Oregon · Elk · 2026–27 Edition
Oregon Elk Season 2026–27: Archery, Muzzleloader & Rifle Dates
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone note | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| General Season Antlerless Elk Damage Tag (OTC, no draw) | Designated near-100%-private damage-control land in Units 15, 23, 40, 43, 44 and portions of other units — landowner access required | Aug 1 – Mar 31 |
| General Archery Season (OTC, no draw) | Most western Oregon units (10-30) and most eastern Oregon units (31-77) | Aug 29 – Sep 27 |
| General West Cascade — Any Legal Weapon (OTC, no draw) | Units 16, 19, 21, 22, 29, 30 | Nov 7 – Nov 13 |
| General Western Oregon Coast 1st Season — Any Legal Weapon (OTC, no draw) | Units 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 23, 28 | Nov 14 – Nov 17 |
| General Western Oregon Coast 2nd Season — Any Legal Weapon (OTC, no draw) | Units 11, 15, 17, 18, 23, 28 (bull); Units 12, 14, 20 (spike only) | Nov 21 – Nov 27 |
| General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd Season — Any Legal Weapon, spike only (OTC, no draw) | Units 49, 50, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63, and portions of 48 and 51 | Nov 7 – Nov 15 |
| Controlled 200 Series — Any Legal Weapon (draw only) | Well over 100 unit-specific hunt codes statewide — consult ODFW's controlled elk hunt tables for exact dates | Aug 1 – Mar 31 |
| Controlled 200 Series — Archery (draw only) | ~25 unit-specific bow hunt codes, mostly eastern Oregon — consult ODFW's controlled elk hunt tables | Aug 29 – Jan 17 |
| Controlled 200 Series — Muzzleloader (draw only) | ~13 unit-specific muzzleloader hunt codes — consult ODFW's controlled elk hunt tables | Aug 1 – Dec 31 |
Oregon elk hunting is organized around numbered Wildlife Management Units grouped into general-season zones (western Oregon Roosevelt elk units vs. eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain elk units) plus well over 150 separate 'Controlled 200 Series' hunt codes, each tied to a specific unit or sub-unit with its own dates, weapon type and tag quota — check ODFW's unit maps and controlled hunt tables for the specific unit you plan to hunt.
02 — Tags & bag limits
| General seasons and most controlled hunts | One elk per tag; the tag specifies bull, spike-only, antlerless, or either-sex depending on the specific season/hunt code |
|---|---|
| 3 pt.+ hunts | Some hunts (e.g. Tioga, Melrose) restrict legal bulls to three points or more on one antler, including the brow tine |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 1, 2026) 05:21 — 20:54
Rule: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, statewide, for all big game including elk — no elk-specific exception found. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Oregon sun times for any other date.
04 — License & tags
Elk hunters in Oregon need an Oregon hunting license plus an elk tag. Both residents and nonresidents may buy general-season and controlled-hunt elk tags. 2026 fees: Resident elk tag $56.00 plus a $39 resident hunting license; Nonresident elk tag $660.00 plus a $193 nonresident hunting license — nonresidents pay roughly 3x the license cost and nearly 12x the tag cost of residents for the same hunt.
Where to hunt public land in Oregon — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a unit before Oregon's opener usually means glassing basins and running a trail camera through summer.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does elk season start in Oregon?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is August 1, 2026 (General Season Antlerless Elk Damage Tag (OTC, no draw)). See the table above for every method.
When does elk season end in Oregon?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is March 31, 2027. Individual seasons close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need to enter a draw to hunt elk in Oregon?
It depends heavily on the unit and hunt type. General-season elk tags (West Cascade, Western Oregon Coast 1st/2nd, Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd, and the statewide General Archery Season) are sold over the counter with no draw in their listed units. A separate over-the-counter General Season Antlerless Elk Damage Tag is also available with no draw and no tag-sale deadline, but it's valid only on designated, nearly all-private, elk-damage-control land — ODFW explicitly warns not to buy it without already having landowner access. Everything else — well over 150 'Controlled 200 Series' hunt codes covering most named units for Any Legal Weapon, Archery, Muzzleloader and Youth-only seasons — requires winning ODFW's controlled hunt draw, and many of the better-known eastern Oregon units (e.g. Sled Springs, Wenaha, Chesnimnus, Mt Emily) draw far more first-choice applicants than available tags.
How many elk can you shoot in Oregon?
2026–27 bag limits: General seasons and most controlled hunts — One elk per tag; the tag specifies bull, spike-only, antlerless, or either-sex depending on the specific season/hunt code. 3 pt.+ hunts — Some hunts (e.g. Tioga, Melrose) restrict legal bulls to three points or more on one antler, including the brow tine. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting elk in Oregon?
On opening day (August 1, 2026) legal light runs 05:21 to 20:54. The rule is: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, statewide, for all big game including elk — no elk-specific exception found. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Oregon sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt elk on my own land in Oregon without a license?
Oregon exempts a resident hunting on land they or an immediate family member owns and lives on — for every species except the ones that need a tag or permit, which still applies for big game.
Verified · Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Season dates read directly from the '2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations' synopsis PDF (obtained via the State Library of Oregon Digital Collections mirror after ODFW's own site did not expose a direct PDF link; cross-checked against ODFW's public season-summary text on myodfw.com/big-game-hunting/seasons, which quotes the same dates), the ELK SEASONS chapter (pp. 45-58). Oregon splits elk hunting into general seasons (western Oregon Roosevelt elk: General West Cascade, General Western Oregon Coast 1st/2nd; eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain elk: General Eastern Oregon Rocky Mountain 2nd Season, spike-only), a general archery season valid statewide, an over-the-counter General Season Antlerless Elk Damage Tag (no draw, no tag-sale deadline, valid only on designated near-100%-private damage-control land in specific units), and well over 150 individual 'Controlled 200 Series' hunt codes (Any Legal Weapon, Archery, Muzzleloader, and Youth-only) each with its own unit, dates and tiny tag quota. The methods[] rows below cover the general (non-controlled) hunts individually and add one aggregated row for the Controlled 200 Series Any Legal Weapon hunts using the earliest-to-latest date span found across all ~150 codes (Aug 1, 2026 for the earliest-opening private-land antlerless controlled hunts through Mar 31, 2027 for the latest-closing ones) — hunters must consult ODFW's controlled hunt tables (pp. 49-55) for the exact dates of the specific unit/hunt code they draw. Tag fees confirmed from the license/tag fee table (p. ~7 of the digest): Resident elk tag $56.00, Nonresident elk tag $660.00 (plus the base hunting license, $39 resident / $193 nonresident). Shooting hours confirmed from the digest's general regulations section: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, with no elk-specific exception found.