At a Glance
Quick Tips
- Bring a shotgun for grouse hunting
- Bring a rod for fishing in the Metolius River for trout and whitefish
- Good brown trout and kokanee fishing in Suttle Lake




Hunters in Unit 39 - Metolius, Oregon, consistently highlight this area's challenging terrain and dense forest cover, which makes spotting and approaching game difficult. The unit offers good opportunities for elk and mule deer, particularly during the early and mid-fall seasons when animals are more active and accessible. Success often requires familiarity with the landscape, patience, and leveraging local knowledge of game patterns, particularly in finding less pressured zones. Many users emphasize the importance of pre-season scouting and strategic planning to improve draw odds and overall hunting success in this unit.
This unit starts at the top of the Cascade Mountain Range and falls to desert lowlands to the east and is home to low numbers of elk and good numbers of mule deer and mule deer/blacktail crosses.
This unit is one of Oregon’s better mule deer areas. Some of the better deer in the state are harvested this unit with the late season limited entry tag.