Unit 44 Columbia Basin elk hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 162 elk in the Columbia Basin Unit (44) in 2025 (138 bulls and 27 antlerless) and counted 377 elk hunters there, across 2 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 146 elk a year. The unit is 1.3% 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 wildlife refugeNational forestBLMODFW landState forest and trust landOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 44Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,832,954 acres (2,864 square miles) |
| Public land | 1.3% (23,241 acres) |
| Elk harvested, 2025 | 162 (138 bulls) |
| Elk hunters, 2025 | 377, 2,944 days |
| Elk per 100 hunters, 2025 | 43 |
| General seasons, 2026 | General archery and General season antlerless elk damage tag |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 2 |
| Towns in and near it | Pendleton, Hermiston, Umatilla and Condon |
How many elk are harvested in Unit 44?
ODFW's elk harvest for the Columbia Basin Unit by year: 162 in 2025, 170 in 2024 and 98 in 2023. 43 elk were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 377 | 2,944 | 162 | 138 | 27 | 43 |
| 2024 | 416 | 2,457 | 170 | 121 | 47 | 41 |
| 2023 | 371 | 2,862 | 98 | 70 | 28 | 26 |
| 2022 | 397 | 2,900 | 169 | 136 | 33 | 43 |
| 2021 | 348 | 2,500 | 133 | 108 | 25 | 38 |
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, archery and muzzleloader summaries, general and controlled; damage tags are not in these totals. A hunter counted on two tag types is counted twice. Per 100 hunters is worked out from ODFW's two figures.
Which elk hunts were used in Unit 44 in 2025?
General season tags: 31 hunters, 15 elk. Controlled hunts: 1 row in ODFW's table, 346 hunters, 147 elk. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 244 Columbia Plateau | Any legal weapon, controlled | 346 | 2,623 | 147 | 43% |
| Eastern Elk Archery | Archery, general | 31 | 321 | 15 | 47% |
Source: ODFW's 2025 elk harvest summaries (ODFW harvest statistics (2025)). A hunt that spans several units is split by unit in ODFW's tables; these are the Columbia Basin rows.
When is elk season in Unit 44 in 2026?
General seasons that cover the Columbia Basin Unit in 2026:
- General archery elk, Aug. 29 - Sept. 27: one elk, page 47.
- General season antlerless elk damage tag, Aug. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027 (some areas Aug. 1 - Nov. 30): one antlerless elk, page 46. All of units 15, 23, 40, 43 and 44, and the damage areas ODFW maps in parts of other units (boundaries on pages 96-97).
Controlled elk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 244 | Columbia Plateau | One elk Oct. 28 - Nov. 30, One antlerless elk Dec. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027 | Oct. 28 - Mar. 31, 2027 | 1,100 | 601 of 601 |
| 200R | Oregon Youth Bow | One elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 330 | 129 of 129 |
Source: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, pages 45 to 58; 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 44?
1.3% of the Columbia Basin Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 23,241 of 1,832,954 acres. The largest share is BLM, 14,965 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 71,854 | 3.9% |
| BLM | 14,965 | 0.8% |
| National wildlife refuge | 3,534 | 0.2% |
| State forest and trust land | 3,157 | 0.2% |
| ODFW land | 1,581 | 0.1% |
| National forest | 4 | under 0.1% |
ODFW wildlife area in the unit: Willow Creek (781 acres here).
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. Wildlife refuges set their own hunting rules.
How do you get to Unit 44?
Highways through the unit: I-84 (about 227 miles inside it), US 30 (about 144 miles inside it), OR 207 (about 113 miles inside it), OR 74 (about 64 miles inside it) and OR 19 (about 62 miles inside it). Towns inside: Pendleton, Hermiston, Umatilla, Boardman and Arlington.
Which units border Unit 44?
The Columbia Basin Unit touches 6 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest elk figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Elk hunters | Elk harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 43 Biggs | 12.3% | 275 | 131 | 2025 |
| Unit 45 Fossil | 15.3% | 1,227 | 351 | 2025 |
| Unit 48 Heppner | 34.1% | 3,939 | 708 | 2025 |
| Unit 49 Ukiah | 34.7% | 3,397 | 559 | 2025 |
| Unit 54 Mt. Emily | 44.1% | 525 | 173 | 2025 |
| Unit 55 Walla Walla | 32.8% | 300 | 109 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 44: deer hunting, pronghorn hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt elk in Unit 44 without drawing a tag?
Yes. General archery elk (Aug. 29 - Sept. 27) is open in the Columbia Basin Unit, bag limit one elk; General season antlerless elk damage tag (Aug. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027 (some areas Aug. 1 - Nov. 30)) is open in the Columbia Basin Unit, bag limit one antlerless elk, by ODFW's 2026 regulations.
How many elk are taken in Unit 44 each year?
ODFW estimates 162 in 2025, 170 in 2024 and 98 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Columbia Basin Unit across general and controlled elk tags.
How hard is it to draw hunt 244?
In ODFW's 2026 draw for hunt 244 (Columbia Plateau), 601 of 601 residents who put it first drew; the fewest points a resident drew with in the preference phase was 1. 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 44?
Pendleton, Hermiston and Umatilla are inside the unit. Just outside: Condon (on the line), Weston (on the line) and Lonerock (11 miles).
Get an Oregon hunt plan when they open
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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.
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