Juniper, Oregon
Unit info
- Game species
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, California Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Cougar
- Group
- Eastern Oregon
- Area
- 2,925 mi²
- Public land
- 89%
Elk — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 236
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
- OTC general season tag — Hunt Zone F (Southeast Oregon, Units 36, 65–74 including Unit 71). Zone-wide quota of 140 cougars; quotas typically not met. Tags purchasable over the counter; an additional tag may be purchased later in season.
- Archery season
- Jan. 1–Dec. 31 (year-round)
- General season
- Jan. 1–Dec. 31 (year-round)
- Muzzleloader season
- Jan. 1–Dec. 31 (year-round)
All harvested cougars must be presented to an ODFW office within 10 days for mandatory check-in.
Draw odds for Cougararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Mule Deer — season & harvest
- Tag type
- Controlled/draw only — all eastern Oregon deer hunts are limited entry. As of 2026, ODFW replaced WMU-based deer hunt codes with new named 'Deer Hunt Areas' for eastern Oregon; specific hunt codes covering the former Juniper WMU 71 winter and summer ranges were not confirmed from publicly available web sources. Consult myodfw.com/articles/eastern-oregon-deer-hunt-areas-2026 and the current ODFW Big Game Regulations for authoritative 2026 hunt codes and dates.
- Reported harvest
- 212
- Archery season
- Controlled archery hunts generally align with statewide eastern Oregon archery window (~Aug 29–Sep 27); specific dates vary by individual hunt code — consult current regulations
- General season
- Controlled rifle hunts (eastern OR general rifle window approx. Sep 12–Dec 6); youth hunters receive a priority period ahead of adult controlled-hunt holders
- Muzzleloader season
- Controlled muzzleloader hunts available within overall controlled-hunt framework; specific dates by hunt code
Mule deer concentrate in sagebrush and western juniper lowlands during winter near Hwy 205 and Glass Buttes/Juniper Ridge; summer range shifts north and east to ponderosa/mixed-conifer foothills near Silver Creek, King Mountain, Emigrant Creek, and Bald Butte. Post-fire areas on the southern winter range hold recovering sagebrush and new forb growth that attract deer. US Highway 20 (near Burns) deer-vehicle collision rate is significant — 41.8 collisions/year documented by USGS along a 36-mile section (2010–2022).
Draw odds for Mule Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Pronghorn — season & harvest95% success
- Tag type
- Controlled/draw only — Hunt 471A (Juniper), covering Unit 71 excluding Hart Mtn NAR and the portion of Malheur NWR north of Foster Flat Rd; 90% public lands. One of Oregon's premier rifle antelope units.
- Tag quota
- 63
- General season
- Aug. 22–Sep. 6 (any legal weapon, 2026); 63 tags; drew 2,844 first-choice applicants in 2025
Open sagebrush flats provide classic pronghorn habitat with long sight lines. The unit is capable of producing 80-inch-plus bucks. Hart Mountain NAR holds a refuge population accessible only to refuge-specific tag holders. BLM roads provide wide vehicle access across the unit's flat terrain. Nonresidents typically need 20+ preference points.
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
- Controlled/draw — spring bear controlled hunts (700 series) offered in the Harney Basin agricultural edge portion of Unit 71; specific hunt code not confirmed in available sources
- General season
- Spring controlled hunt approx. Apr. 1–May 31 (700 series statewide; specific Unit 71 hunt code not confirmed)
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
- Mixed: OTC general season tags reported available for archery (Aug 29–Sep 27) and any legal weapon (Sep 1–Nov 15) for eastern Oregon units including Unit 71; controlled hunts 271A1 and 271A2 (Silvies-N Juniper, covering the northern portion of Unit 71 north of Iron Mtn Rd/Double O Rd) are draw-only. Note: multiple sources conflict on whether Unit 71 archery is OTC or fully controlled — verify in current regulations.
- Archery season
- Aug. 29–Sep. 27 (reported OTC general archery for eastern OR; verify current tag type at ODFW — some sources indicate eastern OR archery is entirely controlled)
- General season
- Sep. 1–Nov. 15 (reported OTC any legal weapon, eastern OR units)
Elk in the northern unit use ponderosa and mixed-conifer cover in higher terrain; the Silvies-N Juniper controlled hunt area (271A1/271A2) straddles the boundary with Units 72 and 73, with 45% public lands in that specific sub-area. General season OTC tags (if applicable) provide accessible entry-level opportunity.
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 only — extremely limited tags. Hunt 569B (N Catlow Rim): parts of Units 69 and 71 south and east of Jack Mountain Rd, 68% public lands. Hunts 575A1 and 575A2 (S Central): portion of Unit 71 north and west of Jack Mountain Rd excluding Hart Mtn NAR, plus portions of Units 73 and 75, 90% public lands. Nonresidents limited to 5 California bighorn tags statewide.
- Archery season
- Season dates for hunts 569B/575A1/575A2 not confirmed from fetched sources; consult current ODFW Big Game Regulations
- General season
- Season dates for hunts 569B/575A1/575A2 not confirmed from fetched sources; consult current ODFW Big Game Regulations
California bighorn occupy sheer rimrock, bluffs, and rugged basalt escarpments — particularly the Hart Mountain escarpment and Catlow Rim country. Open terrain allows spotting at distance. Tag quotas are extremely low; draw odds are multi-year to once-in-a-lifetime.
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 71 (Juniper) is a vast high-desert unit in south-central Oregon's Northern Basin and Range, lying southeast of Burns in Harney and Lake counties, bordered roughly by Highways 395, 20, and 205 and extending south to the Hart Mountain and Warner Valley areas. Dominant public land managers are the BLM Burns and Lakeview Districts, with significant acreage within Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Mostly flat to gently rolling high desert and rangeland at 4,100–6,200 feet elevation, punctuated by many deep draws and canyons, scattered buttes, and occasional sheer bluffs and high ridges (notably the Hart Mountain escarpment) that rise above the valley floor. The unit covers approximately 2,925 square miles.
The unit is approximately 89% public land managed primarily by the BLM Burns District (north Juniper; contact 541-573-6582) and BLM Lakeview District (south Juniper; contact 541-947-2950 or Summer Lake 541-943-3324). US Highway 20 forms the northern boundary through Burns/Hines; US Highway 395 runs along the western edge; State Highway 205 bisects the unit north-south from Burns through Frenchglen. Hart Mountain Road connects Frenchglen south to the Fort Bidwell–Warner Valley Road through the heart of the southern unit. Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (USFWS) encompasses much of the southwest; refuge headquarters is ~48 miles from Frenchglen via maintained gravel road, or accessible from Lakeview via Highway 140 and paved/gravel roads. Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (USFWS) is in the northern portion; portions north of Foster Flat Road are excluded from some controlled hunts. Designated access areas include the DeGuire Access Area (~2,361 acres) and the Starbuck Access Area (~670 acres, 16 miles west of Burns). Most interior roads are BLM two-track or primitive dirt roads — high-clearance vehicles are recommended; many routes become impassable when wet. No major National Forest lands are present; no wilderness designations were identified within the unit boundary. Hunters should check current BLM travel management plans for any seasonal road closures before accessing backcountry areas.
Sagebrush-steppe is the dominant cover type, with big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, desert grasses, and forbs across the broad flats. Western juniper encroaches across lower and mid-elevation slopes and forms patchy woodlands — particularly on Glass Buttes and Juniper Ridge. Riparian corridors support aspen and cottonwood near shallow alkaline lakes (Mud Lake, Harney Lake) and creek drainages. Higher terrain along the Hart Mountain escarpment and northern ridges supports ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest. The 2012 Miller Homestead Fire (160,800 acres) converted portions of southern winter range into a mosaic of native and nonnative grassland, recovering sagebrush, and regenerating conifers.
Mule deer (Juniper-Silvies herd) are the primary big game quarry; GPS research tracked 17 animals across 48 migration sequences (2015–2023), showing winter concentration in sagebrush/juniper lowlands near Hwy 205 and Glass Buttes/Juniper Ridge, with summer migration north and east to ponderosa and mixed-conifer summer ranges near Silver Creek, King Mountain, Emigrant Creek, and Bald Butte. Rocky Mountain elk occupy the northern portion of the unit where ponderosa and mixed-conifer habitat provides cover; the controlled Silvies-N Juniper elk hunt area straddles Units 71/72/73. Pronghorn antelope are present across the sagebrush flats and are associated with both the open BLM lands and Hart Mountain NAR (which provides a refuge population). California bighorn sheep occur on the rugged bluffs and rimrock along the Jack Mountain Road corridor and the Hart Mountain escarpment (S Central and N Catlow Rim hunt areas). Cougar are present year-round. Spring black bear controlled hunts are offered in the Harney Basin agricultural edge (700 series). Chukar partridge are an additional upland game species.
- Juniper Unit 71 | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Oregon Unit 71 – Juniper Unit Profile | GoHunt
- Oregon Pronghorn Antelope Seasons | eRegulations
- Oregon Pronghorn Antelope Hunt Descriptions | eRegulations
- Oregon Elk Hunt Descriptions | eRegulations
- Oregon Elk Seasons | eRegulations
- Oregon Bighorn Sheep Hunt Descriptions | eRegulations
- Oregon Cougar Seasons | eRegulations
- Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas for 2026 | ODFW
- Oregon Big Game Changes for 2026 | Oregon Hunters Association
- Oregon Mule Deer Juniper-Silvies Migration Corridors | USGS
- Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge – Visit Us | USFWS
- 2026 Oregon Antelope, Sheep & Goat Application Guide | Drawn West
- ODFW JUNIPER71.pdf – Unit 71 Controlled Hunt Map
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Juniper— 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 Juniper.
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.