Hunt 278A2 High Desert No. 2: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 278A2, High Desert No. 2, is one elk, Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, with 440 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 55). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 418 of 507 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 341 hunters took 59 elk on this hunt in 2025, 17 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 66Lake, 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 elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 |
| Weapon | Any legal weapon |
| 2026 tags | 440 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 507 residents, 99 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 436 (18 nonresidents) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 59 by 341 hunters |
| Units | 66 Malheur River, 67 Owyhee, 73 Wagontire, 69 Steens Mountain, 68 Whitehorse, 71 Juniper, 70 Beatys Butte |
How hard is it to draw hunt 278A2?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 507 residents and 99 nonresidents putting hunt 278A2 first for 440 tags; 418 residents drew, and 18 of 99 nonresidents. In the preference phase, which fills 75% of the tags, the residents who drew had 1 point or more. In 2025: 547 resident first-choice applicants, 418 drew, for 440 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 17 | 15 |
| 2 | 61 | 55 |
| 1 | 175 | 172 |
| 0 | 249 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | 21 | 9 |
| 2 | 21 | 0 |
| 1 | 26 | 0 |
| 0 | 22 | 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 278A2?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 278A2, year by year: 59 from 341 hunters in 2025, 90 from 352 hunters in 2024, 51 from 359 hunters in 2023 and 88 from 387 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 341 | 1,869 | 59 | 33 | 23 | 17 |
| 2024 | 352 | 1,871 | 90 | 65 | 26 | 26 |
| 2023 | 359 | 1,854 | 51 | 33 | 18 | 14 |
| 2022 | 387 | 1,977 | 88 | 44 | 44 | 23 |
| 2021 | 376 | 1,880 | 114 | 58 | 56 | 30 |
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 278A2 cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 278A2 hunters in 7 units:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 66 Malheur River | 97 | 10 | 67.7% |
| Unit 67 Owyhee | 97 | 34 | 80.2% |
| Unit 73 Wagontire | 72 | 7 | 84.6% |
| Unit 69 Steens Mountain | 35 | 3 | 63.7% |
| Unit 68 Whitehorse | 28 | 4 | 90.4% |
| Unit 71 Juniper | 11 | 1 | 88.7% |
| Unit 70 Beatys Butte | 1 | 0 | 82.5% |
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 278A2 have?
ODFW lists 440 tags for hunt 278A2 (High Desert No. 2) in 2026, one elk, Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 (regulations page 55). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 440 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 278A2?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 278A2 with in the preference phase was 1 (172 of 175 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 278A2?
ODFW estimates 59 elk from 341 hunters on hunt 278A2 in 2025, 17 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 90 from 352.
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Where these numbers come from
- Tags, season and bag limit: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 55.
- 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 Southeast zone Unit 66 elk Unit 67 elk Unit 73 elk Unit 69 elk Unit 68 elk Unit 71 elk