Hunt 568B (East Whitehorse)

The legal line in words

This hunt is the part of Unit 68 east and south of a line that begins at the Oregon-Nevada state line near Denio. It follows County Road 201 north to Whitehorse Road, runs east on Whitehorse Road to Hwy 95, then goes north and east on Hwy 95 to Jordan Valley, and continues from there. Everything east and south of that line is in the hunt.

Open desert ranges

The ground is mostly public, and the relief is large. Named points include Catlow Peak, Twin Peaks, Blue Mountain and Whitehorse Mountain, all above seven thousand feet. Red Mountain sits lower, near seven thousand. The unit's low point is a little over three thousand feet.

That's big, open desert country, with long sight lines and few trees. Sheep use rock bands and rim edges, so look for broken ground on the faces of those peaks.

ODFW's forecast says nothing specific for this herd. The hunt description and the geography are what you have, so use them to choose a few ranges and spend your scouting days in them. Distances are long, so give yourself time.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's boundary for this hunt covers about 3,430 square miles, 90% of it public land by ODFW's count. Named features inside the line fall in Malheur County and Harney County. Elevation runs from about 3,378 to 8,201 feet. The highest named points are Catlow Peak (7,653 ft), Twin Peaks (7,565 ft) and Blue Mountain (7,426 ft). ODFW's description reads: "90% public lands. That part of Unit 68 east and south of the following line: Beginning at OR/NV state line near Denio, north on Co Rd 201 to Whitehorse Rd, east on Whitehorse Rd to Hwy 95, north then east on Hwy 95 to Jordan Valley, east on Jordan Valley" 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 big country, early and late

Open desert makes glassing efficient. Set up at a high point at first light and scan rock bands, rims and canyon heads. Sheep are easier to spot at a distance than in timber, but they blend into rock until they move.

Use a spotting scope and a stable tripod. Sit and watch. Mark where you see animals feeding and where they bed.

Water, wind and a long drag

Desert ranges have few water sources, and sheep tend to stay close to what's there. Look for springs and seeps in the canyons, and for trails leading to them. Carry plenty of your own.

Two hunt periods run back to back, so you can choose based on temperature and schedule. A hot early hunt means animals bed in shade; a later one may be cooler and more active.

Roads can be rough and far from any town. Carry a full-size spare, extra fuel and a satellite communicator. If you take an animal, bone it out, bag it and cool it fast. Take a partner for the carry, and make sure someone knows where you are.

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.

• 568B1 E Whitehorse No. 1: Aug. 15 - Sep. 14, 2 resident tags; in 2025, 2 taken on 2 tags.
• 568B2 E Whitehorse No. 2: Sep. 15 - Oct. 14, 2 resident tags; in 2025, 1 taken on 2 tags.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are Three Forks Road, US 95 Old, US 95 and Whitehorse Ranch Road. The nearest towns are McDermitt (27 mi), Jordan Valley (50 mi) and Orovada (57 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.