Hunt 278T High Desert Youth: Oregon elk tags, draw and harvest
Oregon controlled hunt 278T, High Desert Youth, is one antlerless elk, Aug. 15 to Dec. 31, with 11 tags for 2026 (ODFW regulations, page 58). In ODFW's June 2026 draw, 10 of 16 residents who put it first drew a tag. ODFW estimates 7 hunters took 2 elk on this hunt in 2025, 29 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 antlerless elk |
|---|---|
| 2026 season | Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 |
| Weapon | Youth hunters only |
| 2026 tags | 11 |
| First-choice applicants, 2026 draw | 16 residents, 4 nonresidents |
| Drawn, 2026 | 11 (1 nonresident) |
| Harvested, 2025 | 2 by 7 hunters |
| Units | 66 Malheur River, 73 Wagontire, 67 Owyhee |
How hard is it to draw hunt 278T?
ODFW's 2026 report shows 16 residents and 4 nonresidents putting hunt 278T first for 11 tags; 10 residents drew, and 1 of 4 nonresidents. In the preference phase, which fills 75% of the tags, the residents who drew had 1 point or more. In 2025: 20 resident first-choice applicants, 9 drew, for 10 tags.
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Points | First-choice applicants | Drew in the preference phase |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 0 | 2 | 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 278T?
ODFW's estimates for hunt 278T, year by year: 2 from 7 hunters in 2025, 1 from 10 hunters in 2024, 2 from 6 hunters in 2023 and 7 from 19 hunters in 2022.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29 |
| 2024 | 10 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2023 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 |
| 2022 | 19 | 50 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 37 |
| 2021 | 5 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 278T cover?
ODFW's 2025 rows put hunt 278T hunters in 3 units:
| Unit | Hunters, 2025 | Elk harvested, 2025 | Public land in the unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 66 Malheur River | 3 | 1 | 67.7% |
| Unit 73 Wagontire | 3 | 0 | 84.6% |
| Unit 67 Owyhee | 1 | 1 | 80.2% |
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 278T have?
ODFW lists 11 tags for hunt 278T (High Desert Youth) in 2026, one antlerless elk, Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 (regulations page 58). ODFW's 2025 draw report lists 10 tags for 2025.
How many points do you need to draw hunt 278T?
In ODFW's 2026 draw, the fewest points a resident drew hunt 278T with in the preference phase was 1 (6 of 6 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 278T?
ODFW estimates 2 elk from 7 hunters on hunt 278T in 2025, 29 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 1 from 10.
Get an Oregon hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Oregon are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Oregon included.
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.
Oregon hunting Southeast zone Unit 66 elk Unit 73 elk Unit 67 elk