Hunt 246 Murderers Cr Unit: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 246, Murderers Cr Unit, is one antlerless elk, Nov. 21 to Nov. 29, with 385 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 52). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 366 of 413 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 228 hunters took 21 elk on this hunt in 2025, 9 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 forestBLMODFW landOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 46Lake, reservoir or riverHighway
The hunt's own boundary is ODFW's written description, regulations pages 94 to 101.| Bag limit | One antlerless elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Nov. 21 - Nov. 29 |
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| 2026 tags | 385 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 413 residents, 27 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 385 (19 nonresidents) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 21 by 228 hunters |
| Units | 46 Murderers Creek |
How hard is it to draw hunt 246?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 413 residents and 27 nonresidents putting hunt 246 first for 385 tags; 366 residents drew, and 19 of 27 nonresidents, the most ODFW issues to nonresidents in a deer or elk hunt (5% of tags). In the preference phase, which fills 75% of the tags, the residents who drew had 1 point or more. In 2025: 452 resident first-choice applicants, 366 drew, for 385 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 3 | 28 | 28 |
| 2 | 50 | 50 |
| 1 | 150 | 150 |
| 0 | 175 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 12 | 12 |
| 0 | 11 | 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 246?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 246, year by year: 21 from 228 hunters in 2025, 44 from 260 hunters in 2024, 35 from 299 hunters in 2023 and 29 from 316 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 228 | 1,232 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 9 |
| 2024 | 260 | 1,258 | 44 | 0 | 44 | 17 |
| 2023 | 299 | 1,628 | 35 | 0 | 35 | 12 |
| 2022 | 316 | 1,648 | 29 | 1 | 28 | 9 |
| 2021 | 303 | 1,733 | 33 | 1 | 32 | 11 |
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 246 cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 246 hunters in 1 unit:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 46 Murderers Creek | 228 | 21 | 68.1% |
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 246 have?
ODFW lists 385 tags for hunt 246 (Murderers Cr Unit) in 2026, one antlerless elk, Nov. 21 - Nov. 29 (regulations page 52). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 385 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 246?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 246 with in the preference phase was 1 (150 of 150 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 246?
ODFW estimates 21 elk from 228 hunters on hunt 246 in 2025, 9 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 44 from 260.
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Where these numbers come from
- Tags, season and bag limit: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 52.
- 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.