Murderers Creek, Oregon

Mountainous terrain ranging from approximately 2,500 feet in the valley bottoms along the John Day and South Fork John Day rivers to 9,060 feet at Strawberry Mountain, the high point of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. The main mountain zones (Aldrich Mountains, Strawberry Range) sit at 5,000–8,000 feet. Foothills and lower drainages are generally 3,400–4,800 feet. The Murderers Creek HMA (108,569 acres, jointly managed by Malheur National Forest and BLM) spans elevations of 4,500–6,500 feet with winter snowpack reaching 2–4 feet. Valley floors along the John Day River system hold irrigated farmland and private ranch land.

The unit boundary runs: beginning at Dayville, east on US Hwy 26 to Prairie City; southeast on County Road 14 to Summit Prairie; west on Logan Valley County Road 16 to Seneca; south on US Hwy 395 to FR 37; southwest on FR 37 to FR 3750; west on FR 3750 to the South Fork John Day River; northwest on the South Fork John Day River to Dayville. US Highway 26 (John Day Highway) forms the northern boundary and provides the primary east-west access corridor. US Highway 395 bisects the unit north-south, dividing the western (W Murderers Creek, Hunt 246A) and eastern (E Murderers Creek, Hunt 246B) elk hunt sub-units. The Malheur National Forest is the primary public land manager for the mountain core. The Strawberry Mountain Wilderness (no motorized vehicles) is accessed via trailheads including Prairie City and Strawberry Campground (off FR 6001 from Prairie City). BLM lands administered from the Prineville District are present in parts of the unit. The Murderers Creek/Flagtail Travel Management Area includes designated road restrictions to limit disturbance to wintering game; motorized vehicle travel is restricted to designated open roads. The Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area (45403 Hwy 26, Dayville, OR 97825; 541-987-2171) is open April 15 through January 31; closed February 1 through April 14 (entry by permit only, including BLM land within its exterior boundaries). A parking permit is required. Some roads within the wildlife area close seasonally December 1 through April 14. Motor vehicles may travel up to 300 feet off open roads only for camping purposes. The Murderers Creek HMA (108,569 acres; AML 100–140 horses) is accessible by road during summer months. Landowner Preference Program tags may provide access to some private ranchlands. Private lowland and foothill lands near Seneca and Canyon City are largely inaccessible without landowner permission. ODFW John Day Office: 541-575-1167.

The mountainous core is dominated by ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest (ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, western larch, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir). Quaking aspen stands occur on moister slopes and in drainages. Sagebrush-steppe (big sagebrush, bitterbrush) and western juniper woodland characterize the lower slopes, foothills, and transition zones. Riparian corridors along Murderers Creek and its tributaries support willow, alder, and wet meadow communities. Higher ridgelines in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness include subalpine parklands and rocky outcroppings above treeline. Valley lowlands near Seneca and Canyon City support fescue, bluegrass, wheatgrass, and irrigated pasture. The Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area (near Dayville, western unit) encompasses sagebrush shrubland, riparian zones along the mainstem John Day River, South Fork John Day River, and Murderers Creek, plus ponderosa pine forest, western juniper woodland, and mixed conifer — serving as critical mule deer winter range. Murderers Creek was selected as one of five Oregon Mule Deer Initiative priority units.

Mule deer are the primary deer species; GPS telemetry (116 animals, 185 migration sequences) documents distinct Murderers Creek mule deer winter ranges in river valleys near Canyon Creek, Murderers Creek, and the South Fork John Day River (juniper, sagebrush, grassland). The primary spring migration route goes southeast across Gilbert Ridge and into the Aldrich Mountains (some extending south to Devon Ridge and east to Ironside Mountain); a secondary migration crosses US Route 26 northeast toward Long Creek Mountain and the Blue Mountains. The herd was estimated at approximately 5,568 individuals as of 2021 (pre-2024 wildfire). The 2024 wildfires caused significant habitat damage and a notable decrease in mule deer survival, prompting ODFW to reduce tags for hunts 146 and 146R1 by 20%. Rocky Mountain elk inhabit the unit year-round; declining calf and bull ratios were documented through 2024; the 2024 elk harvest of 358 animals was down from 498 in 2017. Pronghorn antelope occupy open sagebrush and lower grassland portions. Bighorn sheep are present (confirmed at Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area; subspecies documented as California bighorn in hunt area descriptions 546A/546B covering portions of Unit 46). Rocky Mountain goat tags (900-series) are issued for portions of the unit. Black bear are present and huntable via spring controlled hunts (700-series). Cougar are present throughout the forested mountain zones. Bald eagles use the riparian corridors. Mid-Columbia steelhead and redband trout inhabit Murderers Creek and the South Fork John Day. Wild horses (Murderers Creek HMA, AML 100–140) share habitat with deer and elk; the HMA spans 108,569 acres of Malheur NF and BLM land at 4,500–6,500 feet elevation.