Oregon Elk — Unit 59
Snake River
Oregon Unit 59 covers 294,405 acres and lies 69 miles east of La Grande. 93% of it is public land, mostly national forest (93%). In 2025, 377 people hunted elk here and took 185 — 49% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 502 tags here for 36 first-choice applicants, and the last tag went to someone with 2 points.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit 59, 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-
100% Likely draw
-
19% Long shot
-
100% Likely draw
-
6% Point builder
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 259R ↗ Snake Rvr Unit Bow Archery | 100% Likely draw | 2 +1 since 2022 | 502 / 36 | Aug 29 – Sep 27, 2026 |
| 259T ↗ Snake Rvr Unit Youth Rifle | 19% Long shot | 2 +1 since 2022 | 11 / 3 | Aug 15 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| 259X ↗ Snake Rvr Unit No. 1 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 3 +2 since 2022 | 208 / 16 | Oct 28 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| 259Y ↗ Snake Rvr Unit No. 2 Rifle | 6% Point builder | 14 +5 since 2022 | 167 / 125 | 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
- National Forest 274,123 ac · 93%
- Private 20,214 ac · 7%
- State land 34 ac · 0%
- BLM 0 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 | 377 | 185 | 49% |
| 2024 | 394 | 130 | 33% |
| 2023 | 430 | 129 | 30% |
| 2022 | 186 | 74 | 40% |
| 2021 | 576 | 168 | 29% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Rifle 136 · 74% · 230 hunters, 59% success
- Archery 49 · 26% · 147 hunters, 33% 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 Archery Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt