Hunt 253T Catherine Cr Unit Youth: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 253T, Catherine Cr Unit Youth, is one antlerless elk, Aug. 15 to Dec. 31, with 30 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 58). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 29 of 35 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 29 hunters took 9 elk on this hunt in 2025, 31 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 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, regulations pages 94 to 101.| Bag limit | One antlerless elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 |
| Weapon | Youth hunters only |
| 2026 tags | 30 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 35 residents, 2 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 30 (1 nonresident) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 9 by 29 hunters |
| Units | 53 Catherine Creek |
How hard is it to draw hunt 253T?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 35 residents and 2 nonresidents putting hunt 253T first for 30 tags; 29 residents drew, and 1 of 2 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: 61 resident first-choice applicants, 29 drew, for 30 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 11 | 11 |
| 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
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 253T?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 253T, year by year: 9 from 29 hunters in 2025, 14 from 27 hunters in 2024, 6 from 25 hunters in 2023 and 4 from 17 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29 | 312 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 31 |
| 2024 | 27 | 212 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 52 |
| 2023 | 25 | 367 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 24 |
| 2022 | 17 | 267 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
| 2021 | 14 | 99 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 64 |
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 253T cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 253T hunters in 1 unit:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 53 Catherine Creek | 29 | 9 | 24.2% |
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 253T have?
ODFW lists 30 tags for hunt 253T (Catherine Cr Unit Youth) in 2026, one antlerless elk, Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 (regulations page 58). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 30 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 253T?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 253T with in the preference phase was 1 (11 of 11 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 253T?
ODFW estimates 9 elk from 29 hunters on hunt 253T in 2025, 31 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 14 from 27.
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Where these numbers come from
- Tags, season and bag limit: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 58.
- 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.