Oregon Elk — Unit 51
Sumpter
Oregon Unit 51 covers 976,784 acres and lies 12 miles south-west of Baker City and 49 miles south of La Grande. 46% of it is public land, mostly national forest (31%) and BLM (14%). In 2025, 1,847 people hunted elk here and took 367 — 20% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 931 tags here for 61 first-choice applicants, and the last tag went to someone with 1 points.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit 51, 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-
39% Long shot
-
100% Likely draw
-
100% Likely draw
-
100% Likely draw
-
12% Point builder
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14% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Likely draw
-
31% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251A ↗ N Sumpter Rifle | 39% Long shot | 1 steady since 2022 | 825 / 78 | Oct 28 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 251B1 ↗ S Sumpter No. 1 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 2 steady since 2022 | 206 / 31 | Oct 28 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 251B2 ↗ S Sumpter No. 2 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 210 / 19 | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| 251C ↗ S Sumpter Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 308 / 5 | Oct 17 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| 251D1 ↗ Elkhorn Mtn No. 1 Rifle | 12% Point builder | 1 −1 since 2022 | 22 / 2 | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| 251D2 ↗ Elkhorn Mtn No. 2 Rifle | 14% Point builder | 1 −1 since 2022 | 22 / 3 | Nov 21–29, 2026 |
| 251M1 ↗ Elkhorn No. 1 Muzzleloader Muzzleloader | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 90 / 2 | Aug 1 – Oct 15, 2026 |
| 251M2 ↗ Elkhorn No. 2 Muzzleloader Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 3 +2 since 2022 | 93 / 1 undersubscribed | Oct 16 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| 251R ↗ N Sumpter Bow Archery | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 931 / 61 | Aug 29 – Sep 27, 2026 |
| 251T ↗ Baker Youth Rifle | 31% Long shot | 1 steady since 2022 | 100 / 10 | Aug 15 – Dec 31, 2026 |
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 | $863 |
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 532,316 ac · 54%
- National Forest 305,316 ac · 31%
- BLM 134,743 ac · 14%
- State land 2,693 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 2,133 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 | 1,847 | 367 | 20% |
| 2024 | 1,916 | 435 | 23% |
| 2023 | 1,936 | 323 | 17% |
| 2022 | 1,991 | 368 | 18% |
| 2021 | 2,046 | 319 | 16% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 254 · 69% · 1,318 hunters, 19% success
- Archery 101 · 28% · 496 hunters, 20% success
- Muzzleloader 12 · 3% · 33 hunters, 36% success
Boundary: ODFW Wildlife Management Unit boundaries (Compass ArcGIS service)
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Muzzleloader Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt