Hunt 259R Snake Rvr Unit Bow: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 259R, Snake Rvr Unit Bow, is one bull elk, Aug. 29 to Sep. 27, with 297 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 56). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 15 of 16 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 145 hunters took 48 elk on this hunt in 2025, 33 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 forestUnit 59Lake, reservoir or riverHighway
The hunt's own boundary is ODFW's written description, regulations pages 94 to 101.| Bag limit | One bull elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 |
| Weapon | Archery |
| 2026 tags | 297 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 16 residents, 36 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 26 (11 nonresidents) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 48 by 145 hunters |
| Units | 59 Snake River |
How hard is it to draw hunt 259R?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 16 residents and 36 nonresidents putting hunt 259R first for 297 tags; 15 residents drew, and 11 of 36 nonresidents. In the preference phase, which fills 75% of the tags, the residents who drew had 1 point or more. In 2025: 23 resident first-choice applicants, 23 drew, for 270 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | 5 | 5 |
| 1 | 9 | 0 |
| 0 | 16 | 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 259R?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 259R, year by year: 48 from 145 hunters in 2025, 19 from 135 hunters in 2024, 16 from 134 hunters in 2023 and 6 from 27 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 145 | 977 | 48 | 43 | 1 | 33 |
| 2024 | 135 | 1,032 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 14 |
| 2023 | 134 | 1,077 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 12 |
| 2022 | 27 | 129 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
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 259R cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 259R hunters in 1 unit:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 59 Snake River | 145 | 48 | 93.8% |
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 259R have?
ODFW lists 297 tags for hunt 259R (Snake Rvr Unit Bow) in 2026, one bull elk, Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 (regulations page 56). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 270 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 259R?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 259R with in the preference phase was 1 (2 of 2 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 259R?
ODFW estimates 48 elk from 145 hunters on hunt 259R in 2025, 33 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 19 from 135.
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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.