Hunt Area DE-01 Deschutes (DE-01)
Bend's backyard hunt area: Cascade-crest wilderness down to lodgepole and lava flats, hunting a closely watched, declining mule deer herd.
ODFW Deschutes Watershed District (Bend) — central Oregon east Cascade slope · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
1,684
sq mi
Public land
74%
approx.
Elevation
1,950–10,358
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
DE-01 "Deschutes" is the single 2026 hunt area for the Deschutes mule deer herd range — one of the new herd-range hunt areas that replaced eastern Oregon's WMU-based deer hunts in 2026. It is roughly 1,680 square miles of central Oregon west of US 97, running from Bend and the Wickiup Reservoir dam north along the Cascade crest and Pacific Crest Trail to the Warm Springs Reservation boundary, then east down the Metolius River and Lake Billy Chinook to the Crooked River. Per ODFW's transition guide it absorbs all of the old Metolius WMU (39) hunt and about 72% of the old Upper Deschutes WMU (34) hunt — the country south of Wickiup Dam moved to Devils Garden hunt area DG-02. About 74% of the area is public, dominated by the Deschutes National Forest. Be honest with yourself about what this is: ODFW classes the herd at its highest ("Extreme") concern level after years of decline, and this is heavily roaded, heavily recreated country on the Bend–Sisters–Sunriver urban fringe — yet buck ratios are above objective and the wilderness burns and Green Ridge country still produce good bucks for hunters who work away from the traffic.
Terrain
A full east-slope Cascade gradient: glaciated volcanic high country along the crest (Three Sisters, Broken Top, Three Fingered Jack, the south flank of Mount Jefferson) breaking into ponderosa and lodgepole benches, old lava flows, and finally juniper–sage canyon country at Lake Billy Chinook and the Crooked River. Big stand-replacing burns — the 2003 B&B Complex around the Metolius basin and the 2012 Pole Creek fire near Sisters — created the feed and edge cover that concentrate deer today. Green Ridge, the long north–south rim east of the Metolius River, is the classic deer and elk feature of the north half; the south half is gentler lodgepole and ponderosa flats around Crane Prairie and Wickiup reservoirs.
Cover: Ponderosa pine and mixed conifer on the mid slopes, extensive lodgepole flats toward Wickiup and Crane Prairie, true fir and mountain hemlock near the crest, and bitterbrush–sage–juniper transition along the Deschutes and Crooked River canyons. Post-fire snowbrush/ceanothus and bitterbrush regrowth in the B&B and Pole Creek burns is the key deer forage.
Landmarks: US Highway 97 (east boundary, Bend to Terrebonne) · Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway · Pacific Crest Trail / Cascade crest (west boundary) · Three Sisters and Broken Top · Mount Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack wilderness country · Metolius River and Camp Sherman · Green Ridge · Black Butte · Lake Billy Chinook / Crooked River (northeast boundary) · Wickiup and Crane Prairie reservoirs · B&B Complex (2003) and Pole Creek (2012) burns
Access
Access is the opposite of the eastern-Oregon norm: almost too much of it. The Deschutes National Forest road network is extensive and open per the Motor Vehicle Use Map, and Central Oregon's COHVOPS-managed OHV trail systems add motorized traffic. The catch is competition — this is Bend's playground, and mountain bikers, OHV riders, campers, and mushroom pickers share the woods through hunting season. The Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson, and Mount Washington wilderness areas need a Central Cascades permit for overnight trips (and 19 day-use trailheads) from mid-June through mid-October, which overlaps early archery. Firearm discharge is prohibited within 150 yards of residences, buildings, campsites, and developed sites — a real constraint on the Bend/Sisters/Sunriver fringe. The Warm Springs Reservation along the north boundary is closed to non-tribal hunting. Recent fires (several 2024 burns in the old Metolius unit) can close blocks of country — check Deschutes NF alerts before the hunt.
Managers: Deschutes National Forest (USFS), BLM Prineville District, Private (Bend/Sisters/Redmond/Sunriver urban fringe, Black Butte Ranch, river-corridor ranches), Crooked River National Grassland (northeast fringe)
Access points: Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway west of Bend (closes with snow in late fall) · US 20 / OR 126 and OR 242 (McKenzie Hwy) out of Sisters · Camp Sherman / Metolius River roads and the Green Ridge road system (NF-11 area) · S Century Drive / NF-42 and NF-40 out of Sunriver toward Crane Prairie and Wickiup · Three Creeks Road (NF-16) south of Sisters
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe Deschutes herd is why the 2026 hunt-area system exists: central Oregon mule deer are down roughly half from early-2000s estimates, collared does in the old Metolius/Upper Deschutes units show about 70% annual survival (the lowest of eastern Oregon's herds), and ODFW lists every DE-01 hunt at its top 'Extreme' concern tier. The silver lining is buck ratios above management objective (about 30 bucks per 100 does on the Metolius side), and recent any-weapon success in the legacy units ran from roughly 12% (Upper Deschutes) to 25% (Metolius). Expect a real hunt for a modest number of deer, with genuinely good bucks in the rough country.
- →Hunt the high-elevation edges of the B&B burn inside and around the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, and the Pole Creek burn north of Broken Top — ODFW's own forecast points hunters at these fire scars.
- →Work Green Ridge east of the Metolius: glass the rim edges and burn openings at first light, then still-hunt the timber stringers.
- →On the south half, key on forest thinning units and bitterbrush flats around Wickiup and Crane Prairie at dawn and dusk — midday these lodgepole deer go invisible.
- →Get away from roads and trail systems; hunter and recreation density is high along every drivable corridor, and the deer that survive here are educated to it.
- →Later in the fall, hunt the transition benches toward US 97 — this herd summers against the crest and migrates east across the highway to winter range, so cold snaps and early snow slide deer downhill toward the boundary.
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityElk numbers are modest but trending up — ODFW recorded a record spring elk count in the Metolius unit in 2025, and a growing bunch lives year-round on the Metolius winter range around Geneva on mixed public/private ground. Lodgepole ('jack pine') country near Crane Prairie and Wickiup also holds elk. Elk tags here are separate from the deer hunt-area tags, but deer hunters see elk regularly.
- →Hunt the roadless and motor-restricted blocks — ODFW notes hunter densities are high along access roads and the better elk hunting is in wilderness-adjacent country.
- →Check the lodgepole flats and meadow edges around Crane Prairie and Wickiup reservoirs.
- →On the Metolius side, know your property lines around Geneva/Green Ridge — the year-round elk live on a public/private checkerboard.
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bear populations are steadily increasing across the east slope of the Cascades, and the Metolius basin, burn edges, and riparian corridors hold good numbers. Most bears are taken incidentally by deer and elk hunters, but a focused hunt is viable.
- →Early season, glass berry patches in the B&B and Pole Creek burns and along huckleberry benches near the crest.
- →As fall progresses, shift to riparian bottoms — the Metolius tributaries and reservoir edges — where bears root for grubs and green feed.
- →Carry a bear tag while deer hunting the burns; incidental opportunities are common.
Cougar
common opportunityCougar numbers are strong throughout the district and predation is one of the pressures ODFW cites on this deer herd. Nearly all harvest is opportunistic by deer and elk hunters.
- →Keep a tag in your pocket — cats show up on the same burn edges and winter-transition benches the deer use.
- →Predator calling in the canyon country off Green Ridge and the Metolius breaks can produce for dedicated hunters.
- →Watch for fresh kills and tracks after the first snows near the crest.
Pro tips
- →Re-check your spots against the DE-01 boundary before applying: the old Upper Deschutes country south of Wickiup Dam is NOT in this hunt area anymore (it moved to Devils Garden DG-02), while all of the old Metolius unit is in.
- →ODFW's WMU-to-Hunt-Area transition guide (go.MyODFW.com/MuleDeerHunts) maps every legacy 134/139 hunt to its 2026 equivalent — use it and the interactive hunt-area map.
- →The burns are the deer factories: B&B Complex edges in the Jefferson Wilderness high country and the Pole Creek burn near Sisters out-produce the green timber.
- →Distance from a drivable road is the best filter in this unit — between OHV riders, mountain bikers, and other hunters, anything within a half mile of open road gets hammered.
- →Metolius-side success rates have historically run about double the Upper Deschutes side — the Green Ridge/Metolius basin country is steeper, brushier, and less casually hunted.
- →Scout the urban-interface winter transition (Tumalo/Sisters bitterbrush benches) late in the fall, but know the 150-yard discharge rule and where the subdivisions are.
Watch out for
- !Herd status is the story: this deer population is at ODFW's highest concern tier, roughly half of what it was two decades ago. Expect conservative tag numbers, possible further cuts, and fewer deer than the habitat suggests.
- !The Warm Springs Reservation forms the entire north boundary (Jefferson Creek–Metolius River line) and is closed to non-tribal hunting — GPS that boundary carefully in the Metolius/Candle Creek country.
- !Central Cascades Wilderness permits are required for overnight use (and some day-use trailheads) through mid-October — early-season bow hunters camping high need one.
- !Fire closures and smoke are a real early-season risk, and several 2024 burns in the old Metolius unit may still affect access — check Deschutes NF alerts.
- !Heavy non-hunting recreation: expect bikes, OHVs, and campers on the same roads and trails through October, especially west of Bend and around Sisters.
- !No shooting within 150 yards of residences, campsites, or developed sites — the Bend/Sunriver/Black Butte Ranch fringe is thick with all three.
- !Highway 97 is a deer-killer during fall migration; the Lava Butte stretch is fenced to wildlife undercrossings — watch for concentrated crossings at the fence ends at dawn and dusk.
Logistics
This may be the easiest hunt area in eastern Oregon to support: Bend, Redmond, and Sisters sit on the boundary with every service imaginable, and Sunriver and Camp Sherman put you inside the unit. Deschutes NF campgrounds line the Cascade Lakes Byway and the Metolius River, and dispersed camping is allowed across most of the forest (fire restrictions permitting). Cell coverage is good near US 97 and the towns, fades fast in the Metolius basin and against the crest. Remember the Central Cascades overnight permit if you plan to camp inside the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, or Mount Jefferson wilderness through mid-October, and expect the Cascade Lakes Byway's upper reaches to close once snow flies.
Nearest towns: Bend, Sisters, Redmond, Sunriver, Camp Sherman
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Oregon sources:
Research sources: ODFW — Deschutes Hunt Area DE-01 (boundary description, 74% public lands) · ODFW — WMUs to Deer Hunt Areas Transition Guide (hunt 134 Upper Deschutes 72%→DE101/28%→DG102; hunt 139 Metolius 100%→DE101) · ODFW — 2026 Limited Landowner Preference Mule Deer Tags (DE101/DE101R/DE101R1/DE101M listed at Extreme concern, Tier 2) · ODFW — 2025 Big Game Hunting Forecast (Deschutes district deer/elk/bear/cougar outlook, burns, Green Ridge, Geneva elk) · ODFW — Upper Deschutes Unit 34 (legacy WMU page, 75% public) · ODFW — Metolius Unit 39 (legacy WMU page, boundary, 65% public) · ODFW — 2024 Any Legal Weapon Buck Deer Harvest Summary (hunts 134 and 139 hunter/harvest numbers) · The Bulletin — Mule deer numbers continue downward trend in Central Oregon (33% since 2017, 51% since 2002, 70% doe survival) · ODOT — Lava Butte Wildlife Crossing Effectiveness Final Report (US 97 undercrossings, 85–100% collision reduction) · Deschutes National Forest — Hunting, Fishing and Shooting (150-yard discharge rule, forest access) · Recreation.gov — Central Cascades Wilderness Overnight Permits (June 15–Oct 15 permit system)
FAQ
- How big is Hunt Area DE-01 in Oregon?
- Hunt Area DE-01 (Deschutes (DE-01)) covers about 1,684 square miles, ranging from roughly 1,950 to 10,358 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Hunt Area DE-01?
- Approximately 74% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Deschutes National Forest (USFS), BLM Prineville District, Private (Bend/Sisters/Redmond/Sunriver urban fringe, Black Butte Ranch, river-corridor ranches), Crooked River National Grassland (northeast fringe). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Hunt Area DE-01?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, 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 Hunt Area DE-01 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.