Unit 75 Interstate

Mule deer are the headline species, using the Fremont ponderosa plateaus, rim country and sage-juniper benches. Interstate is a controlled buck unit that produces solid deer, though the mixed public-private ownership makes access planning important. A quality opportunity unit rather than a guaranteed trophy destination.

• →Hunt the forest-sage transition on the plateau benches where bucks feed and hold cover
• →Glass rim edges, juniper stringers and mahogany pockets at first and last light
• →Locate public access into the timber early and be ready to shift as pressure builds
• →Watch early snow — storms on the Warner scarp and Fremont crest push deer downhill

Rocky Mountain elk hold in the timbered Fremont plateau and along the forest-meadow edges. Elk are managed through controlled (200-series) tags. Numbers are moderate, and the forested cover plus meadow and reservoir edges give the unit real elk opportunity for hunters who work away from roads.

• →Focus on the timbered plateau, meadow edges and drainages holding cover and feed
• →Locate bulls at dawn and dusk near forest openings and wet meadows
• →Hunt public timber away from roads where elk escape private-land pressure
• →Use reservoir and creek corridors as travel and feeding zones to intercept animals

Pronghorn use the open sage and grassland of the Goose Lake, Drews and Sprague valleys and the BLM benches. This is a controlled (400-series) opportunity, with the more open valley ground offering classic spot-and-stalk antelope hunting where public access allows.

• →Glass the open valley basins and sage benches from rises at first and last light
• →Hunt water and green feed in dry years where springs and meadows concentrate goats
• →Sort out public access on the valley flats before the opener — much is private
• →Use terrain folds and low rims to close on bucks across open ground

California bighorn use the steep Warner scarp and Crane Mountain rim country along the eastern boundary shared with the Warner unit. Any hunt is a very-low-odds once-in-a-lifetime draw (500-series) on a limited, sensitive herd — a trophy hunt if drawn, not a reliable opportunity.

• →Hunt the steep basalt rims, talus and scarp faces of the western Warner front
• →Glass rims from below over multiple days to locate the few resident bands
• →Coordinate any drawn tag with ODFW biologists on current sheep distribution
• →Plan a multi-week optics-and-boots campaign in rugged rim terrain

Black bears range the forested Fremont plateau, mahogany benches and creek bottoms at moderate density. ODFW offers spring (700-series) controlled and general fall bear opportunity, making bear one of the more accessible hunts here relative to the draw-only deer, elk and pronghorn.

• →Glass spring green-up on south slopes, meadow edges and mahogany/aspen pockets
• →Focus on the forested plateau and drainage bottoms rather than open sage
• →Hunt near water and seasonal food sources; bears range widely
• →Often taken incidentally by deer and elk hunters working the timber

Cougars follow the deer and elk through the Fremont timber, rims and canyon country at typical low densities. Tags are available over the counter statewide, and cats are usually taken by cutting fresh sign in snow or incidentally while hunting other species.

• →Cut and follow tracks in fresh snow along forest roads, rims and canyon bottoms
• →Focus on broken terrain near deer and elk concentrations
• →Predator-call in canyon and rim country during winter
• →Treat as an opportunistic add-on to a deer, elk or winter-scouting trip