Hunt 253R1 Eagle Cap Zone: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 253R1, Eagle Cap Zone, is one bull elk, Aug. 29 to Sep. 27, with 1,795 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 56). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 832 of 844 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 1,096 hunters took 248 elk on this hunt in 2025, 23 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, 2022 to 2025.
National forestBLMODFW landState forest and trust landBureau of ReclamationOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 53Lake, reservoir or riverHighway
The hunt's own boundary is ODFW's written description (the hunt covers part of the unit), regulations pages 94 to 101.| Bag limit | One bull elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 |
| Weapon | Archery |
| 2026 tags | 1,795 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 844 residents, 193 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 907 (75 nonresidents) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 248 by 1,096 hunters |
| Units | 53 Catherine Creek, 61 Imnaha, 62 Pine Creek, 63 Keating, 60 Minam |
How hard is it to draw hunt 253R1?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 844 residents and 193 nonresidents putting hunt 253R1 first for 1,795 tags; 832 residents drew, and 75 of 193 nonresidents. In the preference phase, which fills 75% of the tags, the residents who drew had 1 point or more. In 2025: 779 resident first-choice applicants, 769 drew, for 1,795 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 3 | 13 | 13 |
| 2 | 52 | 49 |
| 1 | 158 | 155 |
| 0 | 603 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 3 | 27 | 27 |
| 2 | 54 | 40 |
| 1 | 42 | 0 |
| 0 | 62 | 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 253R1?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 253R1, year by year: 248 from 1,096 hunters in 2025, 246 from 1,310 hunters in 2024, 247 from 1,342 hunters in 2023 and 201 from 965 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,096 | 10,593 | 248 | 230 | 8 | 23 |
| 2024 | 1,310 | 12,615 | 246 | 233 | 4 | 19 |
| 2023 | 1,342 | 0 | 247 | 242 | 5 | 18 |
| 2022 | 965 | 0 | 201 | 199 | 2 | 21 |
Source: ODFW harvest statistics (2022 to 2025). Where a hunt covers several units ODFW prints a row for each; these are added up.
Which units does hunt 253R1 cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 253R1 hunters in 5 units:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 53 Catherine Creek | 361 | 68 | 24.2% |
| Unit 61 Imnaha | 276 | 59 | 74.5% |
| Unit 62 Pine Creek | 209 | 65 | 76% |
| Unit 63 Keating | 146 | 27 | 57.3% |
| Unit 60 Minam | 104 | 29 | 73.4% |
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 253R1 have?
ODFW lists 1,795 tags for hunt 253R1 (Eagle Cap Zone) in 2026, one bull elk, Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 (regulations page 56). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 1,795 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 253R1?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 253R1 with in the preference phase was 1 (155 of 158 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 253R1?
ODFW estimates 248 elk from 1,096 hunters on hunt 253R1 in 2025, 23 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 246 from 1,310.
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Where these numbers come from
- Tags, season and bag limit: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 56.
- 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.
Oregon hunting Northeast zone Unit 53 elk Unit 61 elk Unit 62 elk Unit 63 elk Unit 60 elk