Unit 66 - Malheur River

The mountains have been logged and have become a patchwork of new growth. Trees of various sizes cover most of the Malheur National Forest. Most of them are larches, firs and pines. Foothills have a lot of the firs and pines, mahoganies, shrubs and junipers. Desert flats and open foothills are covered with fescue, bunchgrass and sagebrush for the most part. Marshy land has some cottonwoods with willows, river birch and other water-loving plants such as cattails and bulrushes in places.

The Malheur National Forest manages a large part of the northern end. The forest land is well-roaded, and most routes are open to ATVs. Check the Forest Service’s website for details. Some roads are closed to ATVs. The website also provides downloadable maps for smartphones and notepads. The southern half of the unit is mostly BLM land. Most roads there are open to the public although some routes cross private land. The southern tip is state land. Some private lands in Harney County are open to the public through the game department’s Access and Habitat Program. The 46-square-mile Conroy-Cliff Travel Management Area provides public access to public and private lands. Vehicle are restricted during the rifle bull elk and buck deer seasons, starting three days before each season. Even bigger is the 59-square-mile Devine Ridge-Rattlesnake TMA, where some roads are closed during buck deer and bull elk rifle seasons and three days before each season. Harney County provides maps for hunters.

Burns RV Park (phone: 541-573-7640) and several motels are in Burns, including the Silver Spur Motel, the Horseshoe Inn, and a couple of nationally franchised motels. The Timbers Inn is in Seneca. Blue Bucket Inn is near Drewsey about 50 miles northeast of Burns. Many hunters camp along dirt and gravel roads on BLM and National Forest land. Some hunters base from campgrounds maintained by the Forest Service, which lists campgrounds online.