Oregon Elk — Unit 78
The 2026 draw put up 505 tags here for 99 first-choice applicants, and the last tag went to someone with 3 points.
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in Unit 78, 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-
90% Likely draw
-
51% Real chance
-
100% Likely draw
-
25% Long shot
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278A1 ↗ High Desert No. 1 Rifle | 90% Likely draw | 2 +1 since 2022 | 496 / 45 | Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2026 |
| 278A2 ↗ High Desert No. 2 Rifle | 51% Real chance | 3 +1 since 2022 | 505 / 99 | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| 278M ↗ High Desert Muzzleloader Muzzleloader | 100% Likely draw | 1 steady since 2022 | 215 / 7 | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| 278T ↗ High Desert Youth Rifle | 25% Long shot | 3 steady since 2022 | 11 / 4 | 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
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife does not publish a mapped boundary for Unit 78, so there is no map to draw.
What the agency says about the area
"278" series ("High Desert No. 1/No. 2") -- a multi-unit hunt, not a single WMU. ODFW's own 2025 elk ALW harvest report lists its harvest under WMU 70 Beatys Butte and 71 Juniper, not under any standalone "78" boundary -- confirmed in harvest_elk_2025.csv (license_type='278A1 High Desert No. 1'/'278A2 High Desert No. 2', unit_code in {70,71}).
Source: ODFW 2025 Estimated Any Legal Weapon Elk Harvest by Zone, Wildlife Management Unit and Hunt