Starkey, Oregon

Rolling to moderately mountainous terrain spanning approximately 517,000 acres, with elevations ranging from roughly 2,700 feet in valley bottoms to 7,514 feet on higher ridges. Lower-elevation lands (3,100–4,000 ft) are more open and flat; mid to upper elevations (4,500–6,000+ ft) are predominantly forested. Numerous streams and drainages cut through the unit. No designated wilderness exists within the unit boundaries.

Primary highway access is via I-84 (exits near La Grande) and Oregon State Highway 244, which runs southwest from La Grande along the Grande Ronde River corridor into the heart of the unit. The majority of public land is administered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (La Grande Ranger District, 541-962-8500) with additional portions under the Umatilla National Forest. An extensive forest road network provides vehicle access to most of the unit. No designated wilderness areas are present. Five Cooperative Travel Management Areas (TMAs) operate within Unit 52: Clear Creek (52A, ~23 sq mi, seasonal closure 3 days prior to deer/elk archery season through close of Rocky Mtn bull elk second season), Trail Creek (52B, ~29 sq mi, seasonal closure 3 days prior to Rocky Mtn bull elk first season through close of second season), Indian Creek-Gorham Butte (52C, ~24 sq mi, seasonal closure same as 52A), Starkey Experimental Forest Enclosure (52D, ~40 sq mi, permanent closure), and Dry Beaver-Ladd Canyon (52E, ~125 sq mi, permanent closure). The Starkey Experimental Forest and Range enclosure (approximately 30 sq mi) is permanently closed to hunting within the high fence and a quarter-mile buffer; additional closures apply to the feed area, Campbell Flat, and intensive timber management area. Hunters participating in 252C1/252C2 Experimental Forest hunts must consent to assist ODFW research data collection. The Roth Tract within the unit is closed to hunting. Maps for TMAs are available at posting boxes at TMA entrances and on the ODFW Maps page (myodfw.com). ODFW La Grande office: 541-963-2138.

Mixed coniferous forest dominates the higher slopes, including ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, grand fir, western larch, and Engelmann spruce. Riparian corridors hold cottonwood, willow, and alder. Lower hillsides support bunchgrass parks and buckbrush (ceanothus) shrubfields. South- and west-facing slopes carry significant invasive cheatgrass. Scattered mountain meadows provide key forage areas for elk and deer throughout the timbered interior.

Rocky Mountain elk populations are above ODFW management objective, with bull-to-cow ratios at or above objective; calf recruitment has been average to above-average in recent years. Last year's elk harvest was higher than it had been in a decade per ODFW 2025 forecast. Mule deer buck ratios are above management objective, though overall deer numbers remain below management goals — rifle deer hunting is noted as difficult due to timber density. Whitetail deer occupy lower-elevation riparian areas; the population is stable with high buck ratios following a 2021 hemorrhagic disease outbreak. Black bear and cougar are consistently present throughout the unit. Forest grouse (ruffed, blue) occupy timbered drainages; valley quail occupy lower-elevation open areas; Ladd Marsh (on the unit's eastern edge near La Grande) supports waterfowl. The Starkey Experimental Forest is a long-running USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station study site for elk, mule deer, and cattle interactions at landscape scale.