Application Strategy 2024: Oregon deer

OREGON'S 2024 DEER APPLICATION OVERVIEW

Note: The application deadline in Oregon for all species is May 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PT and all applications must be submitted online or at a licensed sales agent.

NEW FOR 2024

For the 2024 season, there’s a couple of new additions for both the late season whitetail hunts and the youth buck hunts, which are listed below. Oddly enough, license and tag fees have stayed the same.  

Antlerless opportunities

Remember that GOHUNT has Draw Odds for all female species.

STATE INFORMATION

To view more important information including a state overview of Oregon’s rules/regulations, the draw system, draw odds and license fee go to the Oregon state profile. It also includes an interactive map where you can research unit boundaries and data on a unit by unit basis.

Important dates and information

* Tag fees only required if you are successful in the draw.

SNOWPACK IN OREGON

2024

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For 2024, Oregon has seen another great year of snow and moisture. This makes two years in a row where every portion of the state is 90% or better and most of the state is greater than 130%. One year of this kind of moisture is great, but two years in a row will be extremely beneficial to the struggling deer herds. If this moisture pattern continues, there should be plenty of sustainable forage and water throughout the summer and fall months.

2023

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CURRENT DROUGHT STATUS

2024

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The drought outlook has shown even more improvement from 2023. I would expect this to get better at least for the next month or so with the expected runoff. The very central part of the state is still in the most need of water, but way better than last year. Two years in a row of great moisture is working wonders for this state. Going into the 2024 hunting seasons, I would expect to see a big improvement on antler growth and overall herd health.

2023

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THE OREGON DRAW SYSTEM

Understanding the draw

Oregon’s deer draw works on a preference point hybrid system. There is both a preference point and a random draw portion. Out of the total tags, 75% are allocated to the highest point holders who apply for any given hunt and the other 25% are randomly allocated with no weight given to the number of points that you have. On the random side of that draw, every applicant is on a level playing field for those tags. Note: if there are only three or less for any particular hunt, there will be no random tags available. 

Another thing to understand is the tag distribution between residents and nonresidents. 95% of the tags are allocated for resident applicants and the remaining 5% are allocated for nonresident applicants. It’s not very generous for the nonresident pool, but there are plenty of hunts with enough tags to satisfy the hybrid draw system (75/25). Meaning, that in most cases, there’s always a chance. 

Preference point only

If applicants wish to build points only, then they can apply with the point only code as their first choice. In this scenario, applicants will use the point saver code 199 for antlered deer and 699 for antlerless as their first choice. If you miss the main draw, then preference points can be purchased from July 1 through Nov 30. 

Choices

Oregon will allow applicants to enter five hunt choices. Every applicant's first choice is considered before moving to an applicant's second choice, so on and so forth. Preference points are only purged if an applicant draws their first choice. If you apply with the point saver code as your first choice, then you cannot put a second through fifth choice on your application. There is no waiting period for reapplying for deer if you drew a tag the previous year. 

Group applications

Oregon will allow group applications for deer of any size. A group application will have their points averaged and will round up to the next whole number if the average is .51 or above and down to the whole number if the average is .50 or below. A group application is treated as a single application where, if selected, all applicants will receive a tag provided there are enough tags to satisfy the size of the group. If there are not enough tags, no one on that application will receive a tag. 

Purchasing tags and tag return

If you are successful in drawing a tag, you have up until the day before the earliest hunt starts to purchase the tag. Once you have purchased the tag, you cannot return the tag for a refund. If you draw your first choice, your preference points will be purged so make sure you actually want the permit you apply for.

Oregon's premium hunts 

In addition to the regular controlled hunt drawing, Oregon offers a separate draw for hunts that they call premium hunts. This is a completely separate hunt drawing that allows tag holders to hunt extended season dates with any weapon. These hunts are 100% randomly drawn each year and there are no preference or bonus points attached to the application. There is no resident or nonresident quota. Standard application fees exist and the applicant can apply for five different choices on their application. They are only allowed to apply once per species (hunt code).

Oregon's Mule Deer Breakdown

Oregon manages their mule deer hunts heavily skewed towards opportunity. Trophy hunts are few and far between and the opportunities to hunt a mature buck are slim, compared to other states in the West. For nonresidents, those hunts are even more rare given that the percentage of good tags is so low. However, there are still a handful of good hunts that can produce some great bucks. Overall, the state has an average buck-to-doe ratio of 23:100 and the population objective is still about 50% of what it should be. With two years in a row of phenomenal moisture, it just might help increase those numbers.   

If you live in a neighboring state and are looking for an opportunity to hunt mule deer, Oregon still offers decent odds. Your expectations should revolve around harvesting a decent buck, but with the improving water tables, those big mature bucks can be a reality.   

There are five new youth controlled hunts that have opened up in the southeast part of the state as well. This would be a great opportunity to get your kids out to chase some great mule deer. The new units are Beulah, Malheur, Steens, Juniper and Silvies in Units 65, 66, 69, 71 and 72.

Hidden gems in Oregon

If you are looking for a hidden gem, your best bet is to consider applying for one of the archery controlled hunts. These seasons are still fairly new and can be drawn with little to no points.  Also, if you have access to private land in the eastern/northeastern part of the state, that would greatly improve your chances of finding a mature buck with one of these less coveted tags.

The biggest resources to find hidden gems that fit your needs are tools like Filtering and Draw Odds.

MANAGING POINTS AND EXPECTATIONS

What can I expect with 0 deer preference points?

Residents

Out of the 122 hunts available to residents, 54 could have been drawn with no points. Archery hunts in Units 55, 51, 59, 60, 64, 67, 68, 70 and 71 are good options with good trophy potential. Rifle hunts in Units 40, 60 and 71 all have 100% odds with no points and harvest success rates are 35% or more. 

Other options include archery hunts in Units 32, 40, 41, 43 and 44. Those areas offer the opportunity to draw a tag, but are limited in the amount of public land. Those can be great hunts if you can find access, but without it, those can be tough areas to hunt. 

The other option if you have zero points is to take a swing for the fence approach. Remember, with Oregon’s draw system, a portion of the tags are randomly allocated. Even if you have zero points you still have some chance to draw the best tags.

Nonresidents

There were 40 controlled archery hunts that had 100% odds at zero points. The best options with the most public land would be Units 34, 41, 51,59, 61, 62, 72, 73 and 75. Those units all have a harvest success of 21% or more. From the table above, there are also rifle hunts that nonresidents can draw with no points. You might consider Units 48, 57 and 60.

What can I expect with 5 to 6 deer preference points?

Residents

The early archery hunt for Unit 70 (Hart Mtn) is one of the most intriguing options within this point range that should be drawn at six points. The Unit 74 Warner (north Warner) archery hunt is another good option. The best muzzleloader hunts are in Units 41/42, 72 and 75. Rifle hunters should consider Units 39, 46, 62, 63, 67 or 72. 

Nonresidents

Last year, you had 43 archery controlled hunts available to you. The moral of the story is that you don’t need crazy points in Oregon to chase archery bucks.   Muzzleloader hunters should consider Units 41 or 72. Rifle hunters can research Units 39, 46, 63, or 72. 

What can I expect with 10 plus deer preference points?

Residents

Unfortunately, with 10 points, applicants are in no man's land. The best archery hunt available would be the 70/71 early archery hunt. When looking at the best archery hunts, those are going to be in the Units 39 late hunt (22 points), 65 (15/16 points) and 70/71 early (11 points).

Some of the better options near the 10-point level are for the muzzleloader hunts. Unit 32 was drawn with 12 points and Unit 68 was drawn with 13 points. 

Rifle hunts in Units 54, 68, and 74 still need anywhere from 16 to 19 points. However, Unit 69 in the Steens can be drawn with 8 or 9.  

Nonresidents

The best controlled archery hunt within the 10+ point range is the August 70/71 hunt, which was 100% at 12 points. Beyond that, the majority of archery hunts are pretty wide open to draw for nonresidents. For muzzleloader, every hunt available with a nonresident tag is going to be available. The Unit 67 and 68 rifle hunts are also good units that were drawn between eight and 10 points. In my opinion, if you are carrying 10 points, then I would strictly hang on and wait for one of the slammer rifle units. Burning points on anything else would not be cost effective for what you might get out of it.

Oregon's Columbian Blacktail Deer Breakdown

Oregon's blacktail deer populations are thriving with most units offering general season over-the-counter (OTC) tags for both archery and rifle hunts. Additionally, there are limited quota controlled hunts available for archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunters. Unlike the other species, Oregon does not have a specific management objective for blacktail deer populations. The estimated state herd size ranges from 300,000 to 350,000 deer with an average buck-to-doe ratio of 27:100. The coastal units tend to have more private ground than public, which has its pros and cons. This helps increase your chances of harvesting a great mature blacktail buck, but you might need to find some private access in order to do so. Regardless of low public land percentage, Oregon is a great state for adding a blacktail buck to your deer slam. 

Note: There are four units that have established herds of mule deer as well as blacktail. Those units are 30, 31, 41 and 42. Be aware that blacktail bucks harvested from those units would not qualify for Boone & Crockett (B&C).

MANAGING POINTS AND EXPECTATIONS

I have 0 deer preference points. What can I expect?

Residents

Residents had six hunts that could have been drawn with zero points: two hunts for each weapon type. Dive into Filtering and standalone Draw Odds, to see which of those hunts is best for you. Harvest success and percentage of 4-point bucks are relatively good for those units for all weapon types. 

Nonresidents

Nonresidents had five hunts that could have been drawn with no points. Archery Units 21/22/23/24, muzzleloader controlled hunts in Units 23 and 25 and rifle hunts in Units 16/19/21/22/30/31 and 42. If you’re not into building points, then these can be a great option for you. 

What can I expect with 5 to 6 deer preference points?

Residents

Every hunt is available except for muzzleloader 21/23, rifle 12, 21/23, 22, 41 and the late Unit 42 hunt. Some of the more interesting options might be muzzleloader 21, 28, 41/42 or rifle in Unit 15 and 41/42. All of those hunts required three to four points so you will be giving up a few points to draw those. The hunts that cannot be drawn required anywhere from nine to 23 points in 2023. Applicants can either decide to cash in their points and go hunting or stay in it for the long haul.

Nonresidents

If you want to burn your points and go hunting, the archery hunt in Units 21/22/23/24 and 31 took two points. For muzzleloader, Units 19, 21, 27 and 41 are all attainable with five preference points. The early rifle 41/42 hunt and Unit 15 required three points.

Several of the best hunts (41 late rifle, 42 late rifle) are likely to require 24 points or more going into 2024. Unit 28 muzzleloader required 15 points. You shouldn’t need to build more than five or six points to draw a really great tag in Oregon. There are only four or five hunts that will require more than 12 points.

Oregon's Columbian Whitetail Deer Breakdown

Oregon has the only delisted populations of Columbian whitetail deer in the world. Although there are whitetails scattered up and down the Pacific Northwest, the southwest corner of Oregon holds populations of approximately 2,000 deer. There are very few tags available each year and that is the reason that these units can be rather difficult to draw. Tag numbers for these hunts will remain the same for the 2024 season.

Oregon's Eastern Whitetail Deer Breakdown

Oregon has a decent population of whitetail deer in the northeastern portion of the state. There are 21 units that offer a chance at a whitetail buck although there are very few hunts/tags that are strictly for a whitetail buck only. For most of the units, those tags are valid for either a whitetail or mule deer. I have highlighted the whitetail specific hunts below. Trophy potential is generally average; however, there are a few bigger bucks taken each year.  

There is a new whitetail-only archery controlled hunt for the 2024 season. The hunt name is Grant Co Whitetail Bow located in Unit 46 with 20 tags up for grabs.

Along with the muzzleloader options, there is a Unit 57 whitetail only rifle season; however, it’s a subunit of 57 and it’s mostly private land.  

Use Filtering for more information about these units and others that have established herds of northwestern whitetail deer.

The four units that likely have the best trophy potential are 54 - Mt Emily, 55 - Walla Walla, 56 - Wenaha and 57 - Sled Springs. All of those units have 130”+ trophy potential for whitetails. Tags for the better trophy potential units are valid for any buck with visible antlers.