Hunt 566A (Riverside)

The legal line in plain words

The Riverside hunt isn't a full wildlife management unit. It covers only that part of Unit 66 south of US Hwy 20. Anything north of the highway is outside the hunt. That's your first boundary, and you should confirm it in the regulations before you scout. Most of the ground is public land, which helps a scouting effort, but sheep don't care about boundaries and you must.

Buttes above the desert floor

The named ground here runs from about 2869 ft to Duck Creek Butte at 6126 ft. Star Mountain reaches 6029 ft, Crowcamp Mountain 5886 ft, Stockade Mountain 5865 ft and Swamp Creek Buttes 5845 ft. Those buttes are the kind of broken, steep terrain bighorns use, so they're a sound place to start glassing. ODFW's forecast doesn't give herd detail for this ground, so treat the map and a good scope as your best tools. ODFW lists no logistics for this ground, so work out access from maps and from BLM and ODF offices. The hunt spans Malheur and Harney counties, so expect long drives between buttes. Plan your fuel and water. Spend a day driving the edges of the hunt area before you pick a base.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's boundary for this hunt covers about 1,865 square miles, 70% of it public land by ODFW's count. Named features inside the line fall in Malheur County and Harney County. Elevation runs from about 2,869 to 6,126 feet. The highest named points are Duck Creek Butte (6,126 ft), Star Mountain (6,029 ft) and Crowcamp Mountain (5,886 ft). ODFW's description reads: "70% public lands. That part of Unit 66 south of US Hwy 20." 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.

Scouting a once-in-a-lifetime tag

With a tag this rare, put in the preseason time. Pick a butte, find a high point with a long view and glass at dawn, when sheep are moving, and again at dusk. Note where animals feed, water and bed. Rams are patient, so you need to be more patient. Keep every trip short on talk and heavy on optics.

Stalk and pack-out

Plan a stalk that keeps terrain between you and the sheep, and watch for ewes and young rams that might spot you first. Take a rangefinder, a solid rest and enough practice to be calm at distance. Don't shoot until you know the animal is legal and you can reach it. A bighorn that falls in a steep draw is a serious retrieval, and rock footing tires you out. Bring packs sized for horns, cape and meat, and plenty of water, as the season opens in the heat of August. Watch the weather and the water. August on this ground is hot and dry, so carry more than you'll drink and tell someone your route. A spotting scope on a tripod, a good pack and a rifle you've shot at distance are the tools that matter. Bighorns can look tiny at a mile, so give every set of rocks a second look before you move.

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.

• 566A Riverside: Aug. 15 - Sep. 14, 2 resident tags; in 2025, 2 taken on 2 tags.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 78, Crowley Road, US 20 and Blm Access Road. The nearest towns are Juntura (19 mi), Harper (40 mi) and Burns (42 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.