Unit 69 Steens Mountain elk hunting: harvest, hunts and 2026 seasons
ODFW estimates hunters took 10 elk in the Steens Mountain Unit (69) in 2025 (7 bulls and 4 antlerless) and counted 112 elk hunters there, across 4 general seasons and controlled hunts. ODFW's figures for 2021 to 2025 average 17 elk a year. The unit is 63.7% public land, most of it BLM, 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 wildlife refugeBLMState forest and trust landOther public (city, county, parks, military)Unit 69Neighboring unitsLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| ODFW zone | Southeast |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,224,481 acres (1,913 square miles) |
| Public land | 63.7% (779,778 acres) |
| Elk harvested, 2025 | 10 (7 bulls) |
| Elk hunters, 2025 | 112, 640 days |
| Elk per 100 hunters, 2025 | 9 |
| General seasons, 2026 | General archery |
| 2026 controlled hunts listed here | 5 |
| Towns in and near it | Burns and Hines |
How many elk are harvested in Unit 69?
ODFW's elk harvest for the Steens Mountain Unit by year: 10 in 2025, 14 in 2024 and 20 in 2023. 9 elk were taken for every 100 hunters in 2025.
| Year | Hunters | Days hunted | Elk harvested | Bulls | Antlerless | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 112 | 640 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
| 2024 | 133 | 708 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 11 |
| 2023 | 128 | 621 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 16 |
| 2022 | 153 | 867 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 12 |
| 2021 | 175 | 928 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 14 |
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 69 in 2025?
General season tags: 31 hunters, 5 elk. Controlled hunts: 3 rows in ODFW's table, 81 hunters, 5 elk. ODFW's own row for each, 2025:
| Hunt or season | Tag type | Hunters | Days | Harvested | ODFW success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278A2 High Desert No. 2 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 35 | 204 | 3 | 8% |
| Eastern Elk Archery | Archery, general | 31 | 220 | 5 | 18% |
| 278A1 High Desert No. 1 | Any legal weapon, controlled | 30 | 139 | 1 | 5% |
| 278M High Desert Muzzleloader | Muzzleloader, controlled | 16 | 77 | 1 | 8% |
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 Steens Mountain rows.
When is elk season in Unit 69 in 2026?
General seasons that cover the Steens Mountain Unit in 2026:
- General archery elk, Aug. 29 - Sept. 27: one elk, page 47.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278A1 | High Desert No. 1 | One elk | Oct. 28 - Nov. 3 | 440 | 412 of 413 |
| 278A2 | High Desert No. 2 | One elk | Nov. 7 - Nov. 15 | 440 | 418 of 507 |
| 200R | Oregon Youth Bow | One elk | Aug. 29 - Sep. 27 | 330 | 129 of 129 |
| 278M | High Desert Muzzleloader | One elk | Oct. 17 - Oct. 25 | 138 | 60 of 60 |
| 278T | High Desert Youth | One antlerless elk | Aug. 15 - Dec. 31 | 11 | 10 of 16 |
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 69?
63.7% of the Steens Mountain Unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 779,778 of 1,224,481 acres. The largest share is BLM, 599,864 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of unit |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 599,864 | 49% |
| National wildlife refuge | 120,995 | 9.9% |
| State forest and trust land | 58,919 | 4.8% |
| Other public (city, county, parks, military) | 2 | under 0.1% |
Access and Habitat areas, private land open to hunters: Otley (15,338 acres here), Alvord (7,849 acres here), Kueny (6,383 acres here) and Lawen (4,225 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. Wildlife refuges set their own hunting rules.
How do you get to Unit 69?
Highways through the unit: OR 205 (about 128 miles inside it) and OR 78 (about 23 miles inside it).
Which units border Unit 69?
The Steens Mountain Unit touches 4 other units. Their public land and ODFW's latest elk figures, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | Elk hunters | Elk harvested | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 66 Malheur River | 67.7% | 1,598 | 266 | 2025 |
| Unit 68 Whitehorse | 90.4% | 96 | 19 | 2025 |
| Unit 70 Beatys Butte | 82.5% | 3 | 0 | 2025 |
| Unit 71 Juniper | 88.7% | 99 | 6 | 2025 |
Also for Unit 69: deer hunting, pronghorn hunting.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt elk in Unit 69 without drawing a tag?
Yes. General archery elk (Aug. 29 - Sept. 27) is open in the Steens Mountain Unit, bag limit one elk, by ODFW's 2026 regulations.
How many elk are taken in Unit 69 each year?
ODFW estimates 10 in 2025, 14 in 2024 and 20 in 2023, adding up its rows for the Steens Mountain Unit across general and controlled elk tags.
How hard is it to draw hunt 278A2?
In ODFW's 2026 draw for hunt 278A2 (High Desert No. 2), 418 of 507 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 69?
No town is inside it. The nearest are Burns (2 miles) and Hines (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 Southeast zone Unit 66 elk Unit 68 elk Unit 71 elk