Hunt Area DO-01 DeGarmo (DO-01)
Warner rim-and-valley country: fault-block rims, a chain of desert lakes, and quality-over-quantity Great Basin mule deer.
ODFW High Desert Region — Lake District (Lakeview), Warner Valley and Warner Mountains country · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
1,459
sq mi
Public land
73%
approx.
Elevation
4,250–8,456
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
DeGarmo Hunt Area DO-01 is a 1,459-square-mile block of far southern Lake County, one of ODFW's new-for-2026 deer hunt areas built around the DeGarmo mule deer herd range (named for DeGarmo Canyon on Hart Mountain's west face). It runs from Highway 395 at the California line east across the Warner Mountains, the Warner Valley lakes chain, and the Guano Valley sage steppe to the Nevada line, wrapping around — but not including — Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (that's DO-02). It absorbs all of the legacy Warner Unit (74) plus the western side of the old Beatys Butte Unit (70) below the refuge; the old 174-series Warner buck hunts now live entirely inside this area. At 73 percent public land — BLM Lakeview District ground plus the Fremont-Winema National Forest in the Warner Mountains — access is generous, but be honest about the deer: the Warner unit's population has run well below ODFW's management objective for years, so this is a controlled-hunt area that trades numbers for solitude, big country, and a real chance at a mature high-desert buck.
Terrain
Classic Basin and Range: long north-south fault-block rims and narrow mountain ranges separated by closed basins. The west edge climbs Abert Rim — one of North America's tallest exposed fault scarps, rising roughly 2,500 feet over Lake Abert — while the forested Warner Mountains (Crane Mountain, Drake Peak) top 8,400 feet southeast of Lakeview. East of the Warner Valley lakes the country flattens into the Guano Valley's rolling sagebrush tables toward Nevada. Deer summer high in the timbered Warners and on the rims, then work down to sage flats and valley edges; most of the treeless country hunts between about 4,300 and 6,000 feet.
Cover: Big sagebrush and bunchgrass steppe over most of the area, with western juniper on rocky slopes and rims; ponderosa and white fir with aspen and mountain mahogany pockets in the Warner Mountains high country; greasewood and alkali playa fringe around Lake Abert and the Warner lakes; hay meadows and irrigated ranch ground on the Warner Valley floor around Adel and Plush.
Landmarks: Abert Rim and Lake Abert · Warner Mountains (Crane Mountain, 8,456 ft; Drake Peak) · Warner Valley lakes chain (Crump, Hart, Pelican lakes) · Fish Creek Rim · Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge boundary (northeast edge — refuge itself is DO-02) · Guano Valley and Shirk Ranch country · US Hwy 395 (west boundary) · State Hwy 140 (southeast boundary to the Nevada line) · Fort Bidwell-Warner Valley Rd / Hogback Rd (north boundary)
Access
One of the better-access hunt areas in Oregon at 73 percent public. The BLM two-track network covers most of the sage country, and Fremont-Winema forest roads lace the Warner Mountains, but the big rims (Abert, Fish Creek, the Warner escarpments) are rugged and largely roadless — plan to hike off the tops. Private land concentrates along the Warner Valley floor through Plush and Adel and in the irrigated bottoms near Lakeview; ask permission or route around it. The Hart Mountain refuge on the northeast edge is a separate hunt area (DO-02) with its own tags — know where that boundary is (roughly the Flagstaff Lake Rd / refuge fence / Shirk Ranch Rd line).
Managers: BLM (Lakeview District), US Forest Service (Fremont-Winema National Forest — Warner Mountains), Private ranch and hay ground (Warner Valley floor, Goose Lake fringe), State of Oregon (scattered parcels)
Access points: US Hwy 395 north from Lakeview along Lake Abert (west side) · State Hwy 140 east from Lakeview toward Adel and the Nevada line · Plush-Adel county roads into the Warner Valley · Hogback Rd (Fort Bidwell-Warner Valley Rd) along the north boundary · Shirk Ranch Rd (BLM 6106-00) into the Guano Valley country · Fremont-Winema forest roads into the Warner Mountains southeast of Lakeview
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe Warner herd has run well below ODFW's management objective (roughly 2,500 deer against a 5,500 objective in recent counts), but buck ratios are healthy and the Warner unit was a Mule Deer Initiative focus area where cougar removal coincided with better hunter success and more mature bucks. Expect low deer density, light pressure, and a legitimate shot at an old rim-country buck if you cover ground.
- →Glass from the rims at first light — Abert Rim, Fish Creek Rim, and the Warner escarpments let you pick apart miles of sage and juniper below.
- →Early in the fall, hunt the high Warner Mountains: aspen pockets, mahogany stands, and north-slope timber between 6,000 and 8,400 feet hold bucks until weather moves them.
- →Work the juniper-sage transition benches mid-season; deer stage there between summer high country and valley-edge winter range.
- →Water is the pattern in dry years — springs, guzzlers, and the creek mouths coming off the rims concentrate deer movement at dawn and dusk.
- →Don't ignore the empty-looking Guano Valley tables east of the lakes; low deer numbers but almost zero pressure, and bucks live in the shallow draws and bitterbrush pockets.
Pronghorn
common qualityThis is core Oregon pronghorn country — the Warner Valley fringe and Guano Valley carry healthy herds, and the adjacent Hart Mountain and Beatys Butte country is famous for trophy-class bucks. Pronghorn hunts here are still administered by the legacy units (Warner, Beatys Butte), separate from the new deer hunt areas.
- →Glass the big flats east of the Warner lakes and the Guano Valley from any rise; antelope here are visible at miles, the stalk is the hard part.
- →Pattern waterholes in the August-September heat — closed-basin country funnels pronghorn to a handful of reliable sources.
- →Use the shallow draws and lake-bed rims for stalking cover; belly-crawling the last 300 yards is standard in this open country.
- →Check unit boundaries carefully — pronghorn tags follow the old Warner/Beatys Butte unit lines, not the DO-01 deer boundary.
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophyCalifornia bighorn live on Abert Rim and other Lake County rimrock — Abert Rim has been healthy enough to serve as a source herd for ODFW translocations. Oregon sheep tags are once-in-a-lifetime, drawn in tiny numbers, so treat bighorn as a bonus sighting while deer hunting rather than a plannable hunt.
- →If you draw, live on the rim: glass the Abert Rim talus and cliff bands from below off Hwy 395, then hunt the top edge on foot.
- →Sheep here water off the rim seeps and shade in the fault-block breaks through midday — glass early and late.
- →Verify the current sheep hunt boundaries with ODFW; sheep hunts are their own hunt areas, independent of DO-01.
Pro tips
- →Hunt this like sheep country: pick a rim, glass big, and plan one good stalk a day rather than driving two-tracks hoping to bump deer.
- →The forested Warner Mountains southeast of Lakeview are the sleeper — most eyes go to the sage country, but early-season bucks live in the aspen and mahogany up high.
- →Scout the DO-01/DO-02 line before you hunt the northeast corner; the Hart Mountain refuge boundary is fenced and signed in most places, but the country all looks the same.
- →Deer numbers are below objective — burn boot leather on the pockets others skip (Fish Creek Rim country, Guano draws) instead of grinding pressured road corridors.
- →Carry two spares and extra fuel for the east side; it can be 60-plus dirt miles between pavement touches.
- →Pack for wind. There is almost no cover from it anywhere but the Warner Mountains, and it dictates deer bedding on the rims.
Watch out for
- !The August 2024 Warner Peak Fire burned 65,000+ acres on the adjacent Hart Mountain refuge — expect burn scars, rehab seedings, and shifted deer/pronghorn use near the refuge boundary, and verify any lingering closures.
- !Alkali and clay roads become impassable when wet — a dry-looking playa edge can swallow a truck. Check weather before committing to the Guano Valley.
- !Private hay ground on the Warner Valley floor is actively ranched and posted; deer stack on it in the evenings, but you can't follow them there without permission.
- !Almost no cell service east of the Warner Valley; self-rescue distance is real out here.
- !Rattlesnakes are common on the rims and talus well into October's warm spells.
- !Deer density is genuinely low — glass more, walk less randomly, and don't judge the area by a slow first day.
- !Pronghorn and bighorn hunts still run on the legacy unit boundaries (Warner 74 / Beatys Butte 70), which do not match the DO-01 deer boundary — read your tag.
Logistics
Lakeview is the hub — motels, fuel, groceries, hardware, and the ODFW/Fremont-Winema and BLM Lakeview District offices — and it sits right on the area's west edge. Adel (small store/cafe on Hwy 140) and Plush (Hart Mountain Store) are the only outposts in the Warner Valley; don't count on fuel east of them, and there are no services at all in the Guano Valley. Dispersed camping is wide open on BLM and national forest ground; developed sites are sparse. Cell coverage is decent near Lakeview and along Hwy 395 and fades to nothing behind the rims and out east — carry an offline map and tell someone your plan. Most interior roads are graded gravel or two-track that turns to greasy alkali gumbo after rain.
Nearest towns: Lakeview, Adel, Plush, Valley Falls
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Oregon sources:
Research sources: ODFW — DeGarmo Hunt Area DO-01 (boundary description, 73% public lands) · ODFW — Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Area Boundary Descriptions (2026 Big Game Regulations excerpt) · ODFW — WMU to Deer Hunt Areas Transition Guide, Jan 2026 (174A/174B → DO101; 170A overlap) · ODFW — Warner Unit 74 (legacy unit page) · ODFW — Beatys Butte Unit 70 (legacy unit page) · ODFW — Mule Deer Population Estimates, Composition, and Over-Winter Fawn Survival 2020-2024 (Warner 74 vs management objective) · USFWS press release — Warner Peak Fire damage and Hart Mountain refuge closures (Aug 2024) · GoHunt — Oregon Unit 74 Warner profile (terrain, elevation bands, species; tertiary color)
FAQ
- How big is Hunt Area DO-01 in Oregon?
- Hunt Area DO-01 (DeGarmo (DO-01)) covers about 1,459 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,250 to 8,456 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Hunt Area DO-01?
- Approximately 73% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM (Lakeview District), US Forest Service (Fremont-Winema National Forest — Warner Mountains), Private ranch and hay ground (Warner Valley floor, Goose Lake fringe), State of Oregon (scattered parcels). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Hunt Area DO-01?
- Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Oregon agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Hunt Area DO-01 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.