Deer Hunt Area NB-01 (North Blues 01)

Private lands, two hunt areas

ODFW's description says the hunt covers private lands within NB01 and NB02, so the boundaries of both areas matter. NB01 sits around Pendleton, Pilot Rock and Ukiah, following I-84, Highway 244 and US 395. The hunt allows only archery and muzzleloader. Public acres inside NB01 aren't part of this tag.

Where the forecast helps

The forecast says poor spring rain and a dry summer led to poor forage and water, so deer are highly scattered. That points to private parcels with irrigation, ponds or green fields as the places most likely to hold does and fawns. The forecast doesn't name specific properties. ODFW also reports mule deer steady to slightly decreasing, so take only deer you've planned to take, and do it cleanly. Pendleton and Pilot Rock are the closest towns to most of the ground, and Ukiah sits near the southern edge. Because the hunt spans two areas, read the boundary walk for each one before you assume a property sits inside. When in doubt, ask the landowner or ODFW. Don't rely on a guess about where a fence line sits. A wrong turn onto the wrong property costs you the whole hunt.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's Deer Hunt Area NB-01 covers about 650 square miles measured on ODFW's own polygon, and ODFW rates it 22% public land. It takes in parts of these WMUs: Ukiah (about 100%). Named features inside the line fall in Umatilla County and Union County. Elevation runs from about 1,380 to 5,140 feet. The highest named points are Table Mountain (4,999 ft), Carney Butte (4,798 ft) and Owens Butte (4,579 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.

Hunting inside short range

With archery and muzzleloader only, your shot is close. Set up downwind of a trail, a field corner or a water source, and let the deer come to you. Practice from the same position you'll hunt from, and don't shoot beyond the distance you know you can hit.

Permission and patience

Ask landowners well before the season and offer a clear plan. Show your tag, explain your weapon and promise to close gates. Because deer are scattered in a dry year, ask where the animals are feeding and drinking, not just if you can hunt. Sit an hour before dark and stay until legal light ends. If you wound an animal, tell the owner and ask to follow it. Pendleton and Pilot Rock are handy for ice and supplies. Bring game bags, and get the deer to a cooler quickly in warm weather.

ODFW's 2026 antlerless 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.

• NB601 North Blues 01 (Archery/Muzzleloader ONLY): see ODFW's table in the 2026 regulations for the season and tag count.

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.

• Ukiah (about 100% of this area): 841 hunters, 192 animals, 23% success over 4,140 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are NF 54, I 84;US 30, US 395 and OR 244. The nearest towns are Pilot Rock (8 mi), Pendleton (20 mi) and Ukiah (21 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.