Deer Hunt Area JK-01 (Jackknife 01)

Rivers on three sides

The boundary starts at the mouth of the Deschutes River, follows the Columbia to Arlington, then runs down Highway 19 to Fossil, Highway 218 to Antelope, the Antelope Highway to Highway 97, and South Junction Road back to the Deschutes. Most of the ground comes from the Biggs unit, with the rest from Maupin. The named high points are low and rounded: Prindle Peak, Steiwer Peaks, China Hat, Nachter Butte and Zero Butte.

What ODFW's forecast says

ODFW calls the Jackknife herd stable or increasing. Fall surveys put the buck ratio at 16 per 100 does, at the objective, with a high fawn ratio of 43 per 100 does. After a mild winter, ODFW expects a surplus of young bucks. Buck ratios are highest in the northern John Day River canyon and on private land. The Deschutes River canyon has public BLM ground and the Lower Deschutes Wildlife Area, where deer densities run lower than in the John Day canyon. The unit is big, and only a small slice of it is public. Shaniko, Grass Valley, Maupin and Moro are the nearest towns, and US 97, OR 216, OR 19, OR 218 and I-84 are the roads that carry you around it.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's Deer Hunt Area JK-01 covers about 2,187 square miles measured on ODFW's own polygon, and ODFW rates it 12% public land. It takes in parts of these WMUs: Biggs (about 77%) and Maupin (about 23%). Named features inside the line fall in Sherman County, Gilliam County, Wasco County and Wheeler County. Elevation runs from about 186 to 4,047 feet. The highest named points are Prindle Peak (4,047 ft), Steiwer Peaks (3,925 ft) and China Hat (3,602 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.

Public access is the puzzle

ODFW says the John Day River has limited public access points, and floating can reach public land inside the canyon, though it depends on flows. Water is below average this summer, so check levels before you launch. Cottonwood and Thirtymile are named access points, and fire danger may affect them. Jones Canyon, Macks Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon campgrounds sit near the canyon country.

Timing and the rim

ODFW notes that pressure from private land can push Deschutes deer up onto the canyon rim after opening day, so plan to glass the rim and the top of draws on day two and beyond. Bowhunters can use the long early season to watch bucks and find water. The late hunt targets bucks that have moved. Because ODFW expects plenty of young bucks, be patient if you want an older one. Moro, Maupin, Grass Valley and Shaniko are the nearest towns. Canyon walls are steep, so plan a pack-out with game bags and a good frame pack.

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.

• JK101 Jackknife 01, Oct. 3 - Oct. 14: 1,650 tags, one buck with visible antler.
• JK101R Jackknife 01 Bow, Aug. 29 - Sep. 27: 220 tags, one buck with visible antler.
• JK101-1 Late Jackknife 01, Nov. 21 - Nov. 29: 10 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.

• Biggs (about 77% of this area): 1,116 hunters, 623 animals, 56% success over 3,974 hunter days.
• Maupin (about 23% of this area): 292 hunters, 123 animals, 42% success over 999 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are OR 218, OR 19, OR 293 and US 197. The nearest towns are Grass Valley (11 mi), Moro (16 mi) and Condon (20 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.