Hunt 278 (High Desert)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Elk
High Desert is a huge southeast Oregon hunt that combines part of Unit 66 and all of Units 67 through 71 and 73, minus Malheur Refuge and Hart Mountain. Pueblo Mountain, at 8,615 feet, tops the named points.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 278
High Desert is a huge southeast Oregon hunt that combines part of Unit 66 and all of Units 67 through 71 and 73, minus Malheur Refuge and Hart Mountain. Pueblo Mountain, at 8,615 feet, tops the named points.
Where to Find Elk in the High Desert Unit: the scattered pockets of a very large hunt area
A hunt, not a single unit
ODFW describes this as the part of Unit 66 south of US Highway 20 together with all of Units 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 73. It excludes the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Most of the ground is public land. Counties include Malheur, Harney, Lake and Deschutes. That's a lot of territory, with named points from Pueblo Mountain and Warner Peak to Hart Mountain, Beatys Butte and Devine Rock.
Few elk, spread thin
ODFW's forecast says elk populations are stable in most of Harney District but not above objective in High Desert, and bull ratios have declined, so hunter success has too. It expects success near the five-year average. In the Whitehorse unit, it says there are very few elk, mostly along the Oregon-Idaho border and along travel corridors in winter. The Owyhee unit is low density, with several areas holding more elk as herds in neighboring units expand. Find those pockets before you go. This isn't traditional elk country, and ODFW doesn't pretend it is. Your best map work will be on the edges where neighboring elk herds spill in, and along the travel corridors the forecast mentions. Pueblo Mountain, Warner Peak and Hart Mountain hold the named high points.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
ODFW's boundary for this hunt covers about 21,062 square miles, 80% of it public land by ODFW's count. Named features inside the line fall in Malheur County, Harney County, Lake County and Deschutes County. The highest named points are Pueblo Mountain (8,615 ft), Warner Peak (8,014 ft) and Hart Mountain (8,014 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 278 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Pueblo Mountain (8,615 ft), The V (8,201 ft), Devine Rock (7,746 ft), Steens Mountain (7,705 ft)
Holding ground: Jackman Park (7,641 ft), Ten Cent Meadows (6,958 ft), Penland Meadow (6,872 ft), Hogback Well, Bryson 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 High Desert Unit: scout for pockets and cover plenty of ground
Elk Success Rates
ODFW published no 2025 harvest figure we can tie to this ground for elk.
Elk Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 440 | 571 | 73.2% | 5 |
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 22 | 58 | 37.9% | 5 |
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 440 | 547 | 76.4% | 10 |
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 22 | 76 | 28.9% | 10 |
| Muzzleloader — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 138 | 76 | 100.0% | 5 |
| Muzzleloader — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 7 | 6 | 100.0% | 5 |
| Rifle — Controlled either sex (resident) | 10 | 20 | 45.0% | 3 |
| Rifle — Controlled either sex (nonresident) | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 3 |
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.
- 278A1 High Desert No. 1: 220 tags for 2026; 575 first-choice applicants in 2025.
- 278M High Desert Muzzleloader: 138 tags for 2026; 212 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?
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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
- Wildlife Management Units (ArcGIS) — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: 21,062 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Pueblo Mountain 8,615 ft, Warner Peak 8,014 ft · accessed 2026-10-30