Oregon Elk Black Bear

Unit 31 (Keno)

Oregon Hunting Guide — Elk, Black Bear

Keno is Klamath County elk ground from Klamath Falls to the California line and the Cascade crest, partly public. ODFW says the bull ratio is above objective, and the rifle bull hunt is limited-entry.

View Draw Odds Oregon Hunting Guide

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4,085–6,293 ft

Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 31

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Oregon Unit 31 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 Black Bear guide

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Elk Hunting in Unit 31

Where to Find Elk in the Keno Unit: Sun Pass, Green Diamond and the Klamath Marsh edge

Where ODFW says to begin

ODFW's forecast says the Cascade Mountains in the Klamath District offer some of the best elk hunting there, and that the Keno unit is limited entry through a controlled hunt. Bull ratios are above management objective in Keno, with some older-age bulls available. It names Sun Pass State Forest and Green Diamond Oregon Timberlands as good places to begin, and says USFS land adjacent to Klamath Marsh holds some elk.

A boundary from Klamath Falls to the crest

ODFW's walk runs south on US 97 to the California line, west to Copco Road, north to Hwy 66, and along the county line to Dead Indian Road. It then goes north and east to Hwy 140 and Fourmile Lake, reaches the Pacific Crest Trail, runs north to Crater Lake National Park and returns by Hwy 62. Aspen Butte reaches 8173 ft. Klamath Falls, Altamont, Chiloquin and Dorris are the nearest towns, and the Keno Access Road, OR 62, US 97 and Copco Road are named routes. The Winema National Forest map covers the unit. Only part of the ground is public, so check ownership before you walk in. Bring paper maps as well, because service drops out on the crest roads.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

The Keno Unit, WMU 31, covers about 1,041 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 41% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Klamath County. Elevation runs from about 3,100 to 8,173 feet. The highest named points are Aspen Butte (8,173 ft), Pelican Butte (8,008 ft) and Mount Harriman (7,975 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 31 terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

4,085–6,293 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,749 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,040.4 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

361 tanks
1 springs
2,193 stream segments
57 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: Aspen Butte (8,173 ft), Pelican Butte (8,008 ft), Mount Harriman (7,975 ft), Crater Mountain (7,748 ft)

Holding ground: South Pass (6,620 ft), Oregon Desert (6,065 ft), Randolph Flats (4,422 ft), Indian Spring, Onion Spring

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 Elk in the Keno Unit: older bulls, public and private starting points

Start with the places ODFW names

Because the Keno rifle hunt is limited entry, you'll likely have a tag worth using well. Use ODFW's suggestions as a first pass: scout Sun Pass State Forest and the Green Diamond timberlands, and look at the public forest near Klamath Marsh. Check which areas allow public access and which need permission, and keep the boundary map handy. A late-season hunt in the Cascades can bring weather, so plan for it.

Older bulls and youth hunts

ODFW says some older-age bulls are available, so hold off on the first legal animal if you're after a mature one. Glass openings at first and last light and cover ground quietly between them. A youth antlerless hunt also exists in the unit. Camps such as Odessa Campground, Topsy Campground, Harriman and Water Wheel Campground are listed near the unit, and roads like OR 62 and CR 533 provide access.

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.

231X SE Cascades, Nov. 21 - Nov. 29: 90 tags, one bull elk.
231T Keno Unit Youth, Aug. 15 - Dec. 31: 26 tags, one antlerless elk.

The 2025 harvest in ODFW's numbers

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

Keno: 447 hunters, 28 animals, 6% success over 1,969 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are Keno Access Road, OR 62, US 97 and Copco Road. The nearest towns are Klamath Falls (16 mi), Altamont (19 mi) and Chiloquin (20 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.

Getting in and staying out: unit 31

Named routes and what they need

Keno Access Road — 18 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
OR 62 — 10.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 97 — 8.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Copco Road — 6.7 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
CR 533 — 6.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
OR 140 — 6 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

Klamath Falls — 16.2 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Altamont — 18.8 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Chiloquin — 19.5 mi · no services listed
Dorris — 26.5 mi · fuel, groceries
Butte Falls — 29.4 mi · no services listed

Developed camps

Odessa Campground
Topsy campground
Harriman
Water Wheel Campground
Surveyor

Season weather and signal

Jan39° / 22° · 3.2" precip
Aug83° / 46° · 0.4" precip
Sep76° / 39° · 0.5" precip
Oct62° / 32° · 1.4" precip
Nov46° / 26° · 2.7" precip
Dec38° / 22° · 4" 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 31: 28 of 447 hunters, 6%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle — Controlled either sex (resident)	25	86	27.9%	6
Rifle — Controlled either sex (nonresident)	1	13	7.7%	6
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident)	880	384	100.0%	10
Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident)	44	9	100.0%	10

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.

231X SE Cascades: 90 tags for 2026; 197 first-choice applicants in 2025.

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

Black Bear Hunting in Unit 31

Keno sits south of Crater Lake in Klamath County, between Klamath Falls and the Pacific Crest Trail. ODFW says bear abundance keeps rising here, with some of the highest concentrations in the Klamath region.

Where to Find Black Bear in the Keno Unit: springs, berry patches and the Cascade slopes

Bear country along the Cascade edge

ODFW says bear abundance continues to increase through the district, with the highest concentrations in the Keno and Interstate units. The Cascade Mountains region has the highest numbers in the Klamath area. Keno's boundary follows the Pacific Crest Trail up to the south edge of Crater Lake National Park, and the buttes inside it reach Aspen Butte at 8173 ft, Pelican Butte at 8008 ft and Mount Harriman at 7975 ft. The low end sits near 3100 ft, so the unit runs from valley country to big mountain relief.

Water and berries decide the early hunt

ODFW's early-season advice is to focus on isolated water sources such as springs, along with berry crops. This year the huckleberry crop is dismal, but if you locate some you'll likely find bears. Roads like Keno Access Road, Copco Road and Hwy 66 give a start on the south and west sides, and Odessa, Topsy and Harriman campgrounds work as bases. Klamath Falls, Altamont, Chiloquin and Dorris are the nearest towns, and Water Wheel Campground is another named place to stay. The Winema National Forest map covers much of the public ground, so pick it up before you go.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

Unit 31 terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

4,085–6,293 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,749 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,040.4 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

361 tanks
1 springs
2,193 stream segments
57 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: Aspen Butte (8,173 ft), Pelican Butte (8,008 ft), Mount Harriman (7,975 ft), Crater Mountain (7,748 ft)

Holding ground: South Pass (6,620 ft), Oregon Desert (6,065 ft), Randolph Flats (4,422 ft), Indian Spring, Onion Spring

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 Black Bear in the Keno Unit: buy the tag early, hunt water and fruit

Carry a tag all fall

Most bear harvest here comes from hunters chasing deer or elk, and ODFW reminds hunters to buy bear and cougar tags before buck season opens. A second general fall tag is available as well. If you're out for something else, that tag in your pocket turns a surprise into a chance. For a dedicated hunt, ODFW says there has never been a better time.

Sit the springs, search the berries

Pick a spring on a hot day and watch it from a distance, downwind, with good shooting light. Bears come to water, and in dry years water draws them from a wide area. With the huckleberries poor, hunt the few patches that still hold fruit rather than glassing empty slopes. Walk quietly, check the wind every few minutes and look for fresh scat, torn logs and clawed trees. A bear down in thick brush near the Klamath side of the unit will be a long drag, so bring a game cart or a partner.

ODFW's 2026 black bear 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.

731A South Central: 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 black bear hunters.

Keno: 304 hunters, 24 animals, 8% success over 2,707 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

Getting in and staying out: unit 31

Named routes and what they need

Keno Access Road — 18 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
OR 62 — 10.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
US 97 — 8.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Copco Road — 6.7 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
CR 533 — 6.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
OR 140 — 6 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

Klamath Falls — 16.2 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Altamont — 18.8 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging, gear
Chiloquin — 19.5 mi · no services listed
Dorris — 26.5 mi · fuel, groceries
Butte Falls — 29.4 mi · no services listed

Developed camps

Odessa Campground
Topsy campground
Harriman
Water Wheel Campground
Surveyor

Season weather and signal

Jan39° / 22° · 3.2" precip
Aug83° / 46° · 0.4" precip
Sep76° / 39° · 0.5" precip
Oct62° / 32° · 1.4" precip
Nov46° / 26° · 2.7" precip
Dec38° / 22° · 4" 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.

Black Bear: 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

Unlock full hunting tactics for WMU 731 black bear

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Black Bear Success Rates

Unit 31: 24 of 304 hunters, 8%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.

Black Bear Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Archery — Controlled either sex (resident)	550	510	100.0%	4
Archery — Controlled either sex (nonresident)	28	23	100.0%	4

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

Open in Draw Odds Engine

ODFW's 2026 regulations give no first-choice applicant figure we can tie to a single hunt here. See ODFW's point summary reports.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Camp Sites

Developed campgrounds: Odessa Campground, Topsy campground, Harriman, Water Wheel Campground.

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Road Conditions

Keno Access Road, OR 62 and US 97 are the longest named roads.

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Terrain Difficulty

Named features run from 3,100 to 8,173 ft. More than 4,000 feet of relief, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

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Weather

Season normals: Sep 76/39°F, 0.5 in.; Oct 62/32°F, 1.4 in.; Nov 46/26°F, 2.7 in.; Dec 38/22°F, 4 in..

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Nearest Town

Klamath Falls (16 mi), Altamont (19 mi), Chiloquin (20 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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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

What ground does this Oregon elk page cover?

The Keno Unit, WMU 31, covers about 1,041 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 41% public land.

What's the biggest 2026 elk hunt here?

Hunt 231X SE Cascades: Nov. 21 - Nov. 29, 90 tags, one bull elk, per ODFW's 2026 regulations.

What was hunter success for elk here in 2025?

ODFW's 2025 statistics for Unit 31: 447 hunters took 28 animals, 6% success.

What ground does this Oregon black bear page cover?

The Keno Unit, WMU 31, covers about 1,041 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 41% public land.

What was hunter success for black bear here in 2025?

ODFW's 2025 statistics for Unit 31: 304 hunters took 24 animals, 8% 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: 1,041 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Aspen Butte 8,173 ft, Pelican Butte 8,008 ft · accessed 2026-10-30

Unit 31 (Keno)

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 31

Elk Hunting in Unit 31

Where to Find Elk in the Keno Unit: Sun Pass, Green Diamond and the Klamath Marsh edge

How to Hunt Elk in the Keno Unit: older bulls, public and private starting points

Elk Success Rates

Elk Draw Odds

Black Bear Hunting in Unit 31

Where to Find Black Bear in the Keno Unit: springs, berry patches and the Cascade slopes

How to Hunt Black Bear in the Keno Unit: buy the tag early, hunt water and fruit

Black Bear Success Rates

Black Bear Draw Odds

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources & Verification