will have their points averaged and will round up to the next whole number if the average is .51 and down to the whole number if the average is .50. For example, if your group point average is 2.51, your application will go into the draw with three points. If your group application is selected and there are not enough tags remaining, no member of the group will receive a tag.

Note: It is not recommended to apply as a group in Oregon as there are so few tags available and, if there are not enough tags left when your application is rejected, they will move onto another applicant until the exact number of tags allotted is issued.

Refunds/returns

If you are successful in the draw for a controlled hunt, you have up until the day before to purchase your tag. After you have purchased your tag, there are no refunds for permits. If you draw your first choice, your preference points will be purged, so make sure you actually want the permit you apply for.

Mule deer occupy the central and eastern portions of the state. The statewide population has been on a continuous slide for several years and the 2019 populations estimates are down once again. Statewide, the estimated population is 176,017, which is down 53,309 since 2015. There are a few pockets where the populations have increased and you can see those in the table below; however, generally speaking, Oregon's mule deer population is much lower than ODFW would prefer.

Oregon manages their mule deer units for more opportunity than trophy potential. The trophy potential is average at best and the units that can provide you a chance at a trophy buck require so many points that the bulk of applicants are out of the running. If you want an opportunity to hunt, Oregon is a great state, but do not plan on the chance at a buck of a lifetime.

Hidden Gems in Oregon

If you are looking for a hidden gem, your best bet is to pick up your bow and arrow and become proficient with it. A quick search on INSIDER will show you there were 14 units that offer general season archery hunts where the harvest success is 20% or greater. A few of those (43, 44) may be hard to hunt for a DIY hunter without land access into private parcels, but many others have more than enough public land to hunt. Below are the best general season bow hunts, which really are the best hidden gems in the state.

The other method in locating a hidden gem is with resources like Filtering 2.0 and Draw Odds. It has never been easier to help you locate a unit that fits your individual goals. You can pour over information like trophy potential, draw odds percentages, buck:doe ratios and percentage of 4 point or better per hunt and unit. You can also explore the muzzleloader and rifle hunts. There are many other hunts that offer decent odds with good trophy potential

B&c Entry Trends for Oregon Mule Deer

Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are considered if any part of the unit is found within any part of the county. Data provided below courtesy of Boone and Crockett Club.

Managing Points and Expectations

What Can I Expect with 0 Deer Preference Points?

Residents

There are a number of options to consider when looking to hunt mule deer the first year you apply as a resident. By utilizing the standalone draw odds, you can see there were four controlled archery hunts, one muzzleloader hunt and 14 rifle hunts that could have been drawn with zero points. Out of those, Units 33, 60, 61 and 71 (north side of unit) had rifle hunts that had greater than 20% success and greater than 50% public land. Unit 36 also had a controlled archery hunt that had 20% harvest success and 58% public land. Be aware that all of the noted hunts are likely to require additional research — with maps, Google Earth and, perhaps, even boots on the ground. Like a lot of things, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Those hunts are not impossible, but it will take some work. Remember to keep your expectations realistic.

The other option, if you have no points, is to take a swing for the fences approach. With ODFW’s draw system, remember that a portion of the tags are randomly allocated. Even if you have no points you still have some chance to draw the best tags.

There are also many muzzleloader and rifle hunts that have great random odds. Explore those within the standalone draw odds page and Filtering 2.0.

Nonresidents

There were three controlled archery hunts that had 100% odds — one of which is traditional only. The best option for a controlled archery hunt that was drawn with zero points is likely Unit 36. Don’t forget though that there are good archery general hunts and you could hunt those while building a few points for a hunt later down the road.

There was also a muzzleloader hunt — Unit 45 — that could have been drawn with no points. That area only contains 15% public land. Be aware that if you apply here, it’s a very tough spot for a DIY out-of-state hunter.

Nonresidents also had 13 rifle hunts that were drawn last year with no points. Many of those have smaller amounts of public land to hunt. Units 33, 42, 60, 61, 76 and 77 all had greater than 50% public land. Unit 60 and 61 are the best options of those with 32% and 31% harvest success.

Find your resident mule deer controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

Find your nonresident mule deer controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

What Can I Expect with 5 to 6 Deer Preference Points?

Residents

The second archery hunt for Unit 70-Hart Mt is one of the most intriguing options within this point range and could have been drawn with five points. The first archery hunt in the same area also had 100% odds with seven points; 22% odds with six. Some of the better muzzleloader hunts within this range are Units 72 and 76/77 with four points and 75 with five points. Rifle hunters should consider Units 39, 63, 64, 72 and, perhaps, 69 and 52 that had 51% and 43% odds with six points.

Once again, applicants can still apply for the best of the best, but those will require 17 to 19 points currently and, with point creep, could take another 15 to 20 more years to draw.

Nonresidents

The Warner (north of Hwy 140) Unit 74 archery hunt is the best controlled archery option. It had 100% odds with four points. The 72, 75, and 76/77 muzzleloader hunts are good options for out-of-state hunters with Unit 75 likely being the best of those. Rifle hunters should consider 39, 63 or 64. The best option is most likely Unit 67 (valid in the entire unit).

Find your resident mule deer controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

Find your nonresident mule deer controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

What Can I Expect with 10 plus Deer Preference Points?

Residents

Unfortunately, there were no controlled archery hunts that could have been drawn with 10 points that were not also drawn with six points. When looking at the best archery hunts, those are going to be in Units 39 (20 points), 44 (24 points), 65 (12 points), 70/71 late (14 points).

Some of the better options near the 10 point level are for the muzzleloader hunts. Unit 32 was drawn with seven, Unit 39 was drawn with 10 and Units 68 and 70/71 had 56% and 16% odds with 10 points.

Rifle hunters have very few options for hunts that could not have drawn a few years ago, so you should do some research to see if it's worth staying in the system or giving up a few points and going hunting. The best hunts are Unit 41 November (required 19 to 20 points), Unit 68 (required 14 to 15 points), Unit 54 November hunt (required 17 to 18 points) and the northern Unit 74 hunt (required 13 to 14 points).

Nonresidents

The best controlled archery hunt within range is the August 70/71 hunt that was drawn with eight points. Beyond that, it’s a bleak picture for archery hunts. The Unit 44 hunt had 50% odds with 24 points. The 68 rifle hunt had .005% random odds and required 22 points. The Unit 74 Warner north rifle hunt required 22 to 23 points and had random odds of .009%. The one rifle hunt that may be in reach if you find yourself in this range is 69, which was drawn at 13 to 14 points.

Find your resident mule deer controlled hunt draw odds with 10 points here

Find your nonresident mule deer controlled hunt draw odds with 10 points here

Oregon has some of the best Columbian blacktail hunting up and down the coastal units. Most of the western blacktail deer units have general season archery hunting opportunities and many also have general rifle hunts. There are some limited quota controlled hunts for archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunters. The populations are doing well and, if you are looking for a chance to hunt a unique deer, Oregon offers good hunting. Blacktail deer do not have a management objective based on population. Obtaining an accurate count on the Columbian blacktail deer in the coastal states has proven near impossible using normal counting practices as the dense vegetation makes it very difficult to see and count deer populations. Instead, the states are left to conduct on-the-ground surveys and assess hunter success year after year to make adjustments in the number of permits allocated annually. It is believed that at one point in the early 1980s, there were close to half a million blacktail deer living in Oregon. This number has steadily decreased over the years and it is now believed that the state herd is somewhere around 300,000 to 350,000 total deer. We will cover buck:doe and doe:fawn ratios in the table below.

Note: There are four units that have established herds of mule deer as well and if a blacktail is the goal, be sure of your target before you pull the trigger. Those units are 30, 31, 41 and 42. Pay close attention to the details of the body as even the most seasoned blacktail hunter can have a hard time identifying a mule deer versus a blacktail on antlers alone, especially on the hoof. Be aware that blacktail bucks harvested from those units would not qualify for Boone & Crockett (B&C).

B&c Entry Trends for Oregon Columbian Blacktail Deer

Units listed below may not have a current hunt for this species. Units in this table are considered if any part of the unit is found within any part of the county. Data provided below courtesy of Boone and Crockett Club.

Managing Points and Expectations

I Have 0 Deer Preference Points. What Can I Expect?

Residents

There are four hunts that have 100% odds with no points: archery 21/22/23/24, muzzleloader 23/25, rifle 16/19/21/22/30/31 and rifle 42. Harvest success for the archery hunt and the muzzleloader is relatively good for those hunts.

Nonresidents

Similar to the options available to residents, nonresidents drew 23/35 muzzleloader, rifle 16/19/21/22/30/31 and rifle 42 with zero points.

Find your resident Columbian blacktail deer controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

your nonresident Columbian blacktail deer controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

What Can I Expect with 5 to 6 Deer Preference Points?

Residents

Every hunt is available except for muzzleloader 21/23, rifle 21/23, 41, and the late Unit 42 hunt. Some of the more interesting options might be muzzleloader 21, 28 or rifle in Unit 15 and 41/42. All of those hunts required two or three points so you will be giving up a few points to draw those. The hunts that cannot be drawn required 11, 13 and 19 points in order to draw in 2019. Applicants could decide if they are in it for the long haul to draw one of those or if they just want to cash in and go hunting.

Nonresidents

Applicants in this range are going to have to decide if they are willing to wait for many more years for one of the tags that is a bit better or if they just want to hunt. Several of the best hunts (41 late rifle, 42 late rifle) are likely to require 22 points plus. There are a couple that fall in at a lower range: Unit 28 muzzleloader required 12 points, 21/22/23/24 rifle required 17 points, and 21/23 required 16 points.

If you want to burn your points and go hunting, the archery hunt on 21/22/23/24 took four points, Unit 15 rifle required three points and the early rifle 41/42 hunt required three points.

Find your resident Columbian blacktail deer controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

Find your nonresident Columbian blacktail deer controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

Oregon has the only delisted populations of Columbian whitetail deer in the world. Although there are whitetails scattered up and down the Pacific Northwest, the southwest corner of Oregon holds populations of approximately 2,000 + deer. There are very few tags available each year and that is the reason that these units can be rather difficult to draw.

Orgeon has a decent population of whitetail deer in the northeastern portion of the state. There are 21 units that offer a chance at a whitetail buck although there are very few hunts/tags that are species specific. Generally, the tags for those units are valid for either a whitetail or mule deer. We will cover the whitetail specific hunts below. Trophy potential is generally average; however, there are a few bigger bucks taken each year.

Use Filtering 2.0 for more information about these units and others that have established herds of northwestern whitetail deer.

The three units that likely have the best trophy potential are 54-Mt Emily, 55-Walla Walla, 56-Wenaha and 57-Sled Springs. All of those units have 130”+ trophy potential. Use Filtering 2.0 for more information about these units and others that have established herds of northwestern whitetail deer. Tags for the better trophy potential units are valid for any buck with visible antlers. There are two new muzzleloader hunts: Unit 52 runs Nov. 14 to 29 and Unit 57 runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 13. Both hunts should offer good rut dates. There will be 517 tags for the Unit 52 hunt and 220 for the Unit 57 hunt. Both could offer a chance at a bigger buck.

Find your resident whitetail deer controlled hunt draw odds here

Find your nonresident whitetail deer controlled hunt draw odds here

199 - buck deer point saver

699 - antlerless deer point saver