Deer Hunt Area PH-01 (Painted Hills 01)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Deer (Buck)
Painted Hills 01 spreads across the Grizzly, Ochoco and Fossil WMUs from Redmond to Fossil, with Mount Pisgah the high point. ODFW expects more yearling bucks after a record-warm winter, but fire closures are a concern.
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Deer (Buck) Hunting in Unit PH-01
Painted Hills 01 spreads across the Grizzly, Ochoco and Fossil WMUs from Redmond to Fossil, with Mount Pisgah the high point. ODFW expects more yearling bucks after a record-warm winter, but fire closures are a concern.
Where to Find Deer in the Painted Hills 01 Hunt Area: Grizzly, Ochoco and Fossil ground
Ridges between Redmond and Fossil
The boundary leaves Redmond on US 97, crosses the Crooked and Deschutes rivers, runs out through Antelope to Fossil on Hwy 218 and Hwy 19, then comes back by US 26 and Hwy 126. Mount Pisgah, Round Mountain, East Point, Peterson Point and Slide Mountain are the high points. US 26, OR 27 and South Fork John Day Road run through the middle of it. Mitchell, Madras, Metolius and Prineville are the closest towns.
A snow-drought winter
ODFW's forecast says the district had a snow drought and one of the warmest winters on record. That produced high overwinter survival and more yearling bucks than usual. Buck ratios are near objective in the Ochoco and Grizzly units, with a district-wide average of 20 bucks per 100 does, though fawn survival slipped a little. Whistler Spring, Wildcat and North Green Mountain are named campgrounds.
Scale matters here. The area is large and a good share of it is private, so sort the public pieces from the private ones on a current map before you drive anywhere. Then use US 26, OR 27 and OR 126 to link the ridges you want to glass.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
ODFW's Deer Hunt Area PH-01 covers about 2,425 square miles measured on ODFW's own polygon, and ODFW rates it 35% public land. It takes in parts of these WMUs: Grizzly (about 69%), Ochoco (about 17%) and Fossil (about 14%). Named features inside the line fall in Wheeler County, Jefferson County, Crook County and Wasco County. Elevation runs from about 1,294 to 6,817 feet. The highest named points are Mount Pisgah (6,817 ft), Round Mountain (6,702 ft) and East Point (6,607 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 PH-01 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 1,857–5,374 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 3,587 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 2,424.6 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
- 311 tanks
- 106 springs
- 1,087 stream segments
- 41 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: Mount Pisgah (6,817 ft), Round Mountain (6,702 ft), East Point (6,607 ft), Peterson Point (6,206 ft)
Holding ground: Indian Prairie (6,078 ft), Moccasin Prairie (5,547 ft), Dicer Meadow (5,483 ft), Milk Spring, Chambers 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 Deer in the Painted Hills 01 Hunt Area: expect small bucks and closed gates
Plan around fire closures
ODFW says large wildfires have led public land agencies to close access, and the drought has returned. Check the Ochoco and Deschutes national forest pages and BLM before you drive out. Have a second spot picked in case your first is shut.
Closures can change in days, so look again right before the opener.
Sort the bucks
More yearlings means you'll see plenty of young bucks, and ODFW's note on mature bucks across the region is worth keeping in mind. Take your time, glass many deer and decide what you're after before you shoot. Deer numbers still run below objective across the district, so expect to work for them. Hunt the cool hours, work the edges where cover meets feed, and be ready for a long drag. A lot of this unit is private, so look for public access points before you commit to a ridge.
Carry a map that shows ownership, not only roads. A gate that's open on a county road doesn't make the ground behind it public.
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.
- PH101 Painted Hills 01, Oct. 3 - Oct. 14: 1,254 tags, one buck with visible antler.
- PH101R Painted Hills 01 Bow: 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.
- Grizzly (about 69% of this area): 594 hunters, 235 animals, 40% success over 2,831 hunter days.
- Ochoco (about 17% of this area): 1,473 hunters, 318 animals, 22% success over 7,857 hunter days.
Roads in and the nearest towns
The longest named roads through this ground are NF 42, US 26, OR 207 and OR 126. The nearest towns are Antelope (22 mi), Mitchell (23 mi) and Prineville (23 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.
Getting in and staying out: unit PH-01
Named routes and what they need
- NF 42 — 19.8 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
- US 26 — 15.6 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- OR 207 — 14.4 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- OR 126 — 12.8 mi · Paved (all rigs)
- NF 12 — 10 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
- FS 42 — 8.8 mi · High-clearance
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
- Antelope — 22.4 mi · no services listed
- Mitchell — 22.6 mi · groceries, lodging
- Prineville — 23.2 mi · fuel, groceries
- Madras — 25.6 mi · lodging
- Metolius — 27.9 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Developed camps
- Unnamed camp site
- Little Summit Campground
- Mitchell Park — 5 sites · Fee
- Whistler Spring Campground
- Wildcat Campground
Season weather and signal
- Jan42° / 24° · 1.3" precip
- Aug85° / 45° · 0.3" precip
- Sep77° / 39° · 0.5" precip
- Oct63° / 32° · 1.1" precip
- Nov49° / 27° · 1.5" precip
- Dec41° / 22° · 1.6" 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 38: 235 of 594 hunters, 40%; Unit 37: 318 of 1,473 hunters, 22%. 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: Little Summit Campground, Mitchell Park, Whistler Spring Campground, Wildcat Campground.
Road Conditions
NF 42, US 26 and OR 207 are the longest named roads.
Terrain Difficulty
Named features run from 1,294 to 6,817 ft. More than 4,000 feet of relief, so plan the pack-out before the shot.
Weather
Season normals: Sep 77/39°F, 0.5 in.; Oct 63/32°F, 1.1 in.; Nov 49/27°F, 1.5 in.; Dec 41/22°F, 1.6 in..
Nearest Town
Antelope (22 mi), Mitchell (23 mi), Prineville (23 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?
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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
- Painted Hills Hunt Area PH-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: 2,425 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Mount Pisgah 6,817 ft, Round Mountain 6,702 ft · accessed 2026-10-30