Unit 55 Walla Walla elk hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 109 elk in the Walla Walla Unit (55) in 2025 (104 bulls and 3 antlerless) and counted 300 elk hunters there, across 7 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 93 elk a year. The unit is 32.8% 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 55Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 195,742 acres (306 square miles) |
| Public land | 32.8% (64,270 acres) |
| Elk harvested, 2025 | 109 (104 bulls) |
| Elk hunters, 2025 | 300, 1,704 days |
| Elk per 100 hunters, 2025 | 36 |
| General season | Controlled hunts only |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 7 |
| Towns in and near it | Milton-Freewater, Weston and Athena |
How many elk are harvested in Unit 55?
ODFW's elk harvest for the Walla Walla Unit by year: 109 in 2025, 95 in 2024 and 86 in 2023. 36 elk were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 300 | 1,704 | 109 | 104 | 3 | 36 |
| 2024 | 377 | 2,133 | 95 | 93 | 2 | 25 |
| 2023 | 330 | 1,846 | 86 | 86 | 0 | 26 |
| 2022 | 345 | 1,890 | 87 | 87 | 0 | 25 |
| 2021 | 379 | 2,125 | 90 | 81 | 9 | 24 |
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 55 in 2025?
Controlled hunts: 7 rows in ODFW's table, 300 hunters, 109 elk. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 255X Walla Walla Unit No. 1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 116 | 417 | 28 | 24% |
| 255Y2 Walla Walla Unit No. 3 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 78 | 316 | 32 | 41% |
| 255R1 Walla Walla Unit Bow No. 1 | Archery, controlled | 30 | 408 | 17 | 58% |
| 255Y1 Walla Walla Unit No. 2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 27 | 220 | 22 | 83% |
| 255R2 Walla Walla Unit Bow No. 2 | Archery, controlled | 26 | 194 | 2 | 9% |
| 255A Mill Cr Watershed | Any legal weapon, controlled | 19 | 115 | 6 | 33% |
| 244T Umatilla Youth | Any legal weapon, controlled | 4 | 34 | 2 | 67% |
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 Walla Walla rows.
When is elk season in Unit 55 in 2026?
Every elk hunt here is a controlled hunt in 2026.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 255X | Walla Walla Unit No. 1 | One spike elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 | 264 | 78 of 81 |
| 255Y2 | Walla Walla Unit No. 3 | One spike elk | Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 | 138 | 33 of 33 |
| 255R2 | Walla Walla Unit Bow No. 2 | One spike elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 44 | 11 of 11 |
| 255R1 | Walla Walla Unit Bow No. 1 | One bull elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 27 | 26 of 853 |
| 255Y1 | Walla Walla Unit No. 2 | One bull elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 15 | 26 | 25 of 1,613 |
| 255A | Mill Cr Watershed | One elk | Oct. 31 - Nov. 8 | 21 | 20 of 239 |
| 255T | Walla Walla Unit Youth | One antlerless elk | Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 | 11 | 10 of 29 |
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 55?
32.8% of the Walla Walla Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 64,270 of 195,742 acres. The largest share is national forest, 61,533 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 61,533 | 31.4% |
| BLM | 2,737 | 1.4% |
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 55?
Highways through the unit: OR 204 (about 8 miles inside it) and OR 11 (about 2 miles inside it).
Which units border Unit 55?
The Walla Walla Unit touches 3 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 54 Mt. Emily | 44.1% | 525 | 173 | 2025 |
| Unit 56 Wenaha | 73% | 362 | 103 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 55: deer hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt elk in Unit 55 without drawing a tag?
No. In 2026 every elk hunt in the Walla Walla Unit is a controlled hunt drawn by ODFW. ODFW lists 7 controlled hunts for it in the 2026 regulations.
How many elk are taken in Unit 55 each year?
ODFW estimates 109 in 2025, 95 in 2024 and 86 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Walla Walla Unit across general and controlled elk tags.
How hard is it to draw hunt 255X?
In ODFW's 2026 draw for hunt 255X (Walla Walla Unit No. 1), 78 of 81 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 55?
No town is inside it. The nearest are Milton-Freewater (on the line), Weston (on the line) and Athena (3 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.
Oregon hunting Northeast zone Unit 44 elk Unit 54 elk Unit 56 elk