Deer Hunt Area DE-01 (Deschutes 01)

Two WMUs, one hunt area

This area merges the Metolius WMU, which supplies about two-fifths, with the larger Upper Deschutes WMU, about three-fifths. It starts at Bend, runs along US 97 and the Deschutes to Wickiup Dam, climbs to the Pacific Crest Trail and runs north along the crest to the Warm Springs boundary, then east to Lake Billy Chinook.

The Sisters, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor define the skyline, with low ground near two thousand feet along the Crooked River.

Cover that hides the bucks

ODFW says this herd range has a high buck ratio, averaging twenty-nine bucks per hundred does over the past five years. But thick cover means high escapement and lower success rates for hunters.

The forecast says burned ground from the last twenty years, including the B&B, Pole Creek and Milli fires, can hold deer. It notes the southern end near Crane Prairie and the Three Sisters Wilderness is thicker and calls for still hunting.

Forest management plots, with thinning and other cuts, are good places to find deer at first and last light. The Akawa Butte Fire in the Metolius and the Flat Fire hit winter range, so check access restrictions before you go.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's Deer Hunt Area DE-01 covers about 1,677 square miles measured on ODFW's own polygon, and ODFW rates it 74% public land. It takes in parts of these WMUs: Upper Deschutes (about 60%) and Metolius (about 40%). Named features inside the line fall in Deschutes County, Jefferson County, Lane County and Linn County. Elevation runs from about 1,947 to 10,321 feet. The highest named points are South Sister (10,321 ft), Middle Sister (10,032 ft) and North Sister (9,950 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.

Slow down in the thick stuff

ODFW says deer overall are below objective, but buck ratios are above objective in every unit. That means bucks are there; the challenge is finding them. In thick cover, move a few steps and stop for several minutes. Let your eyes catch what's moving.

The forecast says the southern part of the area requires still hunting. Pick quiet mornings and move into the wind.

Watch the openings at the edges of the day

Thinning plots and cuts break up the cover. Sit at the edge of one, wind in your face, and glass it in the first and last light. A buck that stays hidden all day may step out then.

Weather matters, according to the forecast. Hot, dry seasons mean less daytime movement and noisy stalking, while cooler, wetter conditions can help. Adjust for that.

The area has a rifle hunt, a long archery season, a muzzleloader hunt and a late bow hunt. The former Upper Deschutes side has far fewer tags than before and may be quiet, which ODFW says is easy to overlook.

On steep or dense ground, plan the drag before you shoot, and cool the meat quickly.

ODFW's 2026 buck deer hunts on this ground

Seasons, bag limits and tags come from ODFW's 2026 regulations. Check the current book before you apply or go, because these change every year.

• DE101 Deschutes 01, Oct. 3 - Oct. 14: 990 tags, one buck with visible antler.
• DE101R Deschutes 01 Bow, Aug. 29 - Sep. 27: 523 tags, one buck with visible antler.
• DE101M Deschutes 01 Muzzleloader, Oct. 17 - Oct. 25: 55 tags, one buck with visible antler.
• DE101R1 Late Deschutes 01 Bow, Nov. 1 - Nov. 30: 22 tags, one buck with visible antler.

The 2025 harvest in ODFW's numbers

ODFW has no harvest figures on the new hunt areas yet. Its 2025 statistics are by WMU, for all deer hunters, every season and tag type, so these are the units this area was drawn from, and each covers more or less ground than the area does.

• Upper deschutes (about 60% of this area): 1,235 hunters, 261 animals, 21% success over 6,642 hunter days.
• Metolius (about 40% of this area): 182 hunters, 85 animals, 47% success over 879 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are US 97, CR 42, NF 4290 and NF 4285. The nearest towns are Sisters (7 mi), Tumalo (13 mi) and Bend (16 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.