Unit 21 (Indigo)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Elk, Deer (Buck), Deer (Antlerless)
Indigo reaches from Cottage Grove and Oakridge up to Diamond Peak on the Cascade crest. ODFW's East Lane travel management area and recent fire scars are the two things it points hunters toward.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 21
Indigo reaches from Cottage Grove and Oakridge up to Diamond Peak on the Cascade crest. ODFW's East Lane travel management area and recent fire scars are the two things it points hunters toward.
Where to Find Elk in the Indigo Unit: fire scars, thinned stands and the East Lane blocks
Fire scars and clearcuts
ODFW says hunters should look at clearcuts, thinning and wildfire scars for deer and elk. Recent fires in the Dixon, Evans Creek and Indigo units are already producing good forage and cover, and it says to focus on fire scars from 2020. That makes burned ground inside Indigo a leading lead. Diamond Peak at 8726 ft, Tipsoo Peak at 8005 ft, Sawtooth Mountain at 7306 ft, Mount Yoran at 7096 ft and Wits End at 6764 ft anchor the crest country.
The East Lane TMA
The East Lane Travel Management Area is open seven days a week from the opening of the Western Cascade general buck deer season until the end of the Cascade bull season. It's made of dispersed blocks in the McKenzie and Indigo units. Maps are posted at access point kiosks just before opening, and roads open to motor vehicles have changed in most blocks, so pick up the new map. Oakridge, Lowell, Dexter and Cottage Grove are the nearest towns. OR 58 and OR 138 mark the edges, and NF 60, NF 4785 and NF 5840 reach the interior. Whitehorse Falls, Thielsen and Clearwater forest camps are named places to stay.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
The Indigo Unit, WMU 21, covers about 1,939 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 68% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Lane County, Douglas County and Klamath County. Elevation runs from about 504 to 8,726 feet. The highest named points are Diamond Peak (8,726 ft), Tipsoo Peak (8,005 ft) and Sawtooth Mountain (7,306 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 21 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 975–5,437 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 3,040 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
- 1,936.5 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
- 286 tanks
- 16 springs
- 1,214 stream segments
- 45 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: Diamond Peak (8,726 ft), Tipsoo Peak (8,005 ft), Calapooya Mountains (7,306 ft), Mount Yoran (7,096 ft)
Holding ground: Windigo Pass (5,837 ft), Wolf Prairie (5,814 ft), Happy Prairie (5,743 ft), Indigo Springs, Dome Spring
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 Indigo Unit: use the new TMA map and scout burn edges
Elk Success Rates
Unit 21: 77 of 780 hunters, 10%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.
Elk Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 22 | 58 | 37.9% | 3 |
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 2 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 22 | 7 | 100.0% | 2 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 2 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 11 | 22 | 50.0% | 5 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 1 | 0.0% | 4 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 17 | 16 | 100.0% | 3 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 3 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 83 | 7 | 100.0% | — |
| Rifle — Controlled either sex (resident) | 20 | 52 | 38.5% | 4 |
| Rifle — Controlled either sex (resident) | 22 | 4 | 100.0% | — |
Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number.
Open in Draw Odds EngineFrom ODFW's 2026 regulations, residents and nonresidents together: 2026 tags against 2025 first-choice applicants.
- 221T2 Sutherlin Youth: 22 tags for 2026; 52 first-choice applicants in 2025.
- 221T1 Indigo Unit Youth: 20 tags for 2026; 40 first-choice applicants in 2025.
ODFW sets a point cut-off per hunt each year; its point summary reports carry it.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
What ground does this Oregon elk page cover?
What's the biggest 2026 elk hunt here?
What was hunter success for elk here in 2025?
What ground does this Oregon buck deer page cover?
What was hunter success for buck deer here in 2025?
What ground does this Oregon antlerless deer page cover?
What's the biggest 2026 antlerless deer hunt here?
What was hunter success for antlerless deer here in 2025?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & 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: 1,939 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Diamond Peak 8,726 ft, Tipsoo Peak 8,005 ft · accessed 2026-10-30