Willow Creek Wildlife Area: hunting rules, map and access
Willow Creek Wildlife Area is 781 acres of land managed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in the Columbia Basin Unit (44), by ODFW's mapped boundary. ODFW's 2026 rule for the area begins: "Discharge of firearms is prohibited except during game bird, game mammal, furbearer seasons, or for the hunting of nongame, non-protected wildlife."
Data updated October 2026. Rules: ODFW's 2026 regulations, page 89. Boundary: ODFW. Land around it: USGS PAD-US 4.1.
National wildlife refugeNational forestBLMODFW landState forest and trust landWillow Creek Wildlife AreaUnit lineLake, reservoir or riverHighway
| Size | 781 acres (ODFW boundary, measured) |
|---|---|
| Units | 44 Columbia Basin |
| ODFW zone | Northeast |
| First rule | Discharge of firearms is prohibited except during game bird, game mammal, furbearer seasons, or for the hunting of nongame, non-protected wildlife |
| Nearest towns | Arlington (9 mi), Boardman (15 mi) and Ione (20 mi) |
What is Willow Creek Wildlife Area?
The Columbia Basin Wildlife Areas are a composition of four Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (department) managed wildlife areas located along the Columbia River, in the Columbia Basin. The four wildlife areas (Power City, Irrigon, Coyote Springs and Willow Creek) are within the Columbia Plateau ecoregion. Management agreements for these areas were initially established between 1971 and 1977 between the department and Federal agencies which own the lands. The Columbia Basin Wildlife Areas, which total approximately 1,885 acres, provide an important landbase for the conservation and recreation of fish and wildlife within a highly privatized and altered landscape and play an important role for the fall and spring migrations of waterfowl in addition to resident upland game bird production.
From ODFW's Willow Creek Wildlife Area page.
What are the hunting rules on Willow Creek Wildlife Area?
Discharge of firearms is prohibited except during game bird, game mammal, furbearer seasons, or for the hunting of nongame, non-protected wildlife. ODFW parking permit is required (see pg 89 for more information).
ODFW's 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 89, under unit 44. ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations.
Which hunting units is Willow Creek Wildlife Area in?
All of Willow Creek lies in Unit 44. ODFW's latest elk and deer harvest for the whole unit, not the wildlife area alone:
| Unit | Wildlife area acres in it | Elk harvested (unit) | Deer harvested (unit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 44 Columbia Basin | 781 | 162 (2025) | 932 (2025) |
Harvest: ODFW harvest statistics (2020 to 2025). Acres in each unit measured by FilledTag from ODFW's boundaries.
How do you get to Willow Creek Wildlife Area?
Highways within 8 miles: US 30, I-84, OR 74 and OR 207. Nearest towns: Arlington (9 miles), Boardman (15 miles), Ione (20 miles) and Irrigon (26 miles).
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Willow Creek Wildlife Area?
ODFW's 2026 regulations set these rules for Willow Creek: Discharge of firearms is prohibited except during game bird, game mammal, furbearer seasons, or for the hunting of nongame, non-protected wildlife. ODFW parking permit is required (see pg 89 for more information). Hunting seasons follow the unit the ground is in.
Which unit is Willow Creek Wildlife Area in?
All of it is in the Columbia Basin Unit (44).
What towns are near Willow Creek Wildlife Area?
Arlington (9 miles), Boardman (15 miles) and Ione (20 miles), measured to the area's edge.
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 facts come from
- Rules: ODFW 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, page 89.
- Boundary and acres: ODFW Wildlife Areas (Compass dataset). Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land by manager, 2025).
- Unit harvest: ODFW harvest statistics (2020 to 2025).
FilledTag is not part of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.