Unit 50 Desolation deer hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 249 deer in the Desolation Unit (50) in 2025 (238 bucks and 10 antlerless) and counted 841 deer hunters there, across 3 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 207 deer a year. The unit is 86.4% 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 forestBLMUnit 50Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 429,776 acres (672 square miles) |
| Public land | 86.4% (371,292 acres) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 249 (238 bucks) |
| Deer hunters, 2025 | 841, 5,852 days |
| Deer per 100 hunters, 2025 | 30 |
| General season | Controlled hunts only (by deer hunt area) |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 9 |
| Towns in and near it | Granite, Greenhorn and Sumpter |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 50?
ODFW's deer harvest for the Desolation Unit by year: 249 in 2025, 202 in 2024 and 201 in 2023. 30 deer were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Deer harvested | Bucks | Antlerless | Deer per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 841 | 5,852 | 249 | 238 | 10 | 30 |
| 2024 | 875 | 6,000 | 202 | 186 | 16 | 23 |
| 2023 | 936 | 6,476 | 201 | 193 | 8 | 21 |
| 2022 | 839 | 5,618 | 169 | 163 | 6 | 20 |
| 2021 | 814 | 5,644 | 216 | 210 | 6 | 27 |
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 50 in 2025?
Controlled hunts: 3 rows in ODFW's table, 841 hunters, 249 deer. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 Desolation Unit | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 525 | 2,784 | 199 | 38% |
| 150R Desolation Unit Bow | Archery, controlled | 309 | 3,050 | 45 | 14% |
| 647B Middle Fork John Day | Antlerless, controlled | 7 | 18 | 5 | 67% |
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 Desolation rows.
When is deer season in Unit 50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FX101 | Fox 01 | One buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 880 | 837 of 1,791 |
| EH101 | Elkhorn 01 Mule Deer | One mule deer buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 825 | 784 of 1,752 |
| FX101R | Fox 01 Bow | One buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 715 | 221 of 221 |
| EH101R | Elkhorn 01 Bow | One mule deer buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 512 | 170 of 170 |
| EH101-1 | Elkhorn 01 Whitetail | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 33 | 32 of 40 |
| EH101M | Elkhorn 01 Muzzleloader | One white-tailed deer | Nov. 16 - Nov. 30 | 28 | 27 of 57 |
| FX601 | Fox 01 | One antlerless white-tailed deer | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 28 | 28 of 668 |
| EH601T1 | Elkhorn 01 Youth Whitetail | One antlerless white-tailed deer | Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 | 11 | 6 of 6 |
| EH601T | Elkhorn 01 Youth | One antlerless deer | Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 | 6 | 6 of 25 |
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 50?
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 Desolation Unit is split between 2 hunt areas. The 2026 buck hunts in each:
| Hunt area | Herd range | Share of Unit 50 | 2026 buck hunts (tags) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FX-01 | Fox | 84.9% | FX101 Fox 01 (880); FX101R Fox 01 Bow (715) |
| EH-01 | Elkhorn | 15.1% | EH101 Elkhorn 01 Mule Deer (825); EH101-1 Elkhorn 01 Whitetail (33); EH101R Elkhorn 01 Bow (512); EH101M Elkhorn 01 Muzzleloader (28) |
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 50?
86.4% of the Desolation Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 371,292 of 429,776 acres. The largest share is national forest, 371,062 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 371,062 | 86.3% |
| BLM | 230 | 0.1% |
ODFW wildlife area in the unit: Bridge Creek (88 acres here). Access and Habitat area, private land open to hunters: Desolation Creek (13,486 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 50?
Highways through the unit: US 395 (about 15 miles inside it) and OR 7 (about 3 miles inside it). Towns inside: Granite.
Which units border Unit 50?
The Desolation 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 47 Northside | 40.3% | 1,055 | 297 | 2025 |
| Unit 48 Heppner | 34.1% | 2,326 | 526 | 2025 |
| Unit 49 Ukiah | 34.7% | 1,231 | 267 | 2025 |
| Unit 51 Sumpter | 45.4% | 1,181 | 470 | 2025 |
| Unit 52 Starkey | 64.4% | 797 | 162 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 50: elk hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt deer in Unit 50 without drawing a tag?
No. In 2026 every deer hunt in the Desolation Unit is a controlled hunt drawn by ODFW, now set by deer hunt area rather than unit. ODFW lists 9 controlled hunts for it in the 2026 regulations.
How many deer are taken in Unit 50 each year?
ODFW estimates 249 in 2025, 202 in 2024 and 201 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Desolation Unit across general and controlled deer tags.
What is the closest town to Unit 50?
Granite is inside the unit. Just outside: Greenhorn (on the line), Sumpter (4 miles) and Long Creek (9 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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