Oregon Deer

Oregon has four different species of deer available to hunt — mule deer, Columbian whitetail deer, Eastern whitetail deer, and blacktail deer. Mule deer can be found throughout the central and eastern part of the state. Columbian whitetail deer are only found in small pockets in Western Oregon. The Eastern whitetail are found in the northeast portion of the state and along the Washington and Idaho borders. Blacktail deer inhabit the coastal mountains along the western third of the state.

Oregon Mule Deer Hunting

Oregon has a new plan with some big changes coming for mule deer in 2026. Changes from the new plan include adjusting mule deer hunts and hunt areas to better align with biologically defined herd ranges. These new hunt areas will have new hunt numbers. Plan-directed changes are not included in the 2025 Big Game Regulations but are likely to occur for 2026. See the included map in our magazine for proposed new hunt areas for 2026.

Oregon is more of an opportunity state than a trophy state when it comes to mule deer. There are very few draw units that will give you a chance at a 180" buck. Most of these units are going to take more than 25 points. The other option at a 180" buck is a guided private land hunt where the outfitters have been managing for quality. The better rifle draw unit is the Trout Creek Mountains. The best archery hunts are the late hunts on the Metolius and Beulah units, but due to the low tag numbers, both of these hunts will be awarded to outfitters. However, they will be back in the draw for 2026.

Columbian Whitetail Deer Hunting

Columbian whitetail deer are small with mature bucks typically scoring 90-125". If a Columbian whitetail deer is on your bucket list, you have two options. One is to try to draw a tag, and the second is to pick up a landowner tag. There are only two units in Oregon that allow hunting for these deer - Umpqua and North Bank Habitat. Umpqua is hands down the best unit. The North Bank Habitat unit is going to be a tough hunt. There are outfitters available that have guaranteed tags for the Umpqua unit. If you are interested in a Columbian whitetail deer hunt with an outfitter, give us a call.

Oregon Eastern Whitetail Deer

There is some decent whitetail hunting in the northeast corner of the state. Two of the better hunts for whitetail are the muzzleloader hunts in the Sled Springs and Baker units. The Sled Springs hunt (157M) will have season dates of December 1-14. The Baker hunt (151M) will have better rut dates of November 17-30. Both are going to be tough hunts, but there are a couple of good bucks available. New for 2025, there are three new private land-only muzzleloader whitetail deer hunts in Chesnimus (158M), Snake River (159M), and Imnaha (161M). Each unit will have a quota of 10 tags with season dates of December 2-15. Unless you already have permission on private land, you should not be applying for these hunts. There is also an archery whitetail hunt called the Grant County White Bow Hunt (146R). There are 20 tags, and the season dates are November 15-30.

Oregon Blacktail Deer

If you are after a blacktail that the Boone and Crockett Club recognizes, the best hunt in the state is the muzzleloader hunt in the Applegate unit, which takes 15+ points to draw. There are also a handful of other rut muzzleloader tags available that can be drawn every couple of years. The best rifle rut true blacktail hunt is available in the Dixon unit, which should take 25+ points to draw this year. The Dixon tag was issued to an outfitter in 2024.

Oregon offers over-the-counter archery and rifle hunts for blacktail deer. For 2025, the early archery season is August 30-September 28, and the late archery is late November through early to mid-December, depending on the unit. The rifle season will run October 4-November 7.

Your best chance at taking a big buck is going to be during the archery hunts. Look towards the Applegate, S. Indigo, Chetco, Dixon, and Trask units as they all have good trophy potential and early archery season dates. Other units to look at that offer great potential and have late archery seasons that encompass the rut are Rogue, Evans Creek, McKenzie, and Sixes.

Blacktail are doing really well in Oregon, and we expect this is going to be another good year to be hunting on an over-the-counter tag. If you are looking for a guided hunt, reach out to Huntin’ Fool Adventures as they are working with the best outfitters in the state.

If you are an archery mule deer hunter looking for a fun desert hunt, you should be looking at Oregon. Most of the archery tags can be drawn with two or fewer points. These units are actually going undersubscribed in the draw for resident tags. Unfortunately, Oregon holds the non-residents to 5% of these tags and they would rather not issue them than give them to a non-resident hunter. If you want to hunt the eastern archery deer units, you should be able to draw them every other year.

Don’t overlook the premium tags. The odds are completely random, and the tag can be drawn by either a resident or non-resident. The premium application is only $8. Each unit will offer one any-weapon premium deer tag with season dates of August 1-November 30. This allows you to chase big velvet bucks or wait for the rut where you are the only one out there chasing them. Also, we recommend buying raffle tickets as Oregon raffles off a lot of different deer tags. These raffle deer tags also have an extended season and are a great opportunity to harvest a big buck.

For 2025, the rifle dates are October 4-November 7. Youth hunters get to hunt through November 9th on the general deer tag. The bucks are going to just be starting to rut at the end of the general season, and youth hunters are hopefully going to experience some rutting activity. The best over-the-counter hunts are going to be the November archery hunts and the last few days of the general rifle hunt in November as you may have more elk activity. Blacktail populations are doing well, and you can expect to see bucks harvested in 2025.

If you plan on hunting deer or elk in Oregon, you need the combination tag to buy a black bear and cougar tag. Those tags can be purchased at any time for the cost of $16.50 each. You never know when you are in the field and are going to cross paths with a bear or cougar, but if you do, you can harvest that animal if you have purchased a tag.

Oregon still has great over-the-counter opportunities for Roosevelt elk and blacktail deer. If you still need a hunt for 2025, Oregon may be the opportunity you are looking for. If you have any questions about Oregon, give us a call.

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