Unit 51 Sumpter elk hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 367 elk in the Sumpter Unit (51) in 2025 (234 bulls and 132 antlerless) and counted 1,847 elk hunters there, across 14 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 362 elk a year. The unit is 45.4% 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 forestBLMODFW landState forest and trust landBureau of ReclamationOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 51Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 976,715 acres (1,526 square miles) |
| Public land | 45.4% (443,346 acres) |
| Elk harvested, 2025 | 367 (234 bulls) |
| Elk hunters, 2025 | 1,847, 10,878 days |
| Elk per 100 hunters, 2025 | 20 |
| General seasons, 2026 | General archery and General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd season |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 12 |
| Towns in and near it | Baker City, Sumpter, Haines and North Powder |
How many elk are harvested in Unit 51?
ODFW's elk harvest for the Sumpter Unit by year: 367 in 2025, 435 in 2024 and 323 in 2023. 20 elk were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,847 | 10,878 | 367 | 234 | 132 | 20 |
| 2024 | 1,916 | 12,047 | 435 | 290 | 138 | 23 |
| 2023 | 1,936 | 12,404 | 323 | 208 | 115 | 17 |
| 2022 | 1,991 | 12,661 | 368 | 237 | 131 | 18 |
| 2021 | 2,046 | 12,674 | 319 | 216 | 103 | 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 51 in 2025?
General season tags: 389 hunters, 53 elk. Controlled hunts: 12 rows in ODFW's table, 1,458 hunters, 314 elk. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251A N Sumpter | Any legal weapon, controlled | 569 | 2,308 | 94 | 17% |
| 251R N Sumpter Bow | Archery, controlled | 414 | 3,737 | 66 | 16% |
| Rocky Mtn 2nd season | Any legal weapon, general | 316 | 1,548 | 18 | 6% |
| 251C S Sumpter | Any legal weapon, controlled | 127 | 892 | 21 | 16% |
| 251B2 S Sumpter No. 2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 114 | 525 | 50 | 44% |
| 251B1 S Sumpter No. 1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 84 | 291 | 28 | 33% |
| Eastern Elk Archery | Archery, general | 73 | 609 | 35 | 48% |
| 251T Baker Youth | Any legal weapon, controlled | 71 | 356 | 36 | 51% |
| 251M1 Elkhorn No. 1 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 24 | 237 | 11 | 47% |
| 251D2 Elkhorn Mtn No. 2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 20 | 106 | 4 | 18% |
| 251D1 Elkhorn Mtn No. 1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 17 | 94 | 3 | 20% |
| 251M2 Elkhorn No. 2 Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 9 | 91 | 1 | 14% |
| 250R2 N Fork Traditional Bow | Archery, controlled | 5 | 41 | 0 | 0% |
| 200R Oregon Youth Bow | Archery, controlled | 4 | 43 | 0 | 0% |
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 Sumpter rows.
When is elk season in Unit 51 in 2026?
General seasons that cover the Sumpter Unit in 2026:
- General archery elk, Aug. 29 - Sept. 27: one elk (only in the southern portion of the unit (ODFW's S Sumpter description, page 100)), page 47.
- General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd season elk, Nov. 7 - Nov. 15: one spike elk (only in the part of the unit north of Hwy 245 and Burnt Rvr Canyon Rd between Unity and Durkee), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251A | N Sumpter | One bull elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 825 | 784 of 1,075 |
| 251R | N Sumpter Bow | One elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 583 | 266 of 269 |
| 200R | Oregon Youth Bow | One elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 330 | 129 of 129 |
| 251C | S Sumpter | One antlerless elk | Oct. 17 - Dec. 31 | 193 | 101 of 101 |
| 251B1 | S Sumpter No. 1 | One elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 138 | 80 of 82 |
| 251B2 | S Sumpter No. 2 | One elk | Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 | 138 | 100 of 100 |
| 250R2 | N Fork Traditional Bow (Traditional Bow Only) | One elk | Aug. 29 - Oct. 2 | 110 | 31 of 31 |
| 251T | Baker Youth | One antlerless elk | Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 | 100 | 95 of 146 |
| 251M2 | Elkhorn No. 2 Muzzleloader | One antlerless elk | Oct. 16 - Dec. 31 | 55 | 3 of 3 |
| 251M1 | Elkhorn No. 1 Muzzleloader | One antlerless elk | Aug. 1 - Oct. 15 | 55 | 14 of 14 |
| 251D1 | Elkhorn Mtn No. 1 | One antlerless elk | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 22 | 21 of 57 |
| 251D2 | Elkhorn Mtn No. 2 | One antlerless elk | Nov. 21 - Nov. 29 | 22 | 22 of 51 |
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 51?
45.4% of the Sumpter Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 443,346 of 976,715 acres. The largest share is national forest, 305,302 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 305,302 | 31.3% |
| BLM | 134,753 | 13.8% |
| ODFW land | 2,335 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 680 | 0.1% |
| State forest and trust land | 276 | under 0.1% |
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 235 | under 0.1% |
ODFW wildlife area in the unit: Elkhorn (3,866 acres here). Access and Habitat areas, private land open to hunters: Foster Ranch (7,556 acres here), MR King Ranches (2,955 acres here) and Troy Ranches (1,646 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 51?
Highways through the unit: I-84 (about 159 miles inside it), US 30 (about 79 miles inside it), OR 245 (about 57 miles inside it), OR 7 (about 49 miles inside it) and US 26 (about 24 miles inside it). Towns inside: Baker City, Sumpter, Haines, Unity and Greenhorn.
Which units border Unit 51?
The Sumpter Unit touches 7 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest elk figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Elk hunters | Elk harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 47 Northside | 40.3% | 2,374 | 466 | 2025 |
| Unit 50 Desolation | 86.4% | 2,128 | 283 | 2025 |
| Unit 52 Starkey | 64.4% | 3,348 | 694 | 2025 |
| Unit 53 Catherine Creek | 24.2% | 1,171 | 303 | 2025 |
| Unit 63 Keating | 57.3% | 686 | 133 | 2025 |
| Unit 64 Lookout Mountain | 37.8% | 736 | 207 | 2025 |
| Unit 65 Beulah | 56.5% | 1,940 | 383 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 51: deer hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt elk in Unit 51 without drawing a tag?
Yes. General archery elk (Aug. 29 - Sept. 27) is open in the southern portion of the unit (ODFW's S Sumpter description, page 100), bag limit one elk; General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd season elk (Nov. 7 - Nov. 15) is open in the part of the unit north of Hwy 245 and Burnt Rvr Canyon Rd between Unity and Durkee, bag limit one spike elk, by ODFW's 2026 regulations.
How many elk are taken in Unit 51 each year?
ODFW estimates 367 in 2025, 435 in 2024 and 323 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Sumpter Unit across general and controlled elk tags.
How hard is it to draw hunt 251A?
In ODFW's 2026 draw for hunt 251A (N Sumpter), 784 of 1,075 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 51?
Baker City, Sumpter and Haines are inside the unit. Just outside: North Powder (on the line), Huntington (on the line) and Granite (5 miles).
Get an Oregon hunt plan when they open
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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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