Unit 48 Heppner elk hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 708 elk in the Heppner Unit (48) in 2025 (553 bulls and 140 antlerless) and counted 3,939 elk hunters there, across 15 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 731 elk 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) |
| Elk harvested, 2025 | 708 (553 bulls) |
| Elk hunters, 2025 | 3,939, 24,075 days |
| Elk per 100 hunters, 2025 | 18 |
| General seasons, 2026 | General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd season |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 14 |
| Towns in and near it | Long Creek, Monument and Heppner |
How many elk are harvested in Unit 48?
ODFW's elk harvest for the Heppner Unit by year: 708 in 2025, 867 in 2024 and 575 in 2023. 18 elk were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,939 | 24,075 | 708 | 553 | 140 | 18 |
| 2024 | 3,715 | 22,295 | 867 | 690 | 171 | 23 |
| 2023 | 4,020 | 26,235 | 575 | 445 | 130 | 14 |
| 2022 | 4,217 | 27,049 | 742 | 566 | 176 | 18 |
| 2021 | 4,737 | 32,086 | 761 | 614 | 147 | 16 |
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 48 in 2025?
General season tags: 1,295 hunters, 78 elk. Controlled hunts: 14 rows in ODFW's table, 2,644 hunters, 630 elk. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mtn 2nd season | Any legal weapon, general | 1,295 | 6,877 | 78 | 6% |
| 248R2 Heppner Unit Bow No. 2 | Archery, controlled | 1,139 | 9,653 | 242 | 21% |
| 248A1 Heppner Unit No. 1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 525 | 2,120 | 154 | 29% |
| 248A2 Heppner Unit No. 2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 352 | 1,461 | 30 | 9% |
| 248B2 Ritter No. 2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 162 | 848 | 28 | 17% |
| 248R1 Heppner Unit Bow No. 1 | Archery, controlled | 112 | 1,083 | 29 | 26% |
| 248B1 Ritter No. 1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 105 | 400 | 36 | 34% |
| 248C Monument | Any legal weapon, controlled | 66 | 454 | 32 | 49% |
| 248T Heppner Unit Youth | Any legal weapon, controlled | 42 | 271 | 23 | 56% |
| 247D1 Northside - Ritter Private No.1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 37 | 332 | 13 | 36% |
| 248D Heppner Unit | Any legal weapon, controlled | 34 | 149 | 19 | 56% |
| 248M Pole Cr Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 26 | 160 | 11 | 42% |
| 247D2 Northside - Ritter Private No.2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 15 | 88 | 9 | 60% |
| 200R Oregon Youth Bow | Archery, controlled | 15 | 95 | 1 | 8% |
| 248E Willow Creek | Any legal weapon, controlled | 14 | 84 | 3 | 23% |
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 Heppner rows.
When is elk season in Unit 48 in 2026?
General seasons that cover the Heppner Unit in 2026:
- General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd season elk, Nov. 7 - Nov. 15: one spike elk (only in the part of the unit north and west of the N Fork John Day Rvr), page 45.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 248R2 | Heppner Unit Bow No. 2 | One bull elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 1,430 | 253 of 255 |
| 248A2 | Heppner Unit No. 2 | One spike elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 660 | 212 of 212 |
| 247D1 | Northside - Ritter Private No. 1 | One antlerless elk | Aug. 1 - Dec. 31 | 660 | 239 of 239 |
| 248A1 | Heppner Unit No. 1 | One bull elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 605 | 575 of 2,693 |
| 200R | Oregon Youth Bow | One elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 330 | 129 of 129 |
| 248B2 | Ritter No. 2 | One elk | Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 | 220 | 91 of 91 |
| 247D2 | Northside - Ritter Private No. 2 | One antlerless elk | Jan. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027 | 165 | 44 of 44 |
| 248B1 | Ritter No. 1 | One elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 138 | 84 of 84 |
| 248R1 | Heppner Unit Bow No. 1 | One elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 121 | 117 of 456 |
| 248C | Monument | One antlerless elk | Aug. 1 - Dec. 31 | 99 | 58 of 58 |
| 248T | Heppner Unit Youth | One antlerless elk | Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 | 50 | 49 of 157 |
| 248D | Heppner Unit | One antlerless elk | Nov. 21 - Nov. 29 | 33 | 33 of 341 |
| 248M | Pole Cr Muzzleloader | One bull elk | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 27 | 26 of 198 |
| 248E | Willow Cr | One antlerless elk | Dec. 1 - Dec. 31 | 22 | 5 of 5 |
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 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 elk figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Elk hunters | Elk harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 44 Columbia Basin | 1.3% | 377 | 162 | 2025 |
| Unit 45 Fossil | 15.3% | 1,227 | 351 | 2025 |
| Unit 47 Northside | 40.3% | 2,374 | 466 | 2025 |
| Unit 49 Ukiah | 34.7% | 3,397 | 559 | 2025 |
| Unit 50 Desolation | 86.4% | 2,128 | 283 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 48: deer hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt elk in Unit 48 without drawing a tag?
Yes. General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd season elk (Nov. 7 - Nov. 15) is open in the part of the unit north and west of the N Fork John Day Rvr, bag limit one spike elk, by ODFW's 2026 regulations.
How many elk are taken in Unit 48 each year?
ODFW estimates 708 in 2025, 867 in 2024 and 575 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Heppner Unit across general and controlled elk tags.
How hard is it to draw hunt 248R2?
In ODFW's 2026 draw for hunt 248R2 (Heppner Unit Bow No. 2), 253 of 255 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 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
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.
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