Biggs, Oregon
Unit info
- Game species
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, California Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Cougar
- Group
- Eastern Oregon
- Area
- 1,974 mi²
- Public land
- 9%
Elk — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 112
Draw odds for Elkaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Cougar — season & harvest
- Tag type
- General season (over-the-counter); Hunt Zone D (Columbia Basin) covering units 38, 40, 43, 44, and 45; zone-level quota of 100 cougars, typically not reached. Dogs prohibited statewide.
- Archery season
- Jan 1–Dec 31
- General season
- Jan 1–Dec 31; OTC tag sale deadline October 2
- Muzzleloader season
- Jan 1–Dec 31
Cougar inhabit the river canyons and rocky breaks throughout the unit. Year-round open season with OTC tags; zone quota of 100 rarely met. Mandatory check-in within 10 days of harvest — unfrozen hide with skull and proof of sex required; appointment needed during business hours.
Draw odds for Cougararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Mule Deer — season & harvest40% success
- Tag type
- Controlled draw (limited-entry); split into sub-hunts 143A (E Biggs, east of John Day River) and 143B (W Biggs, west of John Day River); antlerless tags available via 643A/643B. Beginning 2026, eastern Oregon deer hunts transition to new alphanumeric Deer Hunt Areas replacing WMU-based hunt numbers — consult ODFW Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas page for updated codes.
- Tag quota
- 770
- Reported harvest
- 626
- General season
- Oct 4–15, 2025 any-legal-weapon (2024 season was Oct 5–16); verify 2026 dates under new Deer Hunt Area system
Nearly all accessible public land lies in river canyon bottoms reachable only on foot or by boat. Hunters without landowner permission must access BLM strips along the John Day or Deschutes Rivers. Buck-to-doe ratio exceeded management objectives in 2024 (22:100 vs. 15:100 target); 770 tags per sub-unit means draw odds are favorable — 143A in particular had more tags than resident applicants in 2024. Higher deer concentrations in northern John Day River canyon.
Draw odds for Mule Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Pronghorn — season & harvest
- Tag type
- Controlled draw (limited-entry); Hunt 440A1 (doe/fawn, ~55 tags) and 440A2 (buck, ~26 tags) cover all of units 40, 43, 44 and that portion of unit 48 north of FRs 21 and 53. Only 7% public land — ODFW warns applicants to secure landowner access before applying.
- Tag quota
- 81
- General season
- Oct 17–25, 2026 any-legal-weapon (440A1: ~55 doe/fawn tags; 440A2: ~26 buck tags) — verify exact dates and quotas in current regulations; not confirmed from primary source during this review.
The Columbia Plateau holds scattered pronghorn on private wheat ground and open rangeland. With only 7% public land and ODFW's explicit warning to secure landowner permission before applying, this hunt is largely inaccessible without private-land contacts. Tag numbers cover a large multi-unit area reflecting small population density and restricted access.
Draw odds for Pronghornaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Tag type
- General season (over-the-counter) fall tag; OTC tag sale deadline October 2. Spring controlled hunts (700-series) are listed for the unit but no specific spring bear hunt was confirmed to operate within unit 43 boundaries.
- Archery season
- Aug 1–Dec 31 (general season applies to all legal weapons including archery)
- General season
- Aug 1–Dec 31, 2025
- Muzzleloader season
- Aug 1–Dec 31 (general season applies to all legal weapons)
Bear numbers are limited in this largely open agricultural unit; the river canyons and rimrock provide the primary habitat. Incidental opportunities occur during deer season in canyon bottoms. Using dogs for bear hunting is prohibited statewide in Oregon. Mandatory skull check-in at an ODFW office within 10 days of harvest.
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Rocky Mountain Elk — season & harvest
- Tag type
- Controlled draw (limited-entry); Hunt 244 Columbia Plateau covers all of units 40, 43, and 44 combined (7% public land). Unit 43 is an elk de-emphasis area with low population density concentrated on private agricultural land.
- Tag quota
- 1,100
- General season
- Hunt 244: Oct 28–Nov 30, 2026 (one elk either sex); Dec 1–Mar 31, 2027 (one antlerless elk). Dates verified against 2026 eRegulations.
Elk numbers are low and concentrated on private agricultural land; the unit is managed as a de-emphasis area. Most public-land opportunity is in the river canyons. The extended general season through March reflects the damage-hunt character of this designation. Approximately 7% public land across the combined Hunt 244 area. The 1,100-tag quota covers all three units combined, not unit 43 alone.
Draw odds for Rocky Mountain Elkaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
California Bighorn Sheep — season & harvest
- Tag type
- Controlled draw (limited-entry); random draw, no preference points awarded. Hunts 543A1–543A3 cover the John Day River Canyon (Spray to McDonald Ferry/Rock Creek, units 43 and 45, 65% public). Hunts 543B1–543B3 (East Deschutes) and 543C1–543C3 (West Deschutes) cover the Deschutes River canyon from Sherar's Bridge to the mouth (40% public each side; boat or foot access required, some private-land fee crossings).
- Tag quota
- 26
- General season
- 543A series (John Day): Oct 18–26 / Oct 31–Nov 8 / Nov 14–22, 2026 (approximate — verify in current regulations; specific dates not confirmed from primary source during this review). One ram per tag.
The John Day River canyon supports one of Oregon's premier California bighorn herds. Float-based access on the John Day (Spray to Cottonwood) provides the primary route to 65% public land. The Deschutes canyon hunts (543B/543C series) require boat or foot access with some private-land fee arrangements. No preference points accumulate for sheep — every applicant draws at the same random odds. The 26-tag figure reflects the 543A (John Day) series only; 543B/543C add additional tags overlapping unit 43 at the Deschutes canyon (quotas for those sub-hunts not confirmed from primary source).
Draw odds for California Bighorn Sheeparen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedOregon WMU 43 "Biggs" is an eastern Oregon Columbia Basin unit occupying roughly 1,974 square miles of dryland wheat country and river-canyon terrain south of the Columbia River, bounded by Arlington, Fossil, Shaniko, Grass Valley, and Tygh Valley. The unit sits within the Deschutes and John Day River drainages, managed primarily by ODFW's The Dalles and Heppner district offices, with BLM public-land corridors along the main rivers.
Elevation ranges from approximately 200 feet at the Columbia River confluence to 3,700 feet on upland ridges. The landscape is predominantly flat to gently rolling dryland wheat fields and open rangeland above the canyons, lying mostly between 750 and 2,700 feet. Steep bluffs and deeply incised canyon walls drop 500–1,500 feet along the Deschutes River, John Day River, and tributary drainages including Butte Creek, Buck Hollow, Ferry Canyon, and Thirtymile Canyon. There are no significant mountain ranges within the unit.
Public land constitutes approximately 9 percent of the unit (ODFW official figure) and is concentrated in one-to-five-mile-wide strips of BLM and state land along the John Day and Deschutes Rivers. The remainder is almost entirely private agricultural land with no general public access. Key public-access points: Deschutes River State Recreation Area (I-84 Celilo Exit, approximately 17 miles east of The Dalles) offers boat ramp, camping, restrooms, trails, and parking; access beyond the trailhead requires foot, bicycle, or boat travel. The Lower Deschutes State Wildlife Area (Woosley Tract, 18,000+ acres established 1983) is boat-access only via BLM ramps Pine Tree and Beavertail, reached via Sherar's Bridge Road. A permanent hunting closure covers 12 square miles along the lower 17 miles of the Deschutes River canyon except the county access road to Kloan. The John Day River canyon is accessible by float with pockets of BLM public land interspersed with private. Firearms may not be discharged within the Lower Deschutes Wild and Scenic Waterway corridor from late May through August 31. Camping is permitted at select river sites. Lodging is available in The Dalles. Virtually all upland wheat ground requires landowner permission. Contact: West Biggs — ODFW The Dalles office, 541-296-4628; East Biggs — ODFW Heppner office, 541-676-5230.
Uplands are dominated by dryland wheat and grass-fallow agriculture with sagebrush and bunchgrass in uncultivated areas. Canyon walls and breaks support juniper scrub, mountain mahogany, and bitterbrush. Riparian corridors along the John Day and Deschutes Rivers contain willows, alders, and cottonwoods. The unit lacks the conifer forests typical of adjacent eastern Oregon units.
Mule deer are the primary game species; fall 2024 aerial surveys documented a buck-to-doe ratio of 22:100 (above the 15:100 management objective) and approximately 40 fawns per 100 does, indicating a stable to increasing herd (ODFW 2025 Big Game Forecast). Deer are widely distributed across both private uplands and river-canyon public land, with higher concentrations in the northern John Day River canyon. Rocky Mountain elk are present at low densities concentrated mainly on private lands; ODFW designates the unit an elk de-emphasis area. California Bighorn Sheep maintain robust herds in the John Day River canyon (Spray to McDonald Ferry/Rock Creek, units 43 and 45, 65% public land) and the Deschutes River canyon (Sherar's Bridge to the mouth, 40% public). Pronghorn antelope are present at low density on the Columbia Plateau grasslands shared among units 40, 43, 44, and portions of 48; habitat is largely private (7% public land). American Black Bear are present but uncommon in this largely open agricultural unit; the river canyons and rimrock provide primary habitat. Cougar inhabit the river canyons and rimrock; the unit falls within ODFW Hunt Zone D (Columbia Basin), covering units 38, 40, 43, 44, and 45.
- ODFW – Biggs Unit 43 Official Page
- ODFW – 2025 Big Game Hunting Forecast (West Biggs / East Biggs)
- ODFW – Lower Deschutes Wildlife Area Visitor's Guide
- eRegulations Oregon – Buck Deer Seasons
- eRegulations Oregon – Elk Hunt Descriptions (Hunt 244 Columbia Plateau)
- eRegulations Oregon – Elk Seasons
- eRegulations Oregon – Pronghorn Antelope Hunt Descriptions (440A1/440A2)
- eRegulations Oregon – Bighorn Sheep Hunt Descriptions (543A/543B/543C series)
- eRegulations Oregon – Black Bear Seasons
- eRegulations Oregon – Cougar Seasons (Hunt Zone D)
- ODFW – Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas for 2026
- ODFW – 2024 Preference Point Draw Report Buck Deer
- HuntScore – Oregon Biggs Deer Hunt Profile
- Eastmans' Forum – Unit 43 Float Hunt
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Biggs— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about Biggs.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: ODFW official Wildlife Management Units. Community info last updated 36d ago.