Metolius, Oregon

Elevation ranges from approximately 2,200 feet on the eastern desert floor to 6,400 feet along the Cascade ridgeline and Green Ridge. Terrain transitions sharply from steep volcanic slopes and deep river canyons (Metolius River, Jefferson Creek, Lake Billy Chinook) in the west to rolling, open plateaus and rimrock in the east. The Mount Jefferson Wilderness occupies the far western fringe.

Primary access is via US Highway 97 (east boundary), State Highway 126 (south boundary, Sisters-to-Redmond corridor), and State Highway 242 (McKenzie Pass road, southwest). Camp Sherman Road and USFS Road 14 (Metolius River Road) provide access into the heart of the Deschutes National Forest from Sisters. Green Ridge (USFS Road 1130 and spurs) is accessible from Camp Sherman Road northeast of Sisters. The Mount Jefferson Wilderness (western unit) is closed to motorized vehicles; free USFS wilderness entry permits are required between the Friday before Memorial Day and October 31. Pamelia Lake Trailhead is a key Pacific Crest Trail access point. The eastern half is a patchwork of private and public land managed by the Prineville BLM District. Approximately 5 square miles of the Metolius Wildlife Refuge (near the Metolius River arm of Lake Billy Chinook) are closed to hunting, with part also closed to motor vehicles. A Metolius Winter Range closure prohibits all motorized vehicles (including snowmobiles and e-bikes) December 1 through March 31 annually to protect wintering deer and elk. A Travel Management Area (TMA) map exists for Unit 39 designating restricted roads; many USFS roads in the unit are open to street-legal vehicles only. Contact the Bend ODFW office (541-388-6363) or Prineville BLM for current road and access status.

Three distinct habitat zones: the western third is dominated by burned timber and manzanita brush (legacy of the 2003 B&B Complex fire and later burns), transitioning to a mixed-conifer belt of Engelmann spruce, true fir, and ponderosa pine in the middle third. The eastern third opens to high-desert sagebrush steppe, juniper woodlands, and native bunchgrass, with riparian shrub corridors along the Metolius River, Jefferson Creek, and Lake Billy Chinook arm of the Deschutes River.

Mule deer are the primary big game species, with the unit considered one of Oregon's better mule deer areas; the unit maintains a strong 3-year average buck ratio of 30 bucks per 100 does, above management objectives. Many deer are mule deer/black-tailed deer crosses in the transitional Cascade zone. Rocky Mountain elk numbers are low relative to habitat capacity; most elk summer on the west side of the Cascades and a growing year-round population exists around the Geneva area on the winter range. Calf recruitment has been chronically low, a persistent characteristic of this Cascade herd. A record elk count was recorded in spring 2025, with populations at or near management objective. Black bear numbers have been steadily rising in the east Cascades and the Metolius unit is considered excellent bear habitat. Cougar are present throughout, with strong populations across the Deschutes District. Rocky Mountain goat occupy a small population in the Central Cascades portion of the unit (Hunt 916A). The Metolius River supports wild rainbow and bull trout and is a designated Wild and Scenic River.

1. Hunter success (25%) and harvest (55) for Mule Deer are from 2024 ODFW mandatory harvest survey (Hunt 139 combined all weapons); 2023 showed 44% success / 86 harvested — year-to-year variation is significant. 2. Elk tag quotas (239R: 121, 234X: 1,320, 234M: 198) are 2026 figures from Oregon eRegulations. 3. Hunt 234X and 234M cover Units 34, 39, and the part of Unit 77 west of US 97; harvest/success figures are not isolable to Unit 39 alone. 4. Pronghorn (400-series) and bighorn sheep (500-series) are NOT listed as available hunts on the ODFW Unit 39 page. 5. Contact for this unit: Bend ODFW office 541-388-6363 (not Sisters Ranger District). 6. Starting in 2026, ODFW is restructuring Eastern Oregon deer hunts by Deer Hunt Areas rather than WMUs; the 139-series hunt codes may be reorganized for 2026 and beyond. 7. The Crooked River National Grassland reference was removed — not confirmed on the ODFW unit page as a managing agency; Deschutes NF and Prineville BLM are the confirmed land managers.