Unit 22 (Dixon)

Muzzleloader in the Cascades hunt

The Cascades Muzzleloader hunt includes all of Unit 22 with its neighbours, so the forecast advice on burns and cuts applies directly. Pick out openings on the map, then walk the edges. A muzzleloader gives you one shot at modest range, so plan to stalk to a clear shot instead of reaching across a canyon. Check fire restrictions and campfire rules before you go, because the dry season in this country can close ground without much warning.

Youth and private ground

The Dixon Unit youth hunt is for antlerless elk, and the Dixon Private hunt is on private land only. For both, the work happens before the hunt. Talk to landowners, ask where elk travel and what they're eating, and use that to choose a spot. With youth hunters, pick a short, easy approach and a good rest. On steep Cascade slopes a downed elk is a long carry, so pack out in stages and keep the meat cool.

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.

• 222T Dixon Unit Youth, Aug. 15 - Dec. 31: 11 tags, one antlerless elk.
• 200M Cascades Muzzleloader: see ODFW's table in the 2026 regulations for the season and tag count.
• 222A Dixon Private: 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.

• Dixon: 732 hunters, 65 animals, 9% success over 3,407 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 138, CR 1, OR 62 and OR 230. The nearest towns are Glide (25 mi), Myrtle Creek (29 mi) and Canyonville (29 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.

Migratory deer and the 4,000-foot line

ODFW's forecast says the Dixon unit's deer are mostly migratory, with most of the winter migration happening around mid-October. Its suggestion is to hunt above 4,000 feet in the first half of the season and below 4,000 after deer have moved. That fits the unit, which runs from 721 feet up to Mount Bailey at 8,366. Garwood Butte, Sherwood Butte, Rodley Butte and Fish Mountain are named summits.

Fire scars and boundaries

The same forecast says recent fires in the Dixon unit are already producing good forage and cover, and it points to fire scars from 2020. It also says deer in western Douglas County seem stable and that the recent buck ratio is above benchmark across the district. The boundary starts at Shady Cove, runs northwest on Highway 227 and County Road 1, then to the North Umpqua River and east to Toketee. It comes back by Highway 138, Highway 230 and Highway 62. Threehorn and Black Canyon are named camps. Check the map for south-facing slopes below the line, since those hold deer after the first cold snaps. Spend your scouting day walking one of them.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

The Dixon Unit, WMU 22, covers about 1,553 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 77% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Douglas County and Jackson County. Elevation runs from about 721 to 8,366 feet. The highest named points are Mount Bailey (8,366 ft), Garwood Butte (6,996 ft) and Sherwood Butte (6,888 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.

Move down with the deer

Plan the season in two halves. Early, work the high ground and the fire scars, where bucks are still on summer range. As ODFW's forecast describes, deer then come down around mid-October, so shift your effort to lower slopes and winter range. Look for them on south-facing ground where snow is thin. Check the weather before you commit to a high basin.

Fire season and private timber

ODFW reminds hunters to check local restrictions on campfires and on hunting private timber company land during fire season. Confirm gates and access with the owner, and carry a map that shows ownership. Dense brush in cuts and burns can hide bucks, so glass patiently. When you do take a buck from a steep slope, quarter it where it lies and keep the meat cool through a long pack-out. Roads like OR 138, OR 62 and National Forest Development Road 6540 help reach the edges.

ODFW's 2026 buck 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.

• 122 Dixon Unit: 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 all deer hunters, every season and tag type.

• Dixon: 4,095 hunters, 1,879 animals, 46% success over 29,014 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 138, CR 1, OR 62 and OR 230. The nearest towns are Glide (25 mi), Myrtle Creek (29 mi) and Canyonville (29 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.

Which side of the migration

ODFW's southwest forecast says the Rogue, Dixon, Evans Creek and Applegate units hold mostly migratory deer. Most of the move to winter range happens around mid-October. Its advice is to hunt above four thousand feet in the first half of the season and below that after the deer have come down.

The unit runs from Mount Bailey at over eight thousand feet down to low ground near the Umpqua, so that split is real here. Mount Bailey, Garwood Butte and Sherwood Butte mark the upper summer range.

The western hunt boundary

The antlerless hunt here covers one piece of ground. It begins at Dixonville and runs north on Hwy 138 to Little River Road, east to Black Creek Road, south to FR 28, southwest to County Road 1 at Tiller, then west to the Dixonville power line. Public land is lower inside that line than across the whole unit.

ODFW's Douglas County forecast says deer are stable and that Dixon's recent fires are growing good forage and cover. It points to the burn scars from the first fires as the places to focus. Threehorn and Huckleberry are named camps on the public side if you want to stay close.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

The Dixon Unit, WMU 22, covers about 1,553 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 77% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Douglas County and Jackson County. Elevation runs from about 721 to 8,366 feet. The highest named points are Mount Bailey (8,366 ft), Garwood Butte (6,996 ft) and Sherwood Butte (6,888 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.

Plan a descending hunt

If your tag opens early, start high and glass the burns and cuts that ODFW calls out. If it runs later, move your camp down. The forecast describes a mid-October migration, so the second half of a season can look completely different from the first.

Don't spend a late hunt sitting on summer range. The animals you saw in a September scout may be gone.

Cuts, thinning and the rule on private timber

The forecast tells deer hunters across this district to look at clearcuts, thinning and wildfire scars. Fire restrictions matter too, and it says to check local restrictions on campfires and on hunting private timber company land during fire season.

Glassing works well in open burns. In brushy second-growth near Tiller and the Little River road, move slowly and stop often. Deer bed in thick cover midday, so slow still-hunting or a stand on a game trail between feed and bed beats pushing through at speed. Threehorn and Black Canyon are two named camps if you want a base on public ground.

OR 138, County Road 1 and NF 6540 open the country. Carry out meat before it sours; warm days still come in early fall.

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.

• 622A W Dixon, Oct. 3 - Nov. 6: 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.

• Dixon: 4,095 hunters, 1,879 animals, 46% success over 29,014 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 138, CR 1, OR 62 and OR 230. The nearest towns are Glide (25 mi), Myrtle Creek (29 mi) and Canyonville (29 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.