Oregon Elk Deer (Antlerless)

Unit 18 (Alsea)

Oregon Hunting Guide — Elk, Deer (Antlerless)

Alsea covers the mid-coast between Corvallis, Newport and Waldport, with Marys Peak topping out at 4,097 feet. Public land is a minority of it, and the North Alsea travel management areas offer walk-in hunting.

View Draw Odds Oregon Hunting Guide

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198–2,695 ft

Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 18

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Oregon Unit 18 guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.

Elk guide Deer (Antlerless) guide

Free accounts get one report a year with the top spot unlocked. ProHunt Pro includes unlimited reports, all three spots, the full camp plan, and GPX/KML downloads for onX and Google Earth. Prefer to see one first? Open the builder and pick any unit.

Elk Hunting in Unit 18

Where to Find Elk in the Alsea Unit: the Siuslaw and Yachats drainages and the Luckiamute side

Named hunting areas

ODFW's forecast lists popular elk areas in the Alsea: the South tract 1000 line, Yachats River, Five Rivers, North Fork Siuslaw River, Big Rock Creek Road, Luckiamute River, Airlie, Burnt Woods, Grant Creek, Wolf Creek, Logsden, Pee Dee Creek and Dunn Forest. That's a long list across a big unit. Mid-coast elk populations are described as stable and fair to good in most areas, with calf ratios higher than the previous year.

Public ground is mostly in the south

ODFW's hunt descriptions show a lopsided split. The part north of US 20 is described as lightly public, and the Willamette Plus area near Monroe is almost entirely private, while the part south of Highway 34 is mostly public. Marys Peak, Grass Mountain, Prairie Mountain and Old Blue Mountain are the named high points, and the unit drops to the Pacific. This is coast-range timber and clearcut country, so expect thick brush and steep slopes. Toledo, Waldport, Philomath and Newport are the named towns. OR 36, OR 229, OR 223 and Deadwood Creek Road give access to different drainages. Marys Peak, Horse Creek and North Fork Siuslaw campgrounds are named camps. Check ownership on every road you take.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

The Alsea Unit, WMU 18, covers about 1,955 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 42% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Lincoln County, Lane County, Benton County and Polk County. Elevation runs from about 5 to 4,097 feet. The highest named points are Marys Peak (4,097 ft), Grass Mountain (3,615 ft) and Prairie Mountain (3,424 ft). ODFW's line is the legal one, so check it against a current land-ownership map, and get permission before you cross private ground or a locked gate inside it.

Unit 18 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

198–2,695 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 801 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,953.5 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
BLM — 15%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 17%

Roughly 83% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

313 tanks
3 springs
2,614 stream segments
63 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Marys Peak (4,097 ft), Grass Mountain (3,615 ft), Table Mountain (2,813 ft), Green Peak (2,717 ft)

Holding ground: Gunsight Pass (2,823 ft), The Saddle (1,601 ft), Indian Gap (1,542 ft), Saddle Mountain Springs, Green Peak Falls

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

How to Hunt Elk in the Alsea Unit: walk the travel management areas and check fire levels

Walk-in ground

The Stott Mountain and North Alsea Weyerhaeuser and Manulife Access and Travel Management areas give quality walk-in hunting, according to ODFW. Yellow TMA road-closed signs mark where motor vehicles aren't allowed, and closures and access are year-round. Get a TMA map online before you go, and look at Weyerhaeuser's recreation website for lease and permit areas. Walk-in means fewer trucks and more elk.

Fire levels can close the gate

The TMA closes to vehicle access at the third industrial fire protection level and closes completely at the fourth, so check the Oregon Department of Forestry's fire information before every trip. Plan for either outcome. Antlerless and youth hunts here are the main tags, with a late bow hunt and a Willamette Plus hunt too. In thick brush, elk hide in regrowth and clearcut edges, so glass openings at dawn and move slowly. Bring a pack frame for the carry, since closed roads make for long drags. Popular areas are popular for a reason, but they're also busy. Pick a named drainage that's farther from pavement and walk in. ODFW also notes healthy bear numbers and an abundant berry crop this year on the Mid-Coast, so carry a bear tag along with your elk tag if you're eligible.

ODFW's 2026 elk hunts on this ground

Seasons, bag limits and tags come from ODFW's 2026 regulations. Check the current book before you apply or go, because these change every year.

215A Willamette Plus, Aug. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027: 83 tags, subunit) see william l. finley.
218B S Alsea, Jan. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027: 38 tags, one antlerless elk.
218T Alsea Unit Youth, Aug. 15 - Dec. 31: 16 tags, one antlerless elk.
218A N Alsea: see ODFW's table in the 2026 regulations for the season and tag count.
218C Central Alsea: see ODFW's table in the 2026 regulations for the season and tag count.
218R Alsea Unit Late Bow: see ODFW's table in the 2026 regulations for the season and tag count.

The 2025 harvest in ODFW's numbers

ODFW's 2025 statistics for this WMU, covering elk hunters.

Alsea: 3,069 hunters, 529 animals, 17% success over 13,016 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 36, OR 229, Deadwood Creek Road and South Immonen Road. The nearest towns are Toledo (16 mi), Waldport (17 mi) and Philomath (18 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.

Getting in and staying out: unit 18

Named routes and what they need

OR 36 — 23.9 mi · Paved (all rigs)
OR 229 — 12.1 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Deadwood Creek Road — 9.8 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
South Immonen Road — 7.9 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
OR 223 — 5.9 mi · Paved (all rigs)
OR 99W — 5.8 mi · Paved (all rigs)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Toledo — 15.9 mi · groceries
Waldport — 17.3 mi · no services listed
Philomath — 18.3 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Newport — 20.8 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Siletz — 21.1 mi · no services listed

Developed camps

Horse Creek Campground
Unnamed camp site
Unnamed camp site
Marys Peak Campground
North Fork Siuslaw Campground

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 35° · 14.1" precip
Aug76° / 49° · 0.8" precip
Sep70° / 46° · 2.6" precip
Oct59° / 42° · 7" precip
Nov50° / 38° · 13.2" precip
Dec44° / 35° · 15.9" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 26% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Oregon rules that decide your day

Summarised from ODFW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Oregon has no general off-road retrieval allowance; several travel-management areas close roads during hunting season.

Tagging

Validate the tag and attach it to the carcass before leaving the kill site.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting from or across a public road, and no shooting within range of an occupied dwelling without permission.

Elk: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body. That is lungs, and on a quartering-away angle it picks up the far shoulder.

Shots to refuse

No straight-on and no straight-away shots. An elk's chest is deep and the margin is small.
Nothing standing behind or overlapping the animal you picked. A pass-through kills the elk behind it too.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have put three shots in a paper plate off the sticks you are actually carrying. Not the farthest you have ever hit anything.
Scope on 3–4x. A herd fills a 12x field of view and you lose the animal you picked.

Identification:On an antlerless tag, legal means no antler of any kind through the skin. A spike looks exactly like a cow until it turns its head. If you can't see the head, don't shoot.

Plan the carry: roughly 150– 220 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two to four large coolers, plus bagged ice from town. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Elk Success Rates

Unit 18: 529 of 3,069 hunters, 17%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (resident)	39	315	12.1%	9
Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident)	2	2	50.0%	9
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident)	39	361	10.5%	16
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident)	2	3	33.3%	16
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident)	44	324	13.3%	8
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident)	2	5	20.0%	8
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident)	550	119	100.0%	6
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident)	28	1	100.0%	7
Rifle — Controlled either sex (resident)	15	90	16.7%	7
Rifle — Controlled either sex (nonresident)	1	1	0.0%	7

Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

From ODFW's 2026 regulations, residents and nonresidents together: 2026 tags against 2025 first-choice applicants.

215A Willamette Plus: 83 tags for 2026; 222 first-choice applicants in 2025.
218B S Alsea: 38 tags for 2026; 364 first-choice applicants in 2025.
218T Alsea Unit Youth: 16 tags for 2026; 36 first-choice applicants in 2025.

ODFW sets a point cut-off per hunt each year; its point summary reports carry it.

Deer (Antlerless) Hunting in Unit 18

Alsea is a Lincoln, Lane, Benton and Polk County coast range unit from Corvallis and Philomath out to the Siuslaw River and the Pacific. ODFW calls deer numbers in the mid-coast stable and fair to good, higher on private land.

Where to Find Antlerless Deer in the Alsea Unit: state forest cuts and private land near the coast

Mid-coast numbers and cuts

ODFW's forecast says that along the mid-coast, including western Alsea, overall deer numbers and buck ratios appear stable and fair to good in most areas. Deer densities remain higher on private land than on public land. It also says there have been a lot of recent clear-cut timber harvests on state forestlands, so check ODF lands, and that densities tend to be highest in the eastern portions of the units.

Boundary and named ground

The boundary starts at Corvallis, runs southwest on Highway 34, then south through Monroe and west on Highway 36 to Triangle Lake and the Siuslaw River. It follows the river and bay to the ocean, goes north to Siletz Bay, and comes back east through Valsetz and Falls City. Marys Peak is the high point at 4,097 feet, with Grass Mountain, Prairie Mountain, Prairie Peak and Old Blue Mountain among the named summits. Toledo, Waldport, Philomath and Newport are the towns. Look at the map for private land near the coast, then check state forest cuts nearer the east side. Scout a day ahead, and ask permission on anything fenced.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

Unit 18 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

198–2,695 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 801 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,953.5 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
BLM — 15%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 17%

Roughly 83% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

313 tanks
3 springs
2,614 stream segments
63 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Marys Peak (4,097 ft), Grass Mountain (3,615 ft), Table Mountain (2,813 ft), Green Peak (2,717 ft)

Holding ground: Gunsight Pass (2,823 ft), The Saddle (1,601 ft), Indian Gap (1,542 ft), Saddle Mountain Springs, Green Peak Falls

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

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How to Hunt Antlerless Deer in the Alsea Unit: sit the edges and ask about access

Doe hunting on a cut edge

An antlerless tag is a meat hunt, and the Alsea Unit hunt and youth hunt are both on the general season. Sit where a young cut meets cover, with the wind in your face, and wait for deer to feed out. Let a lone doe come into range, check for a fawn behind her and take a clean shot. Don't walk through the middle of a cut.

Access and wet-weather logistics

Most industrial forestland is open to non-motorized access once fire season is over, except for Weyerhaeuser lands, which mostly remain in a fee access program. Check the owner's website before you drive in. Horse Creek, Marys Peak and North Fork Siuslaw campgrounds put you near the ground. Wet coast weather turns logging roads slick and spoils meat quickly, so bring game bags, cool the carcass fast and pack a headlamp for the walk out. Private land holds more deer, so ask permission.

ODFW's 2026 antlerless deer hunts on this ground

Seasons, bag limits and tags come from ODFW's 2026 regulations. Check the current book before you apply or go, because these change every year.

618 Alsea Unit, Oct. 3 - Nov. 6: 107 tags, one antlerless deer.
618T Alsea Unit Youth, Oct. 3 - Nov. 8: 55 tags, one antlerless deer.

The 2025 harvest in ODFW's numbers

ODFW's 2025 statistics for this WMU, covering all deer hunters, every season and tag type.

Alsea: 4,375 hunters, 1,346 animals, 31% success over 31,918 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

Getting in and staying out: unit 18

Named routes and what they need

OR 36 — 23.9 mi · Paved (all rigs)
OR 229 — 12.1 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Deadwood Creek Road — 9.8 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
South Immonen Road — 7.9 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
OR 223 — 5.9 mi · Paved (all rigs)
OR 99W — 5.8 mi · Paved (all rigs)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Toledo — 15.9 mi · groceries
Waldport — 17.3 mi · no services listed
Philomath — 18.3 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Newport — 20.8 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Siletz — 21.1 mi · no services listed

Developed camps

Horse Creek Campground
Unnamed camp site
Unnamed camp site
Marys Peak Campground
North Fork Siuslaw Campground

Season weather and signal

Jan45° / 35° · 14.1" precip
Aug76° / 49° · 0.8" precip
Sep70° / 46° · 2.6" precip
Oct59° / 42° · 7" precip
Nov50° / 38° · 13.2" precip
Dec44° / 35° · 15.9" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 26% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Oregon rules that decide your day

Summarised from ODFW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Oregon has no general off-road retrieval allowance; several travel-management areas close roads during hunting season.

Tagging

Validate the tag and attach it to the carcass before leaving the kill site.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting from or across a public road, and no shooting within range of an occupied dwelling without permission.

Deer (Antlerless): where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

Pro Members Only

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Deer (Antlerless) Success Rates

Unit 18: 1,346 of 4,375 hunters, 31%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.

Deer (Antlerless) Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle — Controlled antlerless (resident)	107	1,139	9.3%	15
Rifle — Controlled antlerless (nonresident)	5	6	16.7%	15
Rifle — Controlled antlerless (resident)	55	95	57.9%	5
Rifle — Controlled antlerless (nonresident)	3	1	0.0%	5

Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

From ODFW's 2026 regulations, residents and nonresidents together: 2026 tags against 2025 first-choice applicants.

618 Alsea Unit: 107 tags for 2026; 616 first-choice applicants in 2025.
618T Alsea Unit Youth: 55 tags for 2026; 52 first-choice applicants in 2025.

ODFW sets a point cut-off per hunt each year; its point summary reports carry it.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Camp Sites

Developed campgrounds: Horse Creek Campground, Marys Peak Campground, North Fork Siuslaw Campground, Upper Lake Creek Dispersed Camping.

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Road Conditions

OR 36, OR 229 and Deadwood Creek Road are the longest named roads.

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Terrain Difficulty

Named features run from 5 to 4,097 ft. More than 4,000 feet of relief, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

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Weather

Season normals: Sep 70/46°F, 2.6 in.; Oct 59/42°F, 7 in.; Nov 50/38°F, 13.2 in.; Dec 44/35°F, 15.9 in..

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Nearest Town

Toledo (16 mi), Waldport (17 mi), Philomath (18 mi)

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Permit Notes

Check ODFW's 2026 regulations for hunt boundaries, seasons and tag rules before you go.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What ground does this Oregon elk page cover?

The Alsea Unit, WMU 18, covers about 1,955 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 42% public land.

What's the biggest 2026 elk hunt here?

Hunt 215A Willamette Plus: Aug. 1 - Mar. 31, 2027, 83 tags, subunit) see william l. finley, per ODFW's 2026 regulations.

What was hunter success for elk here in 2025?

ODFW's 2025 statistics for Unit 18: 3,069 hunters took 529 animals, 17% success.

What ground does this Oregon antlerless deer page cover?

The Alsea Unit, WMU 18, covers about 1,955 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 42% public land.

What's the biggest 2026 antlerless deer hunt here?

Hunt 618 Alsea Unit: Oct. 3 - Nov. 6, 107 tags, one antlerless deer, per ODFW's 2026 regulations.

What was hunter success for antlerless deer here in 2025?

ODFW's 2025 statistics for Unit 18: 4,375 hunters took 1,346 animals, 31% success.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-30.

2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: Hunt areas and boundary descriptions, Seasons, bag limits and 2026 tags · accessed 2026-10-30
Big Game hunting forecast, 2026/27 — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: Field reports by hunt area and WMU · accessed 2026-10-30
Big game hunting harvest statistics, 2025 — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: Hunters, harvest and success · accessed 2026-10-30
Wildlife Management Units (ArcGIS) — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: 1,955 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Marys Peak 4,097 ft, Grass Mountain 3,615 ft · accessed 2026-10-30