Hunt 543A (John Day River)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
This is a ram and ewe hunt in the John Day River canyon, from the town of Spray to McDonald Ferry and Rock Creek. It falls inside two wildlife management units but covers only the canyon, a once-in-a-lifetime style draw.
Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 543A
Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Oregon Unit 543A 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.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 543A
This is a ram and ewe hunt in the John Day River canyon, from the town of Spray to McDonald Ferry and Rock Creek. It falls inside two wildlife management units but covers only the canyon, a once-in-a-lifetime style draw.
Where to Find Bighorn Sheep in the John Day River Hunt: the canyon from Spray to McDonald Ferry
The legal line, in words
ODFW doesn't hunt this whole unit. The hunt is limited to the John Day River canyon from the town of Spray to McDonald Ferry and Rock Creek, in parts of Units 43 and 45. Stay inside the canyon corridor as described in the current regulations, and read the hunt description before you scout. Most of the area is public, but not all of it, so confirm who owns the bench you plan to glass.
Canyon relief and named buttes
The named high points are modest. Tap Horn Butte reaches 3800 feet, with Muleshoe Mountain, Masiker Mountain, Horse Mountain and Hoogie Doogie Mountain all under 3300. The river corridor drops down to about 453 feet, so the relief is almost entirely canyon walls and benches. That's the ground to study. Look for broken rock, ledges and side drainages that come off the buttes toward the river. The hunt runs as three ram hunts plus a separate ewe hunt, and all four are small draws. The named buttes give you vantage points above the river.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
ODFW's boundary for this hunt covers about 231 square miles, 65% of it public land by ODFW's count. Named features inside the line fall in Wheeler County, Gilliam County, Sherman County and Wasco County. Elevation runs from about 453 to 3,800 feet. The highest named points are Tap Horn Butte (3,800 ft), Muleshoe Mountain (3,245 ft) and Masiker Mountain (3,137 ft). ODFW's description reads: "65% public lands. That part of the John Day River Canyon from the town of Spray to McDonald Ferry/Rock Creek in Units 43 and 45." 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 543A terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 1,142–3,067 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 1,888 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 231.3 sq mi inside the boundary.
Who owns the ground
- BLM — 15%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 77%
Roughly 23% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 9 tanks
- 4 springs
- 220 stream segments
- 5 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: Tap Horn Butte (3,800 ft), Masiker Mountain (3,137 ft), Hoogie Doogie Mountain (2,878 ft), Byrds Point (2,366 ft)
Holding ground: Kentucky Canyon (2,367 ft), Juniper Canyon (1,708 ft), Rollin Canyon (1,686 ft)
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 Bighorn Sheep in the John Day River Hunt: glass the benches, plan the pack
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
543A1 John Day Rvr No. 1: 8 taken on 8 tags; 543A2 John Day Rvr No. 2: 9 taken on 9 tags; 543A3 John Day Rvr No. 3: 9 taken on 9 tags; 543D1 John Day Rvr Ewe: 20 taken on 30 tags. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 4,210 | 0.0% | — |
| Archery — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 3,902 | 0.0% | — |
| Archery — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 1,751 | 0.1% | — |
| Any Legal Weapon — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 731 | 0.1% | — |
| Any Legal Weapon — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 1,026 | 0.1% | — |
| Any Legal Weapon — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 407 | 0.2% | — |
| Any Legal Weapon — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 561 | 0.2% | — |
| Any Legal Weapon — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 312 | 0.3% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 736 | 0.1% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 636 | 0.2% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 445 | 0.2% | — |
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.
- 543D1 John Day Rvr Ewe: 28 tags for 2026; 445 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 bighorn sheep page cover?
When is the 2026 bighorn sheep season 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 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: 231 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Tap Horn Butte 3,800 ft, Muleshoe Mountain 3,245 ft · accessed 2026-10-30