New Or Noteworthy For This Year

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Oregon's Bighorn Sheep Breakdown

Oregon's Mountain Goat Breakdown

Oregon's 2026 bighorn sheep and mountain goat application strategy overview

Note: The application deadline in Oregon for all species is May 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT, and all applications must be submitted online or at a licensed sales agent.

Bighorn sheep and mountain goat

State Information

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: There is no point system for bighorn sheep or mountain goats in Oregon. Every applicant is on an equal playing field for the available permits.

Important dates and information

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

Snowpack In Oregon

2026

For 2026, Oregon experienced one of the lowest snow water equivalent (SWE) levels on record. SWE measures the amount of water stored in the snowpack and is a key indicator of how much runoff will be available in the spring and summer. By early February 2026, Oregon’s statewide average SWE was only about 2.9 inches, the lowest recorded since modern SNOTEL records began in the early 1980s and nearly 30% lower than the previous record low in 2015. Much of the state’s snowpack hovered around 30–55% of normal, with many basins reporting less than 50% of the historical median. Warm winter storms caused much of the precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, while dry periods limited accumulation at higher elevations. As a result, a widespread “snow drought” developed across Oregon, leaving the state with historically poor snowpack conditions for the 2026 water year.

2025

2024

2023

Drought Status in Oregon

2026

The 2026 drought map for Oregon shows that much of the state was experiencing dry conditions during the winter and early spring. With the current lack of snowpack in Oregon, I would expect this map to worsen as we approach summer, even with good spring rainfall.

2025

2024

2023

The Oregon draw system

Oregon’s bighorn sheep and mountain goat draw is entirely random, meaning there is no point system and every applicant has equal odds at the available tags each year. Tag allocations are split before the draw, with separate quotas set aside for residents and nonresidents. Because of this, nonresident applicants need to be careful not to apply for hunts that offer zero nonresident tags—something the system will still allow you to do if you’re not paying attention.

Applying isn’t cheap. Nonresidents must first purchase a $193 hunting license, then pay a $10 application fee for each species. The good news is that you don’t have to front the cost of the tag itself—you’ll only be charged if you draw. Altogether, applying for just bighorn sheep and mountain goat will cost a nonresident about $203 out of pocket.

Applicants can list up to five hunt choices, but the draw process heavily favors first choices. All applicants’ first selections are considered before moving on to any second choices, and all available tags are gone by then. As a result, there is essentially no chance of drawing a second-choice tag, making your first choice the only one that truly matters—so choose it wisely.

Oregon has both California and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herds.

For nonresidents, they will offer a total of 9 tags in 2026 (three are ewe California bighorn sheep).

One of those will be a Rocky Mountain bighorn ram tag in the Bear Creek Unit.

The remaining eight tags are for California bighorn sheep. Five of those are ram tags in the John Day, E. Deschutes, E. Beauty’s, and S. Central Units, and three are ewe tags for the John Day River and Deschutes River Units.

Overall, populations for California bighorn sheep have seen a slight uptick in statewide population up until 2025. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herds are maintaining their populations, but there will still be only one nonresident tag for the 2026 season.

Dash marks (-) indicate that no data was available.

Dash marks (-) indicate that no data was available.

Managing expectations for Rocky Mountain and California bighorn sheep

Nonresidents pursuing bighorn sheep tags in Oregon will find opportunities to be quite limited. However, if you’re already planning to apply for other species, it can still be worthwhile to invest in the application fee for a chance at drawing a tag. While the odds are still very low, they are slightly better than in some other states.

Residents have two units they can apply for to hunt Rocky Mountain bighorn rams with the best odds in Unit 60 Bear Creek at .22%.

California bighorn ram tags were offered for 27 hunts — all of them offering less than 1% odds. The best odds were for the Unit 43 Biggs/W Deschutes Rv No.3 hunt with .90% odds.

The biggest thing to pay attention to with the central/northern California bighorn sheep units is the lack of public land. So, take that into consideration before applying.

In 2026, there will be a total of 20 mountain goat tags, and one of those tags will be available to nonresident applicants. The one unit with a nonresident tag will be Unit 51 Elkhorn No. 2.

Oregon is quietly one of the more underrated states for mountain goat trophy potential. While it doesn’t have the sheer volume of giants like Alaska or British Columbia, it absolutely produces true Boone & Crockett–class billies every year, and in some cases, exceptional goats. The best trophy potential has been in the Unit 50 and Unit 59 with a chance at 50”+ goats; however, most units will provide the opportunity to harvest a big mature billy. 

The mountain goat population in Oregon in 2026 is relatively small but stable, with an estimated 1,100 to 1,300 animals statewide. These goats are primarily concentrated in rugged, high-elevation habitats such as the Elkhorn, Wallowa, and Strawberry Mountains, as well as portions of the central Cascades near Mount Jefferson. Today, the population is characterized by low density, strong age structure, and limited hunting pressure, which allows many billies to reach maturity.

Dash marks (-) indicate that no data was available.

* A reduction of mountain goat tags removed one resident tag and one nonresident tag in the Snake River units.

Managing expectations for mountain goats

Residents

There are 12 different hunt selections for resident hunters. They are spread out with different season dates across seven different hunt areas. The best odds were Unit 60 Minam Copper Creek at .37%.  Although the odds seem to be steep, they are slightly better than most states — even those with hybrid point systems. So, if you’re a resident, it only makes sense to cross your fingers and apply.

Nonresidents

Review the table above. As you can see, there is only one hunt available to nonresidents. I know that Oregon doesn’t offer many opportunities for nonresidents, and the hunting license is expensive at $193.00. That being said, if you are building points or applying for anything else in Oregon, you should take a chance and apply for mountain goat as well.