Unit 53 Catherine Creek deer hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 201 deer in the Catherine Creek Unit (53) in 2025 (196 bucks and 5 antlerless) and counted 623 deer hunters there, across 3 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 166 deer a year. The unit is 24.2% 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 53Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 424,656 acres (664 square miles) |
| Public land | 24.2% (102,974 acres) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 201 (196 bucks) |
| Deer hunters, 2025 | 623, 4,301 days |
| Deer per 100 hunters, 2025 | 32 |
| General season | Controlled hunts only (by deer hunt area) |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 14 |
| Towns in and near it | Union, Island City, Cove and Imbler |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 53?
ODFW's deer harvest for the Catherine Creek Unit by year: 201 in 2025, 187 in 2024 and 176 in 2023. 32 deer were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Deer harvested | Bucks | Antlerless | Deer per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 623 | 4,301 | 201 | 196 | 5 | 32 |
| 2024 | 681 | 4,844 | 187 | 179 | 8 | 27 |
| 2023 | 622 | 3,991 | 176 | 172 | 4 | 28 |
| 2022 | 478 | 2,672 | 139 | 135 | 4 | 29 |
| 2021 | 517 | 3,611 | 128 | 127 | 1 | 25 |
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 53 in 2025?
Controlled hunts: 3 rows in ODFW's table, 623 hunters, 201 deer. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 153 Catherine Cr Unit | Any legal weapon buck, controlled | 292 | 1,250 | 129 | 44% |
| 153R Catherine Cr Unit Bow | Archery, controlled | 273 | 2,811 | 58 | 21% |
| 152M Grande Ronde Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 58 | 240 | 14 | 25% |
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 Catherine Creek rows.
When is deer season in Unit 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE101 | Northeast 01 Mule Deer | One mule deer buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 1,100 | 1,045 of 1,792 |
| SW102R | South Wallowas 02 Bow Mule Deer | One mule deer buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 935 | 177 of 177 |
| SW102 | South Wallowas 02 Mule Deer | One mule deer buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 704 | 669 of 2,439 |
| NE101-1 | Northeast 01 Whitetail | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 660 | 310 of 310 |
| NE601 | Wallowa Valley | One antlerless white-tailed deer | Sep. 1 - Jan. 31, 2027 | 528 | 524 of 1,036 |
| NE101R | Northeast 01 Bow Mule Deer | One mule deer buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 330 | 120 of 120 |
| NE101R1 | Northeast 01 Bow Whitetail | One white-tailed deer | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 319 | 42 of 42 |
| NE101M | Northeast 01 Muzzleloader Whitetail | One white-tailed deer CWD Sampling Required | Dec. 1 - Dec. 15 | 275 | 66 of 66 |
| SW102M | South Wallowas 02 Muzzleloader | One white-tailed deer | Nov. 16 - Nov. 30 | 77 | 63 of 66 |
| NE101-2 | Late Wallowa Valley Whitetail | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | Nov. 16 - Nov. 25 | 55 | 53 of 148 |
| SW102-1 | South Wallowas 02 Whitetail | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | Oct. 3 - Oct. 14 | 33 | 33 of 44 |
| SW102R1 | South Wallowas 02 Bow Whitetail | One white-tailed deer buck with visible antler | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 28 | 13 of 13 |
| SW602T1 | South Wallowas 02 Youth Whitetail | One antlerless white-tailed deer | Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 | 22 | 21 of 23 |
| SW602T | South Wallowas 02 Youth | One antlerless deer | Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 | 11 | 11 of 45 |
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 53?
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 Catherine Creek Unit is split between 2 hunt areas. The 2026 buck hunts in each:
| Hunt area | Herd range | Share of Unit 53 | 2026 buck hunts (tags) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW-02 | South Wallowas | 65.4% | SW102 South Wallowas 02 Mule Deer (704); SW102-1 South Wallowas 02 Whitetail (33); SW102R South Wallowas 02 Bow Mule Deer (935); SW102R1 South Wallowas 02 Bow Whitetail (28); SW102M South Wallowas 02 Muzzleloader (77) |
| NE-01 | Northeast | 34.6% | NE101 Northeast 01 Mule Deer (1,100); NE101-1 Northeast 01 Whitetail (660); NE101-2 Late Wallowa Valley Whitetail (55); NE101R Northeast 01 Bow Mule Deer (330); NE101R1 Northeast 01 Bow Whitetail (319); NE101M Northeast 01 Muzzleloader Whitetail (275) |
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 53?
24.2% of the Catherine Creek Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 102,974 of 424,656 acres. The largest share is national forest, 93,655 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 93,655 | 22.1% |
| BLM | 5,678 | 1.3% |
| ODFW land | 2,547 | 0.6% |
| State forest and trust land | 890 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 204 | under 0.1% |
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 185 | under 0.1% |
ODFW wildlife areas in the unit: Ladd Marsh (3,815 acres here) and Minam (1,411 acres here). Access and Habitat area, private land open to hunters: Glass Hill (22 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 53?
Highways through the unit: OR 82 (about 74 miles inside it), OR 237 (about 63 miles inside it), OR 203 (about 42 miles inside it), I-84 (about 42 miles inside it) and US 30 (about 18 miles inside it). Towns inside: Union, Island City, Cove and North Powder.
Which units border Unit 53?
The Catherine Creek Unit touches 7 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest deer figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Deer hunters | Deer harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 51 Sumpter | 45.4% | 1,181 | 470 | 2025 |
| Unit 52 Starkey | 64.4% | 797 | 162 | 2025 |
| Unit 54 Mt. Emily | 44.1% | 591 | 226 | 2025 |
| Unit 56 Wenaha | 73% | 451 | 188 | 2025 |
| Unit 57 Sled Springs | 20.9% | 1,552 | 709 | 2025 |
| Unit 60 Minam | 73.4% | 506 | 294 | 2025 |
| Unit 63 Keating | 57.3% | 486 | 234 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 53: elk hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt deer in Unit 53 without drawing a tag?
No. In 2026 every deer hunt in the Catherine Creek 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 53 each year?
ODFW estimates 201 in 2025, 187 in 2024 and 176 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Catherine Creek Unit across general and controlled deer tags.
What is the closest town to Unit 53?
Union, Island City and Cove are inside the unit. Just outside: Imbler (on the line), Elgin (on the line) and La Grande (on the line).
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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