How big is Unit 36 in Oregon?

Unit 36 (Maury) covers about 1,105 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,500 to 6,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.

What species does the catalog list for Unit 36?

Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Oregon agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.

Unit 36 Maury

Controlled-draw mule deer, up-and-coming public-land elk, and pronghorn in the juniper-and-rimrock Maury Mountains southeast of Prineville.

Central Oregon — Maury Mountains / High Desert · Last reviewed 2026-07-12

Mule deer buck trotting across open prairie at dusk

Area

1,105

sq mi

Public land

57%

approx.

Elevation

3,500–6,000

feet

Motorized

extensive

access

Overview

Unit 36 covers roughly 1,100 sq mi southeast of Prineville, built around the Maury Mountains — an isolated, mostly gentle timbered range rising out of a sea of juniper flats, alkali basins, and grassy high-desert lowlands. About 57-58% of the unit is public, a mix of Ochoco National Forest (the Maury Mountain block) and extensive Prineville-District BLM, giving hunters genuinely good public access — a rarity among central Oregon draw units. ODFW calls Maury an up-and-coming elk area and is deliberately managing elk onto public ground; it also holds good mule deer and pronghorn. Every big-game tag here is controlled draw.

Terrain

The Maury Mountains form a compact timbered island in the unit's center, mostly sitting 5,000-6,000 ft with gentle to moderate slopes but some steep faces and canyon breaks. The range is ringed by lower juniper-clad hills, buttes, alkali flats, and open brushy-grassy desert lowlands that fall away toward the Brothers/Hampton country to the south. Antelope Flat Reservoir and Prineville Reservoir (northwest edge) and the Crooked River drainage frame the wetter margins.

Cover: Dense western juniper and big sagebrush dominate the lower and mid-elevations, thickening into ponderosa pine and mixed conifer on the higher Maury Mountain slopes and north aspects. Bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, grasses, and forbs fill the browse layer; open bunchgrass flats and playas mark the desert basins.

Landmarks: Maury Mountains · Hampton Butte · Antelope Flat Reservoir · Prineville Reservoir · Crooked River · Bear Creek · Brothers / US Hwy 20 corridor

Access

Public land runs about 57-58% — the Maury Mountain timber block is Ochoco National Forest, wrapped by large BLM holdings across the juniper desert, so walk-in and drive-in public access is comparatively good for the region. Private ranch valleys intermix along creek bottoms and the mountain fringe. A gravel/dirt forest and BLM road grid serves the country; high-clearance is smart and much of the desert is open. A separate Hampton Butte sub-unit hunt exists in the southeast. Verify boundaries where BLM and private checkerboard together on the flats.

Managers: U.S. Forest Service (Ochoco National Forest — Maury Mountain area), Bureau of Land Management (Prineville District), Private ranches

Access points: US Hwy 20 along the south boundary (Brothers, Hampton) · State Hwy 27 up the Crooked River from Prineville on the west side · Forest/BLM road grid into the Maury Mountains from the Prineville Reservoir / Post area · Paulina Hwy (County Rd) corridor on the north

Species notes

Mule Deer

common opportunity

Good numbers of mule deer available through the controlled draw. As across central Oregon, winter herd counts on lower range typically exceed in-season densities up in the unit, so hunt-season deer can be more scattered than population figures suggest. The public-land base makes Maury a realistic DIY draw unit.

→Glass juniper-sage transition zones and open south slopes at first and last light before deer bed in the junipers
→Hunt the ecotone where the Maury Mountain timber meets the desert brush — bucks use the edge
→Still-hunt shady north-aspect pockets and mahogany draws during warm midday
→Get off the road grid into the steeper canyon breaks where mature bucks escape pressure
→Late-season cold and snow push deer down onto lower benches and reservoir margins

Rocky Mountain Elk

common quality

ODFW describes Maury as an up-and-coming elk unit and is actively steering elk onto public land — limiting archery tags and issuing cow tags mainly for private-land depredation. That management, plus the solid public-land base, makes it a legitimate controlled-draw elk unit for public hunters. Elk key on the timbered Maury Mountain core.

→Focus the Maury Mountain conifer — timbered benches, north slopes, and drainage heads where elk hold cover
→Glass meadow and prairie edges at the timber margin at dawn and dusk, then push into adjacent cover
→Locate rutting bulls in the transition between open parks and timber during early archery
→Work away from the road grid — elk shift to the least-roaded timber pockets under pressure
→Water sources in the dry juniper country concentrate elk in warm early seasons

Pronghorn

common opportunity

Pronghorn inhabit the open high-desert flats and grassy basins away from the timbered core, drawn through a hard-to-pull controlled tag. The Brothers/Hampton desert country on the south holds classic antelope ground.

→Hunt the open flats, playa margins, and grassy benches south and east of the Maury Mountains
→Spot-and-stalk with quality glass — locate bands from a high point, then use terrain folds to close
→Watch water holes and reservoir edges (Antelope Flat) in warm early-season conditions
→Be patient and cover ground; antelope range widely across the open desert

Bighorn Sheep

limited trophy

Unit 36 carries a California bighorn opportunity (500-series controlled hunt) tied to the rimrock and rocky-canyon country rather than the timbered interior — a once-in-a-lifetime-caliber tag with very low draw odds. Confirm the exact hunt boundary and sheep locations if drawn.

→Concentrate on rimrock, rocky rims, and canyon breaks — ignore the forested interior
→Glass long from vantage points and be ready for steep, physical terrain
→Scout heavily before the season; treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime tag

Black Bear

limited opportunity

Black bear occur in the Maury Mountain timber and brushy draws, available on the spring controlled and fall framework. Densities are modest in this drier country compared with the wetter Ochoco/Cascade units.

→Glass green-up south slopes and meadow edges in spring as bears feed on emerging forage
→Work berry- and forb-rich pockets in the higher conifer in fall
→Cover ground glassing — don't build a trip solely around bear here

Cougar

common opportunity

Cougar range throughout the unit following the deer, elk, and pronghorn; ODFW's Central Area report highlights the Maury (with the Ochoco) as a good cougar bet for its larger public-land base and access. Available on the general statewide tag.

→Hunt where deer and elk concentrate — cats follow the prey into timbered draws and winter range
→After fresh snow, cut roads and ridgelines for tracks, then follow into cover
→Use predator calls in broken timber and rimrock
→Leverage the road access to cover ground cutting sign

Pro tips

→Maury is one of central Oregon's better public-access draw units at ~57% public — a genuine DIY option where many nearby units are locked in private
→ODFW is deliberately holding elk on public land here (limited archery tags, private-only cow tags), so public elk hunting is improving — worth the points
→Hunt the juniper-timber ecotone: glass the open desert at daylight, then work the transition into the Maury Mountain cover where bucks and bulls bed
→In warm early seasons, water is the great concentrator — reservoirs, springs, and tanks pull animals in the dry country
→The Hampton Butte sub-unit hunt is a distinct hunt on the southeast — read the regs so you apply for the right boundary

Watch out for

!All big game is controlled-draw; the bighorn (500-series) and pronghorn tags are very hard to draw — plan a point strategy
!BLM-and-private checkerboard on the desert flats can landlock public ground — verify boundaries with a mapping app
!Water and fuel are scarce across the juniper desert — carry more than you think you need
!Desert clay roads become impassable after rain; high forest roads can snow shut late — bring recovery gear and chains
!Bear densities are modest in this dry country — don't bank a trip on bear alone

Logistics

Prineville is the basecamp and supply town — home to the ODFW Prineville office (541-447-6111), the Ochoco National Forest, and the BLM Prineville District Office for maps and road conditions. Bend, about 45 minutes west, offers full services and the nearest commercial airport (Redmond/RDM). Fuel up before heading into the desert; services vanish once you're on the Maury/Brothers road network. Dispersed camping is available on the forest and BLM land, with a developed campground and water at Antelope Flat Reservoir.

Nearest towns: Prineville, Post, Paulina, Brothers, Bend

Nearby units

Hunt Area CR-01 · Crooked River (CR-01) Unit 37 · Ochoco Hunt Area DG-01 · Devils Garden (DG-01) Hunt Area PH-01 · Painted Hills (PH-01)

Seasons & regulations

This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Oregon sources:

Research sources: ODFW Maury Unit 36 · GoHunt — Oregon Unit 36 Maury Profile · Ochoco National Forest — About the Area (USFS) · ODFW Eastern Oregon Deer Hunts

FAQ

How big is Unit 36 in Oregon?: Unit 36 (Maury) covers about 1,105 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,500 to 6,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
How much public land is in Unit 36?: Approximately 57% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: U.S. Forest Service (Ochoco National Forest — Maury Mountain area), Bureau of Land Management (Prineville District), Private ranches. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
What species does the catalog list for Unit 36?: Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Oregon agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.

Put Unit 36 on your map.

Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.

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