Oregon Elk 253T
Catherine Cr Unit Youth in Unit 53 — Catherine Creek, rifle only, Aug 15 – Dec 31, 2026. 24% public land, mostly National Forest.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
You're 1 point below the 2026 cut of 1, which is back at 1 point, where it was in 2022.
Years to draw on points: 2 yrs (at least 2)
- Tags
- 30
- Nonresident Applicants
- 2
- Success
- 16%
First-choice nonresidents; the tags are shared by every residency; nonresidents capped at 5%. Success: 253a s catherine cr hunters, 2025.
Points Needed to Draw, 2022–2026
The cut is back at 1 point, where it was in 2022. Applicants per tag: 2.2:1 in 2022, 1.2:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 1 → 0 → 1 → 3 → 1 point (2022–2026), +0.0 points/yr (range +0.0 to +2.0). Years to draw project that pace (the median of the last five draws, capped at 2 points/yr); the agency sets quotas and demand sets the cut.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
Closes May 15 · 209 daysThe $10 controlled hunt application (per hunt series; also the Point Saver price) is not refunded. The $193 nonresident annual hunting license (required to apply) is not refunded. Drawing adds the $660 nonresident controlled elk tag (paid only if drawn; sale by June 20 to day before season).
- Opens
- Dec 1, 2026
- Closes
- May 15, 2027
- Results
- about Jun 12
Next application window: Open Dec 1, 2026 – May 15, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Controlled hunt application (per hunt series; also the Point Saver price) · paid at application $10 ODFW 2026 OAR chapter 635 division 060
- Nonresident annual hunting license (required to apply) · paid at application $193 ODFW 2026 Recreational Fee Schedule
- Nonresident controlled elk tag (paid only if drawn; sale by June 20 to day before season) · paid if drawn $660 ODFW 2026 Recreational Fee Schedule
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 ← you | 68% | — | — |
| 1 | 84% the cut | 2 | 1 |
| 2–10 | 100% same at every level | — | — |
Points pass + random pass, from published pools. A dash means Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife did not publish a count for that level. Oregon runs a second, random pass after the points pass. As a lower choice, 253T drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: ODFW 2026 Preference Point Draw Report, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 253a s catherine cr | 40 | 6 | 16% |
| 253b mt harris | 88 | 41 | 46% |
| 253t catherine cr unit youth | 29 | 9 | 32% |
| 253x catherine cr unit | 324 | 129 | 40% |
| Rocky mtn 2nd season | 189 | 26 | 14% |
| 200r oregon youth bow | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| 253r1 eagle cap zone | 361 | 68 | 19% |
| 253r2 eagle cap traditional bow | 33 | 8 | 23% |
| 253m catherine creek unit muzzleloader | 103 | 16 | 16% |
| All of Unit 53 | 1,171 | 303 | 26% |
Adding up Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's published lines for Unit 53 gives 1,171 hunters and 303 elk taken in 2025, and 26% of them took an elk (sum of published weapon rows). The first rows are hunters holding this license type; the rest of the area's hunters held something else. 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. Source: ODFW 2025 Estimated Muzzleloader Elk Harvest by…; ODFW 2025 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 5 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year. Oregon runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags (All Res.) | Nonresident Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Random Pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 2 | 1.2 | 1 | 15 tags | ODFW 2026 Preference Point Draw Report |
| 2025 | 30 | 3 | 2.1 | 3 | 7 tags | ODFW 2025 Preference Point Draw Report |
| 2024 | 30 | 1 | 1.8 | 1 | 12 tags | ODFW 2024 Preference Point Draw Report |
| 2023 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 tags | ODFW 2023 Preference Point Draw Report |
| 2022 | 20 | 3 | 2.2 | 1 | 5 tags | ODFW 2022 Preference Point Draw Report |
Other Licenses Valid in Unit 53
- 253A Catherine Cr Unit Nov 21–29 · 110 tags · cut 1 40%
- 253B Mt Harris Dec 12–31 · 110 tags · cut 0 100%
- 253M Catherine Creek Unit Muzzleloader Nov 1 – Dec 31 · 275 tags · cut 0 100%
- 253R1 Eagle Cap Zone Aug 29 – Sep 27 · 1,795 tags · cut 0 100%
- 253R2 Eagle Cap Traditional Bow Aug 29 – Sep 27 · 200 tags · cut 0 100%
- 253X Catherine Cr Unit Oct 28 – Nov 1 · 303 tags · cut 4 18%
Odds at your points, nonresident. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 21 on file for Oregon elk
21 cartridges on file are legal for elk with a rifle in Oregon. Rules and sources: Oregon hunting laws.
▸ Sources 22
- ODFW 2026 Preference Point Draw Report draw results, seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2025 Preference Point Draw Report earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2024 Preference Point Draw Report earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2023 Preference Point Draw Report earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2022 Preference Point Draw Report earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2026 OAR chapter 635 division 060 draw rules, fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2026 Recreational Fee Schedule fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- ODFW 2025 Estimated Muzzleloader Elk Harvest by… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2025 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2025 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2024 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2024 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2024 Estimated Muzzleloader Elk Harvest by… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2023 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2023 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2023 Estimated Muzzleloader Elk Harvest by… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2022 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2022 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2021 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest… harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2021 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- ODFW 2026 Wildlife Management Unit boundaries boundary, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office 2026 BLM /Washington Land Status Ownership land ownership, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's published results (points pass + random pass, from published pools). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Oregon elk hunts