Unit 23 (Melrose)

A low unit with little public land

Melrose is a low unit, with named elevations from 226 feet up to Nickel Mountain at 3,514. Table Mountain, Dodson Butte, Big Baldy and Buck Mountain are the other named points. Only a small share of it is public, so most hunting happens on private ground. Winchester, Sutherlin, Roseburg and Oakland are all close, and Amacher County Park and River Bend RV Park are named camps.

The North Bank Habitat Area

ODFW's hunt descriptions single out the BLM North Bank Habitat Management Area, a block northeast of Roseburg that's treated separately from the rest of the unit. Some hunts include it and others exclude it, so read the description for your tag. The boundary runs through Canyonville, Nickel Mountain Road, Tenmile, Melrose, the Umpqua River, Elkton, Drain and Curtin, with I-5 and Highway 99 as markers. ODFW's forecast says Douglas County deer numbers are decent after a mild winter, with the western part of the county holding stable. Creek bottoms, field edges and oak-covered hillsides are where you'll see deer. Drive public roads at first light and note which fields they use, then ask the owner for permission.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

The Melrose Unit, WMU 23, covers about 958 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 16% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Douglas County and Lane County. Elevation runs from about 226 to 3,514 feet. The highest named points are Nickel Mountain (3,514 ft), Table Mountain (3,344 ft) and Dodson Butte (3,215 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.

Read the tag, then the map

Several hunts overlap here. One is a bow tag for a white-tailed buck with visible antler, another covers a muzzleloader hunt and others run in the North Bank area. Make sure you know whether you hold a white-tailed or black-tailed tag, and don't shoot until you've confirmed the animal. White-tailed bucks hold close to cover along creeks and field edges, so glass those at first light.

Permission on private ground

With most of the unit in private hands, a landowner's permission matters more than any other piece of gear. Knock on doors well before the hunt, describe your plan and ask where to park. For bow hunters, this is a close-range game, so scout trails and set up downwind. If you hold a Melrose muzzleloader tag, plan one clean shot and a short, easy drag. Valley ground makes the pack-out easy, but fences and ditches need planning.

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.

• 123R1 Umpqua Bow, Aug. 29 - Sept. 27: 55 tags, one white-tailed buck with visible antler or.
• 123M2 Melrose - N Bank Habitat, Nov. 14 - Dec. 6: 39 tags, one deer.
• 123R2 Melrose - N Bank Habitat Bow, Sep. 12 - Sep. 27: 11 tags, for details).
• 123B Melrose - N Bank Habitat, Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, 2027: 3 tags, one white-tailed buck with visible antler or.
• 123A Umpqua: see ODFW's table in the 2026 regulations for the season and tag count.
• 123M1 Melrose Unit Muzzleloader: 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.

• Melrose: 3,396 hunters, 1,826 animals, 54% success over 22,284 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 138, CR 200, CR 7 and OR 38. The nearest towns are Winchester (3 mi), Sutherlin (6 mi) and Roseburg (7 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.

Mostly private, with one public block

Melrose is a low unit. Nickel Mountain, at just over three thousand feet, is the highest named point, and the rest is rolling ground along the Umpqua. Public land is a small share of the whole.

The main hunts cover the unit but exclude the BLM North Bank Habitat Management Area. One description excludes two pieces: the northwest bounded by I-5 and Hwy 138, and the southwest bounded by I-5 and Hwy 42. Read each hunt's description closely.

North Bank Habitat Area hunts

The habitat area runs its own set of hunts, and the ground is entirely public. ODFW requires hunters in these hunts to review a video before hunting. Call the Roseburg office to arrange it, or watch it online.

Youth hunts run late, in the winter. That's a different animal behavior than an October hunt: deer are less pressured and more settled on feed. The Umpqua River, Winchester and Sutherlin sit close by for fuel and lodging.

ODFW's Douglas County forecast describes stable deer in the western part of the county, mild winters and no major disease issues. Amacher County Park and the RV parks near Winchester give you places to stay while you work the permission list.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

The Melrose Unit, WMU 23, covers about 958 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 16% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Douglas County and Lane County. Elevation runs from about 226 to 3,514 feet. The highest named points are Nickel Mountain (3,514 ft), Table Mountain (3,344 ft) and Dodson Butte (3,215 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.

Permission is the whole game

With so little public land, success comes from landowner relationships. Start early. Ask on farms and timber parcels along OR 138, County Road 200 and County Road 7, and offer to take does that are damaging pasture or crops if the owner says yes.

Always confirm which hunt your tag covers. Some tags exclude parts of the unit, and a landowner's fence line may sit on the wrong side of a boundary.

Quiet shooting, short drags

This is close country. You'll often take a shot at a modest distance from a hedgerow, a pasture edge or the corner of a cut. Sit where the cover meets open feed and watch the last hour of light. Deer here move at dawn and dusk.

Don't count on long glassing sessions like the eastern units. Use a ground blind or a tree line, wind in your face. Mind roads and houses: know where the nearest dwelling is before you pull the trigger, and never shoot toward one.

Short drags mean you can hunt alone. Meat care matters more than distance, so cool the carcass quickly and take it to a processor in Roseburg or nearby.

ODFW's 2026 antlerless deer hunts on this ground

Seasons, bag limits and tags come from ODFW's 2026 regulations. ODFW runs 2 more on this ground; the regulations list them all. Check the current book before you apply or go, because these change every year.

• 623A Central Melrose, Oct. 3 - Nov. 6: 1,100 tags, one antlerless deer.
• 623 Melrose Unit, Oct. 3 - Nov. 6: 275 tags, one antlerless deer.
• 623T3 Melrose Youth, Dec. 15 - Jan. 5, 2027: 44 tags, one antlerless deer.
• 623T2 N Bank Habitat Area No. 2 Youth, Dec. 15 - Jan. 5, 2027: 33 tags, one black-tailed deer.
• 623B1 N Bank Habitat No. 1, Oct. 17 - Oct. 23: 28 tags, one antlerless deer.
• 623B2 N Bank Habitat No. 2, Nov. 14 - Nov. 20: 28 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.

• Melrose: 3,396 hunters, 1,826 animals, 54% success over 22,284 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 138, CR 200, CR 7 and OR 38. The nearest towns are Winchester (3 mi), Sutherlin (6 mi) and Roseburg (7 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.