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Hunt 256A Bartlett Bench: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest

Oregon controlled hunt 256A, Bartlett Bench, is one antlerless elk, Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, with 22 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 53). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 21 of 34 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 32 hunters took 24 elk on this hunt in 2025, 75 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.

Map of Oregon's Wenaha Unit (56), where most hunt 256A hunters hunted in 2025, with public land by manager

National wildlife refugeNational forestBLMODFW landState forest and trust landUnit 56Lake, 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.
Hunt 256A at a glance
Bag limitOne antlerless elk
2026 seasonAug. 1 - Oct. 31
WeaponAny legal weapon
2026 tags22
First-choice applicants, 2026 draw34 residents, 6 nonresidents
Drawn, 202622 (1 nonresident)
Harvested, 202524 by 32 hunters
Units56 Wenaha

How hard is it to draw hunt 256A?

ODFW's 2026 report shows 34 residents and 6 nonresidents putting hunt 256A first for 22 tags; 21 residents drew, and 1 of 6 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: 51 resident first-choice applicants, 21 drew, for 22 tags.

Residents, 2026 preference point phase
PointsFirst-choice applicantsDrew in the preference phase
388
266
1122
080
Nonresidents, 2026 preference point phase
PointsFirst-choice applicantsDrew in the preference phase
711
510
320
110
010

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 256A?

ODFW's estimates for hunt 256A, year by year: 24 from 32 hunters in 2025, 16 from 26 hunters in 2024, 13 from 26 hunters in 2023 and 20 from 26 hunters in 2022.

YearHuntersDays huntedElk harvestedBullsAntlerlessPer 100 hunters
2025323002402475
2024261101601662
2023261281301350
202226902002077
2021211211301362

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 256A cover?

ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 256A hunters in 1 unit:

UnitHunters, 2025Elk harvested, 2025Public land in the unit
Unit 56 Wenaha322473%

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 256A have?

ODFW lists 22 tags for hunt 256A (Bartlett Bench) in 2026, one antlerless elk, Aug. 1 - Oct. 31 (regulations page 53). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 22 tags for 2025.

How many points do you need to draw hunt 256A?

In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 256A with in the preference phase was 1 (2 of 12 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 256A?

ODFW estimates 24 elk from 32 hunters on hunt 256A in 2025, 75 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 16 from 26.

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Where these numbers come from

FilledTag is not part of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Every figure is ODFW's or measured from public maps.