Quick Tips
- Good steelhead and salmon fishing in the Rogue River
- Buy a bear tag
- Some of the largest bears in Oregon have come from this area
| species | general Size | trophy potential |
|---|---|---|
| Columbian Blacktail Deer | 120"-140" | 150"+ |
| Roosevelt Elk | 230"-250" | 270"+ |
On The Ground
This unit, which borders the Rogue River and is north of Grants Pass and northwest of Medford, has scattered herds of Roosevelt elk as well as pure Columbia blacktail deer on Umpqua National Forest, BLM, corporate timber land and private farm land.
This is one of the better places in Oregon for hunting mature blacktail bucks without having to draw a tag, but the challenge is finding a good place to hunt because most deer hang around private farm land. Roosevelt elk also mainly inhabit private lands, some of which are open to the public.
Terrain
The Rogue River forms part of the boundary of this unit, which features some wide valleys full of farmland, low foothills and mountains that range mostly between 2,000 and 4,000 feet in elevation. Grants Pass, population about 35,000, is on the southern edge, while the southeast corner of the unit borders Medford, population 77,000. The northern end is more mountainous and has less farm ground and recently logged terrain than the southern half.
Roughly 1,040 square miles
46% public land
Elevations from 1,000-5,300 feet
Vegetation
Grassy pastures, meadows and farmland are in the valleys, including Sunny, Evans, Sam and Pleasant Valleys and the flatlands along the Rogue River in places, such as north of Medford. Brush, willows and trees grow along creeks. Most foothills are heavily brushed and timbered, mostly with conifers. Mountains are typically densely timbered with firs and pines, but there are also alders, maple, a few oaks and ashes. Other plants include buckthorn, ceanothus, manzanita, silktassel, laurel, mountain hemlock, Brewer spruce, snowberry, Oregon grape, Pacific madrone, chinkapin and even poison oak.
Access
Much of the northern part of the unit is in the Umpqua National Forest, which is served by three primary roads: Upper Cow Creek Road, Forest Roads 3230 and 3220 and Road 32-3-5. Much of the unit is a checkerboard-pattern mixture of private timber land and public forest land. Galice Road, Winona Road, East Evans Creek Road and others provide access to federal land as well as to corporate tree farms that are often open to public hunting. Hunters who arrange for access to farmland and private rangeland that is not open to the public generally have higher success rates on elk and deer.
Access updates available during the season
In some places hunters can hike around private holdings
Scout before the season to learn access points
Camping and Lodging
Few campgrounds are here. Three of them are Devil’s Flat Campground, which is 10 miles east of Galesville Reservoir, Threehorn Campground near the Rogue-Umpqua Divide, and a KOA in Central Point just outside the unit near Medford. Other lodging options include:
Country Hills Resort in Cave Junction
The Lodge at Riverside in Grants Pass
The Chateau at the Oregon Caves near Cave Junction
Cedar Lodge Inn in Medford
RV Holiday Park in Phoenix
Historical Temperatures
High
Low
Moon Phases
April 2025
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3