Oregon Elk — Unit 55
Walla Walla
Oregon Unit 55 covers 195,810 acres and lies 35 miles north-east of Pendleton and 54 miles east of Hermiston. 33% of it is public land, mostly national forest (31%) and BLM (1%). In 2025, 300 people hunted elk here and took 109 — 36% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 402 tags here for 22 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 55, 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-
2% Point builder
-
<1% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
-
11% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
-
<1% Point builder
-
100% Likely draw
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 255A ↗ Mill Cr Watershed Rifle | 2% Point builder | 24 +4 since 2022 | 21 / 16 | Oct 31 – Nov 8, 2026 |
| 255R1 ↗ Walla Walla Unit Bow No. 1 Archery | <1% Point builder | 27 +3 since 2022 | 27 / 83 | Aug 29 – Sep 27, 2026 |
| 255R2 ↗ Walla Walla Unit Bow No. 2 Archery | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 69 / 2 | Aug 29 – Sep 27, 2026 |
| 255T ↗ Walla Walla Unit Youth Rifle | 11% Point builder | 3 | 11 / 6 | Aug 15 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| 255X ↗ Walla Walla Unit No. 1 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 402 / 22 | Oct 28 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 255Y1 ↗ Walla Walla Unit No. 2 Rifle | <1% Point builder | 28 +4 since 2022 | 26 / 135 | Oct 28 – Nov 15, 2026 |
| 255Y2 ↗ Walla Walla Unit No. 3 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 219 / 6 | Nov 7–15, 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 131,425 ac · 67%
- National Forest 61,580 ac · 31%
- BLM 2,736 ac · 1%
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 | 300 | 109 | 36% |
| 2024 | 377 | 95 | 25% |
| 2023 | 330 | 86 | 26% |
| 2022 | 345 | 87 | 25% |
| 2021 | 379 | 90 | 24% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 90 · 83% · 244 hunters, 37% success
- Archery 19 · 17% · 56 hunters, 34% success
Boundary: ODFW Wildlife Management Unit boundaries (Compass ArcGIS service)
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Archery Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt
Harvest: ODFW 2025 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt
Harvest: ODFW 2024 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt