Unit 72 (Silvies)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Elk, Pronghorn
Silvies covers a huge stretch north of Burns, with Snow Mountain at 7152 feet as the high point. ODFW says elk numbers are stable but below objective, with bull ratios and hunter success both declining in recent years.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 72
Silvies covers a huge stretch north of Burns, with Snow Mountain at 7152 feet as the high point. ODFW says elk numbers are stable but below objective, with bull ratios and hunter success both declining in recent years.
Where to Find Elk in the Silvies Unit: Snow Mountain and the north-side ranch country
Burns to Seneca, by road
The boundary starts at Burns and runs west on US 20 to Glass Buttes, then north on the Glass Buttes-Camp Creek road to Twelvemile Creek. It crosses to Paulina-Suplee Road, follows the South Fork John Day River southeast, and returns on Forest Roads 3750 and 37 to US 395. Snow Mountain at 7152 feet, Utley Butte, West Myrtle Butte and Little Mowich Mountain are the named high points. The unit's low corner sits just under 4000 feet, so the elk country here is sage, juniper and rolling ridges rather than deep forest. Chickahominy Reservoir is the one named camp.
Herd status
ODFW says elk across the Harney district are stable, but not above management objective in Silvies. Bull ratios have declined in recent years, and hunter success has dropped with them. It forecasts success to stay close to the five-year average. Price-Twelvemile Road cuts across the northwest side, and Swamp Creek Lane and Forest Road 31 are the other named roads. Hines and Burns are the closest towns, while Seneca and Dayville sit well beyond the edge. That's a long way from fuel and supplies, so fill the tank before you leave town.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
The Silvies Unit, WMU 72, covers about 1,788 square miles measured on ODFW's polygon, and ODFW rates it 67% public land. Named features inside the line fall in Harney County, Grant County and Crook County. Elevation runs from about 3,965 to 7,152 feet. The highest named points are Snow Mountain (7,152 ft), Utley Butte (6,406 ft) and West Myrtle Butte (6,385 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 72 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 4,193–5,618 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,944 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 1,788.6 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
- 42 tanks
- 47 springs
- 334 stream segments
- 11 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: Snow Mountain (7,152 ft), Utley Butte (6,406 ft), West Myrtle Butte (6,385 ft), Dry Mountain (6,277 ft)
Holding ground: Lehman Meadow (6,212 ft), Button Flat (5,818 ft), Crane Flats (5,772 ft), Four Bar Spring, Bingham Spring
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 Elk in the Silvies Unit: open-country glassing and the North Juniper hunts
Elk Success Rates
Unit 72: 101 of 876 hunters, 12%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.
Elk Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 330 | 508 | 62.4% | 7 |
| Archery — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 17 | 26 | 50.0% | 7 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 55 | 28 | 100.0% | 2 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 755 | 184 | 99.5% | 4 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 38 | 54 | 57.4% | 4 |
| Rifle — Controlled either sex (resident) | 10 | 28 | 32.1% | 7 |
| Rifle — Controlled either sex (nonresident) | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 7 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 358 | 577 | 59.1% | 11 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 18 | 52 | 30.8% | 11 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (resident) | 358 | 581 | 58.7% | 8 |
| Rifle — Controlled bull/buck only (nonresident) | 18 | 51 | 33.3% | 8 |
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.
- 272Y Silvies Unit No. 2: 358 tags for 2026; 629 first-choice applicants in 2025.
- 271A1 Silvies - N Juniper No. 1: 165 tags for 2026; 117 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 elk page cover?
What's the biggest 2026 elk hunt here?
What was hunter success for elk here in 2025?
What ground does this Oregon pronghorn page cover?
What's the biggest 2026 pronghorn hunt here?
What was hunter success for pronghorn here in 2025?
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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: 1,788 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Snow Mountain 7,152 ft, Utley Butte 6,406 ft · accessed 2026-10-30