Oregon Deer — Unit 23
Melrose
Oregon Unit 23 covers 614,134 acres and lies 7 miles north of Roseburg and 36 miles south-west of Cottage Grove. 16% of it is public land, mostly BLM (15%). In 2025, 4,561 people hunted deer here and took 2,237 — 49% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,817 tags here for 7 first-choice applicants, and the last tag went to someone with 1 points.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 23, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
8% Point builder
-
<1% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
-
2% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
15% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
-
11% Point builder
-
100% No first-choice applicants
-
11% Point builder
-
11% Point builder
-
13% Point builder
-
100% No first-choice applicants
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123A ↗ Umpqua Rifle | 8% Point builder | 1 −1 since 2022 | 23 / 34 | Oct 3–14, 2026 |
| 123B ↗ Melrose - N Bank Habitat Rifle | <1% Point builder | 19 +5 since 2022 | 3 / 21 | Dec 26 – Jan 1, 2027 |
| 123M1 ↗ Melrose Unit Muzzleloader Muzzleloader | 100% Likely draw | 2 steady since 2022 | 216 / 5 | Nov 14–27, 2026 |
| 123M2 ↗ Melrose - N Bank Habitat Muzzleloader Muzzleloader | 2% Point builder | 17 −5 since 2022 | 3 / 5 | Nov 28 – Dec 4, 2026 |
| 123R1 ↗ Umpqua Bow Archery | 100% Likely draw | 7 +6 since 2022 | 89 / 3 | Aug 29 – Sep 27, 2026 |
| 123R2 ↗ Melrose - N Bank Habitat Bow Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 1 steady since 2022 | 13 / 0 | Sep 12–27, 2026 |
| 623 ↗ Melrose Unit Rifle | 15% Point builder | 2 steady since 2022 | 275 / 5 | Oct 3 – Nov 6, 2026 |
| 623A ↗ Central Melrose Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 1,817 / 7 | Oct 3 – Nov 6, 2026 |
| 623B1 ↗ N Bank Habitat No. 1 Rifle | 11% Point builder | 2 −2 since 2022 | 28 / 2 | Oct 17–23, 2026 |
| 623B2 ↗ N Bank Habitat No. 2 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 2 steady since 2022 | 28 / 0 | Nov 14–20, 2026 |
| 623B3 ↗ N Bank Habitat No. 3 Rifle | 11% Point builder | 3 +1 since 2022 | 28 / 1 | Dec 12–18, 2026 |
| 623T1 ↗ N Bank Habitat Area No. 1 Youth Rifle | 11% Point builder | 2 steady since 2022 | 22 / 3 | Oct 3–11, 2026 |
| 623T2 ↗ N Bank Habitat Area No. 2 Youth Rifle | 13% Point builder | 2 steady since 2022 | 33 / 1 | Oct 31 – Nov 8, 2026 |
| 623T3 ↗ Melrose Youth Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 1 steady since 2022 | 56 / 0 | Dec 15 – Jan 5, 2027 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $203 | $203 | $703 |
Application window: opens Dec 1, closes May 15, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Private 517,795 ac · 84%
- BLM 94,102 ac · 15%
- Other public 1,633 ac · 0%
- Tribal 513 ac · 0%
- State land 207 ac · 0%
- National Forest 2 ac · 0%
Source: BLM Oregon/Washington Land Status Ownership (BLM_OR_Ownership MapServer)
How the hunting has gone
What Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season. Oregon requires every tag holder to report, but the numbers ODFW publishes are survey estimates expanded from the reporting rate — the agency's own tables are titled "Estimated harvest... based on Mandatory Harvest Survey Reports" — not a count of animals checked in.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,561 | 2,237 | 49% |
| 2024 | 4,706 | 2,241 | 48% |
| 2023 | 5,031 | 2,315 | 46% |
| 2022 | 4,818 | 1,946 | 40% |
| 2021 | 4,838 | 2,035 | 42% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 1,826 · 94% · 3,396 hunters, 54% success
- Archery 88 · 5% · 334 hunters, 26% success
- Muzzleloader 19 · 1% · 81 hunters, 23% success
Boundary: ODFW Wildlife Management Unit boundaries (Compass ArcGIS service)
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Buck Deer Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Archery Buck Deer Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Muzzleloader Buck Deer Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt