Unit 42 Hood deer hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 104 deer in the Hood Unit (42) in 2025 (93 bucks and 10 antlerless) and counted 367 deer hunters there, across 7 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 96 deer a year. The unit is 63.8% public land, most of it national forest, 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 42Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Columbia |
|---|---|
| Size | 240,890 acres (376 square miles) |
| Public land | 63.8% (153,752 acres) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 104 (93 bucks) |
| Deer hunters, 2025 | 367, 1,922 days |
| Deer per 100 hunters, 2025 | 28 |
| General season | Controlled hunts only (by deer hunt area) |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 7 |
| Towns in and near it | Hood River, Cascade Locks, Odell and Mosier |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 42?
ODFW's deer harvest for the Hood Unit by year: 104 in 2025, 91 in 2024 and 109 in 2023. 28 deer were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Deer harvested | Bucks | Antlerless | Deer per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 367 | 1,922 | 104 | 93 | 10 | 28 |
| 2024 | 414 | 2,319 | 91 | 87 | 4 | 22 |
| 2023 | 418 | 2,215 | 109 | 107 | 2 | 26 |
| 2022 | 397 | 1,980 | 74 | 64 | 10 | 19 |
| 2021 | 359 | 1,872 | 101 | 91 | 10 | 28 |
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 42 in 2025?
Controlled hunts: 7 rows in ODFW's table, 367 hunters, 104 deer. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142A Hood Unit No. 1 | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 277 | 1,281 | 73 | 26% |
| 141R Hood - White Rvr Bow | Archery, controlled | 56 | 488 | 13 | 24% |
| 142B Hood Unit No. 2 | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 14 | 88 | 8 | 60% |
| 642 Hood Agri | Antlerless, controlled | 8 | 22 | 5 | 57% |
| 141M Hood- N White Rvr Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 7 | 26 | 3 | 50% |
| 141A Hood-White River | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 4 | 16 | 1 | 33% |
| 640T Mid-Columbia Private Youth | Antlerless, controlled | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
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 Hood rows.
When is deer season in Unit 42 in 2026?
Starting in 2026, ODFW structures eastern Oregon deer hunts by deer hunt area, not by wildlife management unit, and every eastern buck deer hunt is a controlled hunt (pages 30-43).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC102 | Mid-Columbia 02 | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 550 | 219 of 219 |
| MC102R | Mid-Columbia 02 Bow | One buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 165 | 22 of 22 |
| MC102M | Mid-Columbia 02 Muzzleloader | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 32 | 12 of 12 |
| MC102-1 | Early Mid-Columbia 02 | One buck with visible antler | Sep. 12 - Sep. 20 | 22 | 21 of 26 |
| MC602 | Hood River Agri | One antlerless deer | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 17 | 17 of 123 |
| MC102-2 | Late Mid-Columbia 02 | One buck with visible antler | Nov. 15 - Nov. 29 | 11 | 10 of 357 |
| MC602T | Mid Columbia 02 Youth | One antlerless deer | Nov. 21 - Jan. 2, 2027 | 11 | 11 of 14 |
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 and the 2026 deer hunt areas. Check ODFW before you go; seasons can change.
Which 2026 deer hunt areas cover Unit 42?
Starting in 2026, ODFW structures eastern Oregon deer hunts by deer hunt area, not by wildlife management unit, and every eastern buck deer hunt is a controlled hunt (pages 30-43). By ODFW's hunt area map, all of the Hood Unit lies in hunt area MC-02 (Mid-Columbia herd range). The 2026 buck hunts in each:
| Hunt area | Herd range | Share of Unit 42 | 2026 buck hunts (tags) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MC-02 | Mid-Columbia | 100% | MC102 Mid-Columbia 02 (550); MC102-1 Early Mid-Columbia 02 (22); MC102-2 Late Mid-Columbia 02 (11); MC102R Mid-Columbia 02 Bow (165); MC102M Mid-Columbia 02 Muzzleloader (32) |
Hunt area shares measured by FilledTag from ODFW eastern Oregon mule deer hunt areas (2026); hunts and tags from ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, pages 34 to 43. Harvest by hunt area starts with ODFW's 2026 report; the harvest above is by unit, 2021 to 2025.
How much public land is in Unit 42?
63.8% of the Hood Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 153,752 of 240,890 acres. The largest share is national forest, 153,502 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 153,502 | 63.7% |
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 7,659 | 3.2% |
| State forest and trust land | 172 | 0.1% |
| BLM | 78 | 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 42?
Highways through the unit: I-84 (about 45 miles inside it), US 30 (about 41 miles inside it), OR 281 (about 19 miles inside it), OR 35 (about 12 miles inside it) and US 26 (about 10 miles inside it). Towns inside: Hood River, Cascade Locks, Odell and Parkdale.
Which units border Unit 42?
The Hood Unit touches 2 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest deer figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Deer hunters | Deer harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 16 Santiam | 62.6% | 10,316 | 3,097 | 2025 |
| Unit 41 White River | 43.4% | 1,160 | 527 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 42: elk hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt deer in Unit 42 without drawing a tag?
No. In 2026 every deer hunt in the Hood Unit is a controlled hunt drawn by ODFW, now set by deer hunt area rather than unit. ODFW lists 7 controlled hunts for it in the 2026 regulations.
How many deer are taken in Unit 42 each year?
ODFW estimates 104 in 2025, 91 in 2024 and 109 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Hood Unit across general and controlled deer tags.
What is the closest town to Unit 42?
Hood River, Cascade Locks and Odell are inside the unit. Just outside: Mosier (5 miles), The Dalles (18 miles) and Sandy (20 miles).
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
- 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.