Deer Hunt Area HX-01 (Helix 01)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Deer (Buck), Deer (Antlerless)
Helix 01 is the Columbia Basin, the low country along the Columbia River near Hermiston, Echo, Stanfield and Irrigon, where the highest named point is Saddle Butte at 1636 ft. Only a small share is public, so access shapes this hunt.
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Deer (Buck) Hunting in Unit HX-01
Helix 01 is the Columbia Basin, the low country along the Columbia River near Hermiston, Echo, Stanfield and Irrigon, where the highest named point is Saddle Butte at 1636 ft. Only a small share is public, so access shapes this hunt.
Where to Find Bucks in the Helix 01 Hunt Area: low hills, river bottom and the few public parcels
A river-basin hunt on mostly private ground
ODFW's boundary starts in Arlington, follows the Columbia River east to the state line, then returns along Highway 11, I-84, Highway 207, Highway 74 and Highway 19. The land lies between roughly 268 and 1852 ft, and the named high points are modest: Saddle Butte, Ella Butte, Milton Hill, Owen Hill and Columbia Heights. Only a small share of it is public, so most of your hunting depends on what an owner allows.
What the neighboring forecast says
ODFW's forecast for the neighboring Jackknife herd range says buck ratios are highest on private land, where public access is limited, and it tells hunters to ask permission before hunting private ground. That fits the pattern you'll find in this basin. The forecast gives no figures for this specific area, so treat it as a guide to the pattern instead of a count. Towns like Echo, Stanfield, Hermiston and Irrigon sit inside or beside the boundary. The Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge is part of the area, and ODFW publishes hunt maps for it. Those parcels carry their own rules, so read them before you count the refuge as open ground for a buck hunt.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
ODFW's Deer Hunt Area HX-01 covers about 1,651 square miles measured on ODFW's own polygon, and ODFW rates it 9% public land. It takes in parts of these WMUs: Columbia Basin (about 100%). Named features inside the line fall in Umatilla County, Morrow County and Gilliam County. Elevation runs from about 267 to 1,852 feet. The highest named points are Saddle Butte (1,636 ft), Ella Butte (1,612 ft) and Milton Hill (1,479 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 HX-01 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 267–1,815 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 959 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 1,651.5 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.
Who owns the ground
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 92%
Roughly 8% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 111 tanks
- 1 springs
- 359 stream segments
- 23 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: Hickland Butte (1,011 ft), Horn Butte (908 ft), Umatilla Butte (652 ft), Hermiston Butte (599 ft)
Holding ground: Cold Springs Canyon (603 ft), Sixmile Canyon (268 ft)
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 Bucks in the Helix 01 Hunt Area: permission, glassing and a wide-open pack-out
Spend the preseason on the phone
The best tool you'll carry is a landowner's phone number. Drive the county roads along OR 74, OR 206, OR 19 and Rhea Creek Road, find parcels with brush, draws or cover next to crops, and ask early. Offer clear terms and honor them. A permission slip in hand opens more doors than any scouting trip.
Working open country
With little cover, deer see you from a long way off. Glass from a vehicle pullout or a rise before first light, then stalk with the wind in your face and the sun at your back. The bow hunt runs long, so you can sit near a pond or a field edge until a buck commits. The rifle hunt is shorter and gets crowded on any public parcel, so go early. RV parks in Boardman, Hermiston and Umatilla serve this area, including Umatilla Marina RV Park. In open terrain a deer is easy to drag to a vehicle, so you can usually skip the heavy pack work.
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.
- HX101 Helix 01, Oct. 3 - Oct. 14: 1,210 tags, one buck with visible antler.
- HX101R Helix 01 Bow, Aug. 29 - Sep. 27: 220 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.
- Columbia basin (about 100% of this area): 1,339 hunters, 817 animals, 61% success over 4,466 hunter days.
Roads in and the nearest towns
The longest named roads through this ground are OR 74, OR 207, I 84;US 30;US 395 and OR 11. The nearest towns are Hermiston (6 mi), Stanfield (6 mi) and Echo (7 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.
Getting in and staying out: unit HX-01
Named routes and what they need
- OR 74 — 29.8 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- OR 207 — 25.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- I 84;US 30;US 395 — 19.1 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- OR 11 — 18.7 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- OR 19 — 9.9 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- Baseline Road — 6.9 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.
Nearest services
- Hermiston — 5.5 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
- Stanfield — 5.8 mi · fuel, groceries
- Echo — 7.1 mi · fuel, groceries
- Umatilla — 10.3 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
- Irrigon — 11.5 mi · no services listed
Developed camps
- Unnamed camp site
- Umatilla Marina RV Park · Fee
- Boardman RV Park
- Unnamed camp site
- Pioneer RV Park
Season weather and signal
- Jan42° / 28° · 1.2" precip
- Aug90° / 56° · 0.2" precip
- Sep80° / 48° · 0.3" precip
- Oct66° / 39° · 0.8" precip
- Nov51° / 32° · 1" precip
- Dec42° / 28° · 1.1" precip
Best signal is Verizon at about 26% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.
Oregon rules that decide your day
Summarised from ODFW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.
Legal shooting hours
Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Motorized retrieval
Oregon has no general off-road retrieval allowance; several travel-management areas close roads during hunting season.
Tagging
Validate the tag and attach it to the carcass before leaving the kill site.
Leaving meat
Wasting edible meat is illegal.
Where you may not shoot
- Occupied structures — No shooting from or across a public road, and no shooting within range of an occupied dwelling without permission.
Deer (Buck): where to put the shot
Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.
Shots to refuse
- Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
- Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
- Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.
Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.
Deer (Buck) Success Rates
Unit 44: 817 of 1,339 hunters, 61%. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics, by WMU, because the new hunt areas have no history yet.
Deer (Buck) Draw Odds
Draw odds data not available for this specific unit/species combination in our database.
Search Oregon Draw OddsODFW's eastern deer hunts carry new numbers from 2026, so the regulations list them as NEW, with no applicant history to quote. Treat any older WMU draw figures as a different hunt.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Planning Notes
Camp Sites
Developed campgrounds: Umatilla Marina RV Park, Boardman RV Park, Pioneer RV Park, Lookout RV Park.
Road Conditions
OR 74, OR 207 and I 84;US 30;US 395 are the longest named roads.
Terrain Difficulty
Named features run from 268 to 1,852 ft.
Weather
Season normals: Sep 80/48°F, 0.3 in.; Oct 66/39°F, 0.8 in.; Nov 51/32°F, 1 in.; Dec 42/28°F, 1.1 in..
Nearest Town
Hermiston (6 mi), Stanfield (6 mi), Echo (7 mi)
Permit Notes
Check ODFW's 2026 regulations for hunt boundaries, seasons and tag rules before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ground does this Oregon buck deer page cover?
What's the biggest 2026 buck deer hunt here?
What was hunter success for buck deer here in 2025?
What ground does this Oregon antlerless deer page cover?
What's the biggest 2026 antlerless deer hunt here?
What was hunter success for antlerless deer here in 2025?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
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
- Helix Hunt Area HX-01 — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: Boundary description, Public-land share · 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
- 2026 Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas (ArcGIS) — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: 1,651 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Saddle Butte 1,636 ft, Ella Butte 1,612 ft · accessed 2026-10-30