Hunt 278M High Desert Muzzleloader: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 278M, High Desert Muzzleloader, is one elk, Oct. 17 to Oct. 25, with 138 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 57). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 60 of 60 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 78 hunters took 14 elk on this hunt in 2025, 18 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, 2020 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 | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 |
| Weapon | Muzzleloader |
| 2026 tags | 138 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 60 residents, 7 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 65 (5 nonresidents) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 14 by 78 hunters |
| Units | 66 Malheur River, 67 Owyhee, 69 Steens Mountain, 73 Wagontire, 71 Juniper, 68 Whitehorse, 70 Beatys Butte |
How hard is it to draw hunt 278M?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 60 residents and 7 nonresidents putting hunt 278M first for 138 tags; every resident drew, and 5 of 7 nonresidents. In 2025: 76 resident first-choice applicants, 76 drew, for 138 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 1 | 19 | 19 |
| 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 0 | 3 | 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 278M?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 278M, year by year: 14 from 78 hunters in 2025, 14 from 96 hunters in 2024, 16 from 103 hunters in 2023 and 9 from 102 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | 379 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 18 |
| 2024 | 96 | 482 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 15 |
| 2023 | 103 | 507 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 16 |
| 2022 | 102 | 511 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| 2021 | 101 | 540 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 23 |
| 2020 | 104 | 536 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 28 |
Source: ODFW harvest statistics (2020 to 2025). Where a hunt covers several units ODFW prints a row for each; these are added up.
Which units does hunt 278M cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 278M hunters in 7 units:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 66 Malheur River | 20 | 3 | 67.7% |
| Unit 67 Owyhee | 18 | 8 | 80.2% |
| Unit 69 Steens Mountain | 16 | 1 | 63.7% |
| Unit 73 Wagontire | 14 | 1 | 84.6% |
| Unit 71 Juniper | 6 | 1 | 88.7% |
| Unit 68 Whitehorse | 4 | 0 | 90.4% |
| Unit 70 Beatys Butte | 0 | 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 278M have?
ODFW lists 138 tags for hunt 278M (High Desert Muzzleloader) in 2026, one elk, Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 (regulations page 57). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 138 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 278M?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 278M with in the preference phase was 1 (19 of 19 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 278M?
ODFW estimates 14 elk from 78 hunters on hunt 278M in 2025, 18 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 14 from 96.
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Where these numbers come from
- Tags, season and bag limit: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 57.
- 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 69 elk Unit 73 elk Unit 71 elk Unit 68 elk