Unit 48 Heppner deer hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 526 deer in the Heppner Unit (48) in 2025 (487 bucks and 38 antlerless) and counted 2,326 deer hunters there, across 8 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 541 deer a year. The unit is 34.1% 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 forestBLMODFW landState forest and trust landOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 48Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 922,346 acres (1,441 square miles) |
| Public land | 34.1% (314,922 acres) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 526 (487 bucks) |
| Deer hunters, 2025 | 2,326, 13,959 days |
| Deer per 100 hunters, 2025 | 23 |
| General season | Controlled hunts only (by deer hunt area) |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 14 |
| Towns in and near it | Long Creek, Monument and Heppner |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 48?
ODFW's deer harvest for the Heppner Unit by year: 526 in 2025, 579 in 2024 and 564 in 2023. 23 deer were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Deer harvested | Bucks | Antlerless | Deer per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,326 | 13,959 | 526 | 487 | 38 | 23 |
| 2024 | 2,228 | 12,968 | 579 | 533 | 46 | 26 |
| 2023 | 2,806 | 16,815 | 564 | 519 | 45 | 20 |
| 2022 | 2,422 | 14,414 | 428 | 389 | 39 | 18 |
| 2021 | 2,798 | 16,346 | 608 | 559 | 49 | 22 |
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 48 in 2025?
Controlled hunts: 8 rows in ODFW's table, 2,326 hunters, 526 deer. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 148 Heppner Unit No. 1 | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 1,658 | 8,274 | 392 | 24% |
| 148R Heppner Unit Bow | Archery, controlled | 456 | 4,664 | 43 | 9% |
| 148M Ditch Cr Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 145 | 829 | 42 | 29% |
| 648A Heppner Private | Antlerless, controlled | 31 | 80 | 22 | 71% |
| 648T Morrow - Gilliam Co Youth | Antlerless, controlled | 12 | 25 | 10 | 80% |
| 148A Heppner Unit No. 2 | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 11 | 37 | 9 | 89% |
| 649B W Blue Mtns | Antlerless, controlled | 11 | 45 | 7 | 67% |
| 644T2 Umatilla Co Private Youth | Antlerless, controlled | 2 | 5 | 1 | 50% |
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 Heppner rows.
When is deer season in Unit 48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NB102 | North Blues 02 | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 2,420 | 1,224 of 1,224 |
| FX103 | Fox 03 | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 1,980 | 1,900 of 2,260 |
| FX102 | Fox 02 | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 1,210 | 1,153 of 1,857 |
| FX101 | Fox 01 | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 880 | 837 of 1,791 |
| FX102R | Fox 02 Bow | One buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 770 | 203 of 203 |
| FX103R | Fox 03 Bow | One buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 770 | 210 of 210 |
| FX101R | Fox 01 Bow | One buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 715 | 221 of 221 |
| NB102R | North Blues 02 Bow | One buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 440 | 43 of 43 |
| FX103M | Fox 03 Muzzleloader | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 242 | 236 of 269 |
| NB602T | North Blues 02 Youth | One antlerless deer | Nov. 21 - Dec. 6 | 50 | 50 of 59 |
| FX601 | Fox 01 | One antlerless white-tailed deer | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 28 | 28 of 668 |
| FX603 | Fox 03 Private | One antlerless deer | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 22 | 22 of 184 |
| NB602 | North Blues 02 Private | One antlerless deer | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 22 | 22 of 316 |
| FX103-1 | Late Fox 03 | One buck with visible antler | Nov. 21 - Nov. 29 | 11 | 10 of 1,120 |
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 48?
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, the Heppner Unit is split between 4 hunt areas. The 2026 buck hunts in each:
| Hunt area | Herd range | Share of Unit 48 | 2026 buck hunts (tags) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FX-03 | Fox | 41.3% | FX103 Fox 03 (1,980); FX103-1 Late Fox 03 (11); FX103R Fox 03 Bow (770); FX103M Fox 03 Muzzleloader (242) |
| NB-02 | North Blues | 38.9% | NB102 North Blues 02 (2,420); NB102R North Blues 02 Bow (440) |
| FX-02 | Fox | 12% | FX102 Fox 02 (1,210); FX102R Fox 02 Bow (770) |
| FX-01 | Fox | 7.8% | FX101 Fox 01 (880); FX101R Fox 01 Bow (715) |
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 48?
34.1% of the Heppner Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 314,922 of 922,346 acres. The largest share is national forest, 252,949 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 252,949 | 27.4% |
| BLM | 59,990 | 6.5% |
| State forest and trust land | 1,676 | 0.2% |
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 1,432 | 0.2% |
| ODFW land | 307 | under 0.1% |
ODFW wildlife area in the unit: Bridge Creek (161 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.
How do you get to Unit 48?
Highways through the unit: US 395 (about 51 miles inside it), OR 207 (about 41 miles inside it), OR 402 (about 40 miles inside it), OR 74 (about 20 miles inside it) and OR 19 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns inside: Long Creek and Monument.
Which units border Unit 48?
The Heppner Unit touches 5 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest deer figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Deer hunters | Deer harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 44 Columbia Basin | 1.3% | 1,525 | 932 | 2025 |
| Unit 45 Fossil | 15.3% | 1,300 | 414 | 2025 |
| Unit 47 Northside | 40.3% | 1,055 | 297 | 2025 |
| Unit 49 Ukiah | 34.7% | 1,231 | 267 | 2025 |
| Unit 50 Desolation | 86.4% | 841 | 249 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 48: elk hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt deer in Unit 48 without drawing a tag?
No. In 2026 every deer hunt in the Heppner Unit is a controlled hunt drawn by ODFW, now set by deer hunt area rather than unit. ODFW lists 14 controlled hunts for it in the 2026 regulations.
How many deer are taken in Unit 48 each year?
ODFW estimates 526 in 2025, 579 in 2024 and 564 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Heppner Unit across general and controlled deer tags.
What is the closest town to Unit 48?
Long Creek and Monument are inside the unit. Just outside: Heppner (on the line), Ukiah (on the line) and Spray (2 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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