Fossil, Oregon

The unit's northern two-thirds consists of low-relief plateaus, wide flattened ridges, foothills, desert basins, and agricultural flats, with elevations ranging from approximately 1,700 to 3,000 feet. The southern third rises into the Umatilla National Forest fringe and surrounding uplands, where elevations reach more than 5,200 feet. The John Day River bisects the unit roughly east-to-west near Clarno and Spray, creating flat river bottoms flanked by steep canyon breaks and rimrock.

Primary access highways are US 26 (along the southern boundary toward Mitchell), State Highway 19 (Fossil north to Condon and southeast to US 26), State Highway 207 (Heppner-Spray Highway, connecting to forest roads in the Umatilla NF section), State Highway 218 (Clarno to Fossil along the John Day River corridor), and State Highway 206 (Condon east to Hwy 207 along the northern boundary). The Umatilla National Forest — Heppner Ranger District — provides the only contiguous block of public land, with access via forest roads off Hwy 207 near Wetmore; three designated ATV routes (50-inch width limit) are open within this section. Fairview Campground (5 sites) provides the primary developed camping on the Umatilla NF portion. Prineville BLM administers more than 100 scattered parcels throughout the unit; notable larger BLM tracts exist along the John Day River, near Packsaddle Mountain, in Lockwood Canyon, in the Horse Heaven Mine area, and south/southwest of Kimberly — use current BLM surface-management maps to locate isolated pieces. Many BLM parcels are landlocked by private property and may not be legally accessible on foot without crossing private land — verify access before entry. The Lost Valley Ranch Regulated Hunt Area (approximately 6,000 acres of enrolled private land) offers public hunting access with advance reservation through the ODFW Heppner office (541-676-5230); no camping or fires are permitted and vehicles must stay on posted roads. The Dutch Flat Ranch Access Area (approximately 9,246 acres in Wheeler County) is enrolled in ODFW's Access and Habitat program and open via reservation/access-code — contact the Heppner office for scheduling. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument land within the unit is closed to hunting. Additional lodging is available in Fossil and Spray.

The unit spans several distinct cover types. Lower elevations and north-facing plateaus support sagebrush-steppe with bunch grasses and scattered western juniper. Brushy draws and riparian corridors along the John Day River and its tributaries hold willows and other shrubs. Foothills transition to ponderosa pine, and the Umatilla National Forest section near the ghost town of Wetmore supports Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, western larch, and other conifers. Northern agricultural areas include dryland grain fields and irrigated pastures that provide forage for wintering deer and elk.

Rocky Mountain elk are present unit-wide, concentrated on private ranchlands but moving onto public forest during hunting season; the Heppner and Fossil unit herds are described by ODFW as near management objectives, with good numbers of older-age-class bulls present, most taken on private ground. Calf ratios improved slightly in 2025, making spike bulls easier to locate. Mule deer occupy the unit seasonally — the population is significantly larger during winter (when deer concentrate on lower-elevation range) than during fall hunting seasons, as the unit contains extensive winter range; 2024 wildfires dispersed deer widely in the Wheeler burn area, requiring hunters to cover more ground. The John Day River canyon and tributary drainages along Units 43 and 45 support a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep population (John Day River hunt area, hunts 543A1–543A3 and ewe hunt 543D1) in the canyon corridor from Spray to McDonald Ferry/Rock Creek, where 65% of the land is public. Pronghorn antelope are present in limited numbers, primarily on the northern plateau grasslands and grain field edges. Black bears occur at low densities across the forested Umatilla NF section and riparian zones; the 2025 combined harvest for the 746A spring bear district (11 units including 45) was 21 bears. Cougars are present throughout and described by ODFW as providing good opportunity in the Heppner district; hunters are advised to carry a cougar tag routinely while pursuing deer or elk. The unit also holds chukar partridge and California quail in canyon and rimrock areas, and the John Day River supports smallmouth bass.

1. Mule deer 2026 season dates not published: ODFW restructured all eastern Oregon mule deer hunts into new Deer Hunt Areas (alphanumeric) effective 2026; the 34% success and 419 buck harvest are 2023 baseline figures. 2. Elk season dates are 2026 adopted seasons per eRegulations — verify against final 2026 ODFW regulations booklet. 3. Rocky Mountain goat (900-series) appears on the ODFW unit profile page but is not listed in eRegulations goat hunt descriptions for unit 45 — goat excluded from species array. 4. Public land percentage: 16% per ODFW unit page. 5. Lost Valley Ranch and Dutch Flat Ranch access require advance reservation through ODFW Heppner office (541-676-5230) — walk-in not guaranteed. 6. Many BLM parcels are landlocked — verify access before entry using current Prineville BLM surface-management maps.