tional Forest affords better access, but few-
er deer by virtue of less desirable habitat.
Hunters should keep in mind there are
four Cooperative Travel Management Ar-
eas that are open to vehicle access during
the rifle deer season. Look to the regulation
pamphlet for details on the Smith Ridge,
Chucksney Mountain, Skookum Flat and
Scott Creek CMAs.
Indigo Unit (Unit 21)
The farther south the terrain changes from
deciduous forest to rolling hills where hard-
woods stands of oak and maple break up
the landscape. The Indigo Unit has a good
amount of public land, but much of that falls
within the Umpqua and Willamette nation-
al forests. The lowland hills that blend into
the valley floor have high deer populations,
most of which are found on private timber
land and a checkerboard mix of BLM land.
This is where doing advanced planning and
scouting, in conjunction with a good map
source, will pay off.
The Tumblebug Fire burned near the
Middle Fork of the Willamette, but that
ground is seeing a much-needed recovery
and deer numbers are responding well.
Something to keep in mind when looking
for areas to hunt.
ber of deer as the McKenzie Unit, with half
the hunters. Much of the unit is made up
of checkerboard land ownership split be-
tween private timber, BLM and state and
national forests. Deer here have a tenden-
cy to summer in the higher elevations and
will migrate down (below 3,500 feet) to land
where food is more readily available during
the latter part of the season. Like the Rogue
and Evans Creek unit, the Jackson Coopera-
tive Travel Management area is in effect for
parts of the deer rifle season.
Evans Unit (Unit 29)
Classified as a Cascade Buck Hunt, Evans
Creek is the one unit that does not fall with-
in the Cascade Mountain range. It sits adja-
cent to the Rogue and Dixon units, and has
very little public ground. Much of the unit
is in the Rogue Valley where land owner-
ship is a mix of BLM and private. It sees a
fair amount of hunting pressure and hunter
success rates are above the norm. Cracking
the ‘where to hunt’ code is going to be the
most difficult part of hunting here because
deer numbers are on the upswing for the
second year in a row. Access can be gained
through the Jackson Cooperative Travel
Management Area.
Rogue Unit (Unit 30)
Dixon Unit (Unit 22)
Much like the Indigo, the Dixon Unit is
home to a large chunk of national forest
land that blends into the Umpqua Valley.
Deer population surveys suggest that the
deer herds are improving in much of south-
ern Oregon, and the Dixon Unit is no ex-
ception. It has very good deer populations
and hunter success reflects that. As a point
of reference, it yields about the same num-
Besides the Santiam, the Rogue Unit sees
the most hunting pressure during the Cas-
cade Buck Season. The high hunter success
rate is reflective on the deer populations
here; it too is seeing an improvement in
overall deer numbers for the second year in
a row. The Rogue Unit yields more blacktail
deer than any unit that offers hunts during
the Cascade Buck Season. Hunter success is
not great, but given the amount of hunting
pressure it sees, it’s more than respectable.
Much of the hunting in the Rogue Unit
takes place in the foothills of the Cascades,
and in the Rogue Valley where there’s a mix
of private timber and BLM land. Hunters
here can find access through the Jackson
Cooperative Travel Management Area.
2018 Oregon Cascade
Buck Hunts
SEASON Sept. 29 – Oct. 12 & Oct. 20 – Nov. 2
HUNT AREAS Santiam, McKenzie, Indigo,
Dixon, Evans Creek, Rogue units
REQUIRED TAG Western Oregon Deer Tag
RESIDENT LICENSE FEE $33
NON-RESIDENT LICENSE FEE $167
RESIDENT TAG FEE $27.50
NON-RESIDENT TAG FEE $430.50
BAG LIMIT One buck deer having not less
than a forked horn.
W. High Cascade Controlled Hunt
HUNT # 119A
SEASON Sept. 8-16
2018 TAGS 3,300
2017 1ST CHOICE APPLICANTS 1,551
TAG SALE DEADLINE May 15
RESULTS AVAILABLE Mid-June
NOTE Hunters must apply for
this tag
through the controlled hunt process. Tag
is valid for the W High Cascade hunt and
Western Oregon General Rifle Deer Season.
Hunters who fail to harvest a deer in the W
High Cascade Hunt can still hunt the gen-
eral deer season. The Oregon Cascade Buck
Season falls under this category, in effect
giving someone who applies for the 119A
tag an extended season to hunt.
Cascade Deer
UNIT SEASON/TAG/HUNT HUNTERS
SANTIAM General
W General w/119A tag
General
W General w/119A tag
General
W General w/119A tag
General
W General w/119A tag
General
W General w/119A tag
General
W General w/119A tag 7,317
526
4,099
243
2,105
85
2,454
75
1,799
14
6,428
132
MCKENZIE
INDIGO
DIXON
EVANS CREEK
ROGUE
ANTLERLESS TOTAL BUCKS
79
2
51
1
22
1
1
0
1
0
2
0
1,027
85
719
51
507
23
753
28
608
7
1,281
26
SPIKE FORKED
HORN 3 POINT 4 POINT TOTAL
HARVEST HUNTER
SUCCESS
10
0
10
0
8
0
10
0
7
0
1
0 491
36
337
16
216
10
326
12
276
4
474
11 336
26
206
24
166
5
254
11
203
2
463
10 190
23
166
11
117
8
163
5
122
1
343
5 1,106
87
770
52
529
24
754
28
609
7
1,283
26 15%
17%
19%
21%
26%
28%
31%
37%
34%
50%
20%
20%
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