Hunt 223A Melrose Unit: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 223A, Melrose Unit, is one elk, Aug. 1 to Mar. 31, 2027, with 11 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 50). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 10 of 285 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 124 hunters took 73 elk on this hunt in 2025, 59 for every 100 hunters.
Data updated October 2026. Tags and dates: ODFW's 2026 regulations. Draw: ODFW's 2026 Preference Point Draw Report. Harvest: ODFW, 2021 to 2025.
National forestBLMState forest and trust landOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 23Lake, reservoir or riverHighway
The hunt's own boundary is ODFW's written description, regulations pages 94 to 101.| Bag limit | One elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Aug. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027 |
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| 2026 tags | 11 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 285 residents, 22 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 11 (1 nonresident) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 73 by 124 hunters |
| Units | 23 Melrose |
How hard is it to draw hunt 223A?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 285 residents and 22 nonresidents putting hunt 223A first for 11 tags; 10 residents drew, and 1 of 22 nonresidents. In the preference phase, which fills 75% of the tags, the residents who drew had 13 points or more. In 2025: 337 resident first-choice applicants, 10 drew, for 11 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | 2 | 2 |
| 14 | 3 | 3 |
| 13 | 4 | 1 |
| 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | 7 | 0 |
| 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | 11 | 0 |
| 7 | 14 | 0 |
| 6 | 22 | 0 |
| 5 | 17 | 0 |
| 4 | 25 | 0 |
| 3 | 38 | 0 |
| 2 | 31 | 0 |
| 1 | 43 | 0 |
| 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 0 | 3 | 0 |
Source: ODFW 2026 Elk Preference Point Draw Report; ODFW 2025 Elk Preference Point Draw Report. The table is ODFW's preference point phase only; tags drawn at random (25%) are not printed by point level.
How many elk are taken on hunt 223A?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 223A, year by year: 73 from 124 hunters in 2025, 60 from 119 hunters in 2024, 57 from 133 hunters in 2023 and 48 from 112 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 124 | 1,007 | 73 | 65 | 8 | 59 |
| 2024 | 119 | 1,188 | 60 | 51 | 11 | 50 |
| 2023 | 133 | 2,063 | 57 | 51 | 6 | 43 |
| 2022 | 112 | 1,494 | 48 | 32 | 16 | 43 |
| 2021 | 82 | 707 | 40 | 30 | 10 | 49 |
Source: ODFW harvest statistics (2021 to 2025). Where a hunt covers several units ODFW prints a row for each; these are added up.
Which units does hunt 223A cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 223A hunters in 1 unit:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 23 Melrose | 124 | 73 | 15.4% |
Public land measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land by manager, 2025) for the whole unit, not the hunt's own boundary.
Questions hunters ask
How many tags does hunt 223A have?
ODFW lists 11 tags for hunt 223A (Melrose Unit) in 2026, one elk, Aug. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027 (regulations page 50). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 11 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 223A?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 223A with in the preference phase was 13 (1 of 4 at that level drew). The other 25% of tags are drawn at random among all first-choice applicants, whatever their points.
What is the success rate on hunt 223A?
ODFW estimates 73 elk from 124 hunters on hunt 223A in 2025, 59 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 60 from 119.
Get an Oregon hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Oregon are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Oregon included.
Where these numbers come from
- Tags, season and bag limit: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 50.
- Draw: ODFW 2026 and 2025 Preference Point Draw Reports.
- Harvest: ODFW harvest statistics (2020 to 2025).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land by manager, 2025).
FilledTag is not part of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Every figure is ODFW's or measured from public maps.