Unit 23 Melrose deer hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 2,237 deer in the Melrose Unit (23) in 2025 (1,903 bucks and 332 antlerless) and counted 4,561 deer hunters there, across 20 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 2,155 deer a year. The unit is 15.4% public land, most of it BLM, by USGS PAD-US.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: ODFW, 2021 to 2025. Seasons and tags: ODFW's 2026 regulations and 2026 draw. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1.
National forestBLMState forest and trust landOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 23Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Southwest |
|---|---|
| Size | 614,255 acres (960 square miles) |
| Public land | 15.4% (94,359 acres) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 2,237 (1,903 bucks) |
| Deer hunters, 2025 | 4,561, 28,801 days |
| Deer per 100 hunters, 2025 | 49 |
| General seasons, 2026 | General Western Oregon any legal weapon buck and General Western Oregon archery |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 15 |
| Towns in and near it | Roseburg, Sutherlin, Winston and Elkton |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 23?
ODFW's deer harvest for the Melrose Unit by year: 2,237 in 2025, 2,241 in 2024 and 2,315 in 2023. 49 deer were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Deer harvested | Bucks | Antlerless | Deer per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,561 | 28,801 | 2,237 | 1,903 | 332 | 49 |
| 2024 | 4,706 | 28,049 | 2,241 | 1,838 | 404 | 48 |
| 2023 | 5,031 | 29,842 | 2,315 | 1,923 | 392 | 46 |
| 2022 | 4,818 | 29,223 | 1,946 | 1,560 | 386 | 40 |
| 2021 | 4,838 | 29,760 | 2,035 | 1,616 | 419 | 42 |
Source: ODFW harvest statistics (2021 to 2025), from ODFW's mandatory harvest reporting. Each year adds up ODFW's rows for the unit across its any legal weapon buck, archery, muzzleloader and antlerless summaries, general and controlled. A hunter counted on two tag types is counted twice. Per 100 hunters is worked out from ODFW's two figures.
Which deer hunts were used in Unit 23 in 2025?
General season tags: 3,613 hunters, 1,837 deer. Controlled hunts: 17 rows in ODFW's table, 948 hunters, 400 deer. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Western Deer | Any legal weapon buck, general | 3,306 | 21,772 | 1,765 | 53% |
| 623A Central Melrose | Antlerless, controlled | 491 | 2,466 | 187 | 38% |
| Late Bow Deer | Archery, general | 193 | 1,289 | 51 | 26% |
| 623 Melrose Unit | Antlerless, controlled | 161 | 1,048 | 67 | 42% |
| Early Bow Deer | Archery, general | 114 | 946 | 21 | 19% |
| 123M1 Melrose Unit Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 81 | 403 | 19 | 23% |
| General Any Legal Weapon Western Oregon w/ 119A | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 56 | 388 | 33 | 58% |
| 123A Umpqua | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 31 | 108 | 26 | 83% |
| 623T2 N Bank Habitat Area No. 2 Youth | Antlerless, controlled | 25 | 70 | 18 | 73% |
| 623B2 N Bank Habitat No. 2 | Antlerless, controlled | 22 | 66 | 10 | 47% |
| 623T1 N Bank Habitat Area No. 1 Youth | Antlerless, controlled | 19 | 51 | 9 | 50% |
| 623B3 N Bank Habitat No. 3 | Antlerless, controlled | 17 | 43 | 5 | 31% |
| 623B1 N Bank Habitat No. 1 | Antlerless, controlled | 15 | 22 | 8 | 57% |
| 123R1 Umpqua Bow | Archery, controlled | 14 | 4 | 8 | 58% |
| Late Bow Deer w/ 123R1 | Archery, controlled | 8 | 94 | 4 | 43% |
| Early Bow Deer w/ 123R1 | Archery, controlled | 4 | 15 | 4 | 100% |
| 123B N Bank Habitat | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 3 | 16 | 2 | 67% |
| 123R2 N Bank Habitat Bow | Archery, controlled | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Early Bow Deer w/ 123R2 N Bank Habitat Bow | Archery, controlled | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Late Bow Deer w/ 123R2 N Bank Habitat Bow | Archery, controlled | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Source: ODFW's 2025 deer harvest summaries (ODFW harvest statistics (2025)). A hunt that spans several units is split by unit in ODFW's tables; these are the Melrose rows.
When is deer season in Unit 23 in 2026?
General seasons that cover the Melrose Unit in 2026:
- General Western Oregon any legal weapon buck deer, Oct. 3 - Nov. 6: one buck with visible antler, page 30.
- General Western Oregon archery deer, Aug. 29 - Sept. 27 and Nov. 14 - Dec. 6: one deer, page 33.
Controlled deer hunts in ODFW's 2026 tables that include the unit, with ODFW's 2026 tags and its June 2026 draw (residents who drew, of residents who put the hunt first):
| Hunt | Name | Bag limit | 2026 season | 2026 tags | 2026 draw, residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 623A | Central Melrose | One antlerless deer | Oct. 3 - Nov. 6 | 1,100 | 363 of 363 |
| 623 | Melrose Unit | One antlerless deer | Oct. 3 - Nov. 6 | 275 | 272 of 667 |
| 621 | W Indigo | One antlerless deer | Oct. 3 - Nov. 6 | 142 | 142 of 707 |
| 123M1 | Melrose Unit Muzzleloader | One deer | Nov. 14 - Nov. 27 | 132 | 39 of 39 |
| 123R1 | Umpqua Bow | One white-tailed buck with visible antler or one black-tailed deer (see hunt description for details) | Aug. 29 - Sept. 27 | 55 | 15 of 15 |
| 623T3 | Melrose Youth | One black-tailed deer | Dec. 15 - Jan. 5, 2027 | 44 | 44 of 58 |
| 623T2 | N Bank Habitat Area No. 2 Youth | One black-tailed deer | Oct. 31 - Nov. 8 | 33 | 33 of 86 |
| 623B1 | N Bank Habitat No. 1 | One antlerless deer | Oct. 17 - Oct. 23 | 28 | 27 of 81 |
| 623B2 | N Bank Habitat No. 2 | One antlerless deer | Nov. 14 - Nov. 20 | 28 | 28 of 69 |
| 623B3 | N Bank Habitat No. 3 | One antlerless deer | Dec. 12 - Dec. 18 | 28 | 28 of 82 |
| 123A | Umpqua | One white-tailed or black-tailed buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 22 | 21 of 54 |
| 623T1 | N Bank Habitat Area No. 1 Youth | One white-tailed buck with visible antler or one black-tailed deer | Oct. 3 - Oct. 11 | 22 | 21 of 58 |
| 123R2 | Melrose - N Bank Habitat Bow | One white-tailed buck with visible antler or one black-tailed deer | Sep. 12 - Sep. 27 | 11 | 11 of 15 |
| 123B | Melrose - N Bank Habitat | One white-tailed buck with visible antler or one black-tailed deer | Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, 2027 | 3 | 2 of 256 |
| 123M2 | Melrose - N Bank Habitat Muzzleloader | One white-tailed buck with visible antler or one black-tailed deer | Nov. 28 - Dec. 4 | 3 | 2 of 44 |
Source: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, pages 30 to 45; draw: ODFW's 2026 Preference Point Draw Reports. Hunts are matched to the unit by ODFW's own harvest rows. Check ODFW before you go; seasons can change.
How much public land is in Unit 23?
15.4% of the Melrose Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 94,359 of 614,255 acres. The largest share is BLM, 94,101 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 94,101 | 15.3% |
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 619 | 0.1% |
| State forest and trust land | 254 | under 0.1% |
| National forest | 4 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside ODFW's unit boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land by manager, 2025). Tribal and private land are not counted as public.
How do you get to Unit 23?
Highways through the unit: I-5 (about 146 miles inside it), OR 99 (about 126 miles inside it), OR 138 (about 56 miles inside it), OR 42 (about 32 miles inside it) and OR 38 (about 17 miles inside it). Towns inside: Roseburg, Sutherlin, Winston, Myrtle Creek and Canyonville.
Which units border Unit 23?
The Melrose Unit touches 6 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest deer figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Deer hunters | Deer harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 20 Siuslaw | 40.3% | 3,103 | 1,081 | 2025 |
| Unit 21 Indigo | 68.1% | 4,058 | 1,663 | 2025 |
| Unit 22 Dixon | 74.6% | 4,218 | 1,927 | 2025 |
| Unit 24 Tioga | 34.2% | 3,411 | 1,123 | 2025 |
| Unit 26 Powers | 48.3% | 1,379 | 621 | 2025 |
| Unit 29 Evans Creek | 42.7% | 3,169 | 1,499 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 23: elk hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt deer in Unit 23 without drawing a tag?
Yes. General Western Oregon any legal weapon buck deer (Oct. 3 - Nov. 6) is open in the Melrose Unit, bag limit one buck with visible antler; General Western Oregon archery deer (Aug. 29 - Sept. 27 and Nov. 14 - Dec. 6) is open in the Melrose Unit, bag limit one deer, by ODFW's 2026 regulations.
How many deer are taken in Unit 23 each year?
ODFW estimates 2,237 in 2025, 2,241 in 2024 and 2,315 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Melrose Unit across general and controlled deer tags.
How hard is it to draw hunt 623A?
In ODFW's 2026 draw for hunt 623A (Central Melrose), every first-choice applicant drew (363 residents, 7 nonresidents). ODFW gives 75% of the tags to the most preference points and draws 25% at random among first-choice applicants.
What is the closest town to Unit 23?
Roseburg, Sutherlin and Winston are inside the unit. Just outside: Elkton (on the line), Cottage Grove (2 miles) and Creswell (11 miles).
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, hunters and days: ODFW harvest statistics (2021 to 2025).
- Seasons, hunts, tags and bag limits: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations. Draw: ODFW 2026 Preference Point Draw Reports.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land by manager, 2025). Unit boundary: ODFW Wildlife Management Units (Compass dataset).
- Highways, water and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 and the 2024 Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Numbers are copied from ODFW and USGS, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
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