Hunt 546B (McClellan)

The legal line

This hunt is the part of Unit 46 east of a line that starts at the junction of Hwy 26 and Dry Creek, follows Dry Creek south to West Dry Creek, runs southeast on FS Road 2140 to its junction with FS Road 21, and carries on from there. Everything east of that line, in Grant County, is open to the hunt.

Big relief and public ground

The unit is mostly public land and tops out at Strawberry Mountain at over nine thousand feet. Indian Spring Butte, Graham Mountain, Slide Mountain and Rabbit Ears are all above eight thousand feet. The low end is closer to three thousand feet near the valley floor.

That is a lot of vertical relief. Sheep hunters should expect rock, steep ridges and exposed slopes. A once-in-a-lifetime draw like this deserves several scouting trips, because ODFW's forecast gives nothing specific for the herd, and the hunt description doesn't either.

Look at the Hwy 26 corridor as a starting point, and study the Forest Service roads that make up the western boundary.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's boundary for this hunt covers about 803 square miles, 85% of it public land by ODFW's count. Named features inside the line fall in Grant County. Elevation runs from about 2,796 to 9,032 feet. The highest named points are Strawberry Mountain (9,032 ft), Indian Spring Butte (8,539 ft) and Graham Mountain (8,538 ft). ODFW's description reads: "85% public lands. That part of Unit 46 east of the following line: starting at Junction of Hwy 26 and Dry Cr; follow Dry Cr south to West Dry Cr; follow West Dry Cr south to FS Rd 2140; southeast on FS Rd 2140 to junction of FS Rd 21; follow FS Rd 21 sou" 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.

Glass from the high points

On big mountain country like this, sheep show up on open slopes, rock faces and benches on the high mountain faces. Get up early, find a perch with a wide view and spend hours behind a spotting scope. Pick a ridge, scan, repeat.

The hunt window is long, so use it. Scout first in the early part of the season, then adjust to where animals actually are.

Pack in and pack out

Steep country means hard work. Carry light, with food and water for the day, and plan overnight stays if the walk is long. Keep your boots and your legs fit; the elevation is real.

If you take a ram, the cape and horns come off carefully and the meat needs cooling quickly. Bring game bags, a saw or knife you trust and a partner for the carry. Mark the animal with GPS before you start the work. Big mountain country swallows landmarks, and a kill site that looked obvious from a ridge can be hard to find again after an hour of cutting and bagging. Leave the guts and the bones, and carry everything else.

Check Forest Service rules and fire closures before you go, and keep an eye on the weather. Early autumn storms can arrive without much warning on high ridges.

The 2026 tags and the 2025 result

From ODFW's 2026 regulations and its 2025 reported harvest. ODFW's nonresident tags are shared across a line of hunts, so check the regulations for those.

• 546B McClellan: Aug. 15 - Oct. 31, 2 resident tags; in 2025, 2 taken on 2 tags.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are NF 16, NF 21, NF 37 and CR 63. The nearest towns are Seneca (8 mi), Canyon City (10 mi) and John Day (12 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.