Deer Hunt Area SW-01 (South Wallowa 01)

From the interstate to Farewell Bend

The boundary runs east on Hwy 86 to the Powder River, follows the Powder to the Snake, goes southwest along the Snake to Birch Creek at Farewell Bend, and returns on I-84. Big Lookout Mountain, Little Lookout Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Sheep Mountain and Lone Pine Mountain are the named high points. Roads include Snake River Road and Old US 30. Richland, Halfway, Huntington and Baker City are the nearest towns.

What ODFW says about Baker County

Mild winter conditions led to higher than average fawn survival, ODFW says. Deer numbers are below objective in all units, while buck ratios are meeting objective. Mule deer are the animal on this tag, and a bow hunt runs here as well. The ground drops from the Lookout peaks to the Snake canyon, so you'll find deer at several elevations as the day changes.

It's a compact unit near Baker City and the interstate, so day hunts are practical. Use I-84 and Hwy 86 to reach the edges, then work uphill toward the Lookout peaks. Public land is limited, so check ownership on a map before you walk in.

The ground ODFW draws for this hunt

ODFW's Deer Hunt Area SW-01 covers about 555 square miles measured on ODFW's own polygon, and ODFW rates it 38% public land. It takes in parts of these WMUs: Lookout Mountain (about 100%). Named features inside the line fall in Baker County. Elevation runs from about 2,075 to 7,087 feet. The highest named points are Big Lookout Mountain (7,087 ft), Little Lookout Mountain (6,675 ft) and Sugarloaf Mountain (6,093 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.

Follow the forage and bedding cover

ODFW's advice is to concentrate on areas of good forage near north slopes that provide bedding cover. That gives you a simple search pattern. Find the green, find the shaded slope next to it and glass the seam between them.

Animals are most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon, so be in position before light.

Plan for steep ground

Between the Lookout peaks and the Snake canyon, you'll climb a lot. A lone hunter should cape and quarter the deer on the spot and carry it out in stages. Fill your water before you leave, because dry weather can leave seeps empty. Richland and Huntington are close for last-minute supplies, and Basser Diggins and the Spring Recreation Site are named camps if you want a base. Public land is limited, so confirm where it starts before you hike in.

Take a rangefinder and a rest. Open slopes above the Snake can make a shot look closer than it is, and a steady rest steadies your nerves.

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.

• SW101 South Wallowas 01, Oct. 3 - Oct. 14: 704 tags, one mule deer buck with visible antler.
• SW101R South Wallowas 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.

• Lookout mtn (about 100% of this area): 211 hunters, 117 animals, 55% success over 913 hunter days.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through this ground are I 84;US 30, Snake River Road, US 30 Old and Ruckles Creek Road. The nearest towns are Richland (13 mi), Halfway (20 mi) and Huntington (22 mi), measured from the centre of the unit.