Oregon Elk

Our magazine, which is available in print and online, has everything in one location - application info, draw details and odds, fees, hunter requirements, point structure, age restrictions, youth information, weapon restrictions,  other tag opportunites, hunt planning, and much more. If you would like access to all of our research, join today!

You can purchase an over-the-counter tag online or stop by any Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office or any of the hundreds of ODFW license vendors located throughout the state. If the season you want to hunt is already open, you must buy your tag from an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office.

Roosevelt elk are found on the western side of Oregon and live in steep, thickly-timbered, nasty country. Be prepared for a tough hunt with usually low success. Most rifle and archery Roosevelt tags are available over-the-counter. For 2025, the archery season dates run August 30-September 28 and the rifle hunts run November 15-18, with some units having second seasons of November 22-28. The best opportunity to harvest a Roosevelt bull is the archery season as they are most vulnerable during the rut. Every archery Roosevelt unit is over-the-counter with the exception of the Powers unit, which is a draw for everything but spike bulls. Huntin’ Fool Adventures works with great Roosevelt elk outfitters, so if that is on your bucket list, give us a call to set up a hunt.

For our archery Rocky Mountain elk table, we only listed Lookout Mountain and Sled Springs Mountain. Lookout Mountain has a healthy elk population, but most of the hunt is private land, which can make the hunt frustrating. Sled has a lot of public land, but there is a lower elk density in this big desert unit. Other desert units that we did not cover in the chart that can still be hunted on the over-the-counter elk tag are Wagontire and Beulah. Both units have extremely low elk densities but border some of Idaho’s better elk units. Last year on the archery hunt on the Owyhee unit, four bulls were harvested, and one bull was harvested on the Whitehorse unit.

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.