Hunt Area DO-02 DeGarmo (DO-02)
The Hart Mountain refuge itself: a 435-square-mile ungrazed fault-block sanctuary with limited-entry bow and muzzleloader deer hunts.
ODFW High Desert Region — Lake District; Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (USFWS) · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
439
sq mi
Public land
99%
approx.
Elevation
4,500–8,017
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
DeGarmo Hunt Area DO-02 is simply the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge — all lands inside the refuge boundary, about 439 square miles of Lake County at 99 percent public land. Established in 1936 for pronghorn and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain refuge complex, the refuge became its own subdivision of the new DeGarmo herd-range hunt structure in 2026; its hunts (HMNAR Bow, HMNAR Late Bow, HMNAR Muzzleloader) carry forward the old limited-entry Hart Mountain refuge deer hunts that lived inside the legacy Beatys Butte Unit (70), hard against the Warner Unit (74) line. This is one of the most coveted deer draws in Oregon: ungrazed native sagebrush and bunchgrass, a massive west-facing escarpment above the Warner Valley lakes, and bucks that get to grow old under very light, short-range-weapons-only pressure. Expect a wild, primitive-feeling hunt with strict refuge access rules — and note that the August 2024 Warner Peak Fire burned roughly a quarter of the refuge, so check current conditions and closures before you go.
Terrain
A textbook Great Basin fault-block: the mountain rises abruptly some 3,500 feet above the Warner Valley in cliffs, ridges, and steep canyons on its west face (Poker Jim Ridge, DeGarmo, Hart, and Potter canyons), then tips gently east as rolling sagebrush tableland toward the Guano and Catlow country. Warner Peak crowns the refuge at 8,017 feet. The west-face rims and canyon heads hunt like sheep country; the east-side tables hunt like open steppe where glassing and wind discipline decide everything.
Cover: Ungrazed since the mid-1990s, the refuge carries some of the best native big sagebrush-bunchgrass steppe in Oregon, with low sage scablands on the tables, mountain mahogany and scattered aspen pockets in high draws and around springs, and riparian ribbons in the west-face canyons. The 2024 Warner Peak Fire left large burn mosaics on and around the mountain's higher country — expect flushes of new growth alongside rehab seedings.
Landmarks: Warner Peak (8,017 ft) · Poker Jim Ridge · DeGarmo Canyon and DeGarmo Notch · Hart Mountain west-face escarpment above the Warner Valley lakes · Refuge Headquarters and Hot Springs Campground · Blue Sky (ponderosa grove) · Flook Lake and the east-side tables · Hart Mountain Rd (Plush to HQ) and Frenchglen Rd (Blue Sky/east exit)
Access
Refuge rules shape the whole hunt: vehicles (including bikes) are allowed only on designated open routes — no off-road travel, pull off only a vehicle length — and all refuge roads are unpaved and rough, with the interior routes best treated as high-clearance country. Camping is allowed only in designated campgrounds (Hot Springs, Camp Hart Mountain, Post Meadows) with a 14-day limit; campfires only in provided rings and firewood collecting is prohibited. Hunting is prohibited within 3 miles of Refuge Headquarters, and portable blinds may go up no earlier than one week before the season. The main approaches are the Hart Mountain Rd from Plush over the west face and the Frenchglen Rd from the northeast. Several roads and the Hot Springs/Post Meadows campgrounds saw fire damage and long closures after the 2024 Warner Peak Fire — confirm current road and campground status with the refuge before your hunt.
Managers: US Fish & Wildlife Service (Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge)
Access points: Hart Mountain Rd from Plush (west face, past the lakes to HQ) · Frenchglen Rd from Hwy 205/Frenchglen (northeast approach) · Blue Sky Rd and Flook Lake Rd (interior east-side routes, as posted open) · Refuge Headquarters (maps, information, water)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common trophyThe refuge's limited-entry, short-range-weapons deer hunts are among Oregon's most prized — hunters commonly wait well over a decade to draw, and light pressure plus quality habitat lets bucks reach real age. This is not a numbers game: deer density is modest Great Basin density, but the age class and the setting are the draw.
- →Glass the heads of the west-face canyons (DeGarmo, Hart, Potter) at first light; bucks feed on the rims and bed in the mahogany and aspen pockets just below.
- →On the east-side tables, get elevation on any lava rise and grid the low sage — bucks bed in shallow cuts that swallow them completely.
- →Water and green-up run the deer in dry falls: springs, canyon seeps, and post-fire regrowth edges are the fresh-sign checkpoints.
- →Bowhunters should plan long, wind-first stalks across open ground — the ungrazed bunchgrass gives more crawl cover than typical desert, use it.
- →Later hunts: work the escarpment edge and mid-elevation benches as storms push deer off the top toward the Warner Valley side.
Pronghorn
abundant trophyThe refuge was established for pronghorn and remains famous for them — big summer herds on the east-side tables and a national reputation for trophy-class bucks. A small number of limited-entry refuge pronghorn tags are offered through ODFW's draw, separate from the deer hunts.
- →Glass the Flook Lake flats and east tables at dawn; herds are visible for miles and midday heat shimmer ruins optics.
- →Pattern water — playa edges and spring overflows concentrate August-September movement.
- →Use the scattered rim cuts and lava fingers for approach; the last quarter mile is almost always on your belly.
- →Give rutting bucks time — refuge pronghorn see little pressure and a patient wait near does often beats forcing a stalk.
Bighorn Sheep
limited lowHart Mountain was Oregon's original modern California bighorn reintroduction site (1954) and its west-face cliffs are core sheep habitat, but the herd crashed from roughly 150 animals in 2017 to fewer than 50 by 2020. Hunting was suspended, and USFWS/ODFW have been running targeted cougar removal and herd augmentation to rebuild it — treat bighorn here as a conservation story and a spectacular glassing bonus, not a huntable opportunity for now.
- →Glass Poker Jim Ridge and the escarpment cliff bands from the Warner Valley side for sheep while scouting deer.
- →If sheep hunting ever resumes, expect it only after ODFW confirms recovery — watch the ODFW bighorn pages rather than planning around it.
Pro tips
- →Treat the draw as the hunt of a lifetime it is — scout a summer weekend beforehand; the refuge is open year-round and August scouting from Hot Springs camp will teach you more than any map session.
- →Base at Hot Springs Campground if it's open — central, near HQ, and the soak after a rim day is unbeatable — but have Camp Hart Mountain as the backup given lingering fire damage.
- →The 3-mile no-hunting zone around HQ holds relaxed deer; hunt its outer edge where bucks drift out at dawn.
- →Bring binoculars-on-a-tripod glassing discipline: ungrazed grass hides bedded deer far better than grazed desert, and most hunters walk past them.
- →Respect the blind rules (setup no earlier than one week out) and open-route-only driving — refuge law enforcement patrols during hunts.
- →Clean your rig, boots, and gear before entering; post-fire invasive-weed hygiene is a refuge priority and checkpoints/messaging reflect it.
Watch out for
- !The August 2024 Warner Peak Fire burned 65,000+ acres (about a quarter of the refuge); Hot Springs and Post Meadows campgrounds and several interior roads were damaged and closed well into 2025 — verify current status before building your plan around them.
- !All hunting is prohibited within 3 miles of Refuge Headquarters — know that boundary cold.
- !Vehicle travel is open-routes-only and enforced; an off-road shortcut can end your hunt with a citation.
- !No fuel, no services, no cell on the refuge — Plush is the nearest gas and it's a small country store, not a guarantee.
- !Refuge roads are rough dirt; rain, early snow, or a flat in the interior is a genuine problem without a full-size spare and recovery gear.
- !Bighorn hunting is suspended during herd recovery — don't be misled by older articles describing refuge sheep tags.
- !Weather swings hard between the 4,500-foot valley edge and 8,000-foot Warner Peak; hypothermia-grade storms hit during late hunts.
Logistics
This is a pack-it-all-in hunt. The nearest fuel and (very limited) supplies are the Hart Mountain Store in Plush, about 25 miles from headquarters, or Frenchglen roughly 50 miles northeast; Lakeview, 65 miles southwest, is the closest full-service town with motels, groceries, and medical care. On-refuge you have the three designated campgrounds — Hot Springs (near HQ, with its famous soaking pool; trailer length limited) plus Camp Hart Mountain and Post Meadows — and nothing else: no fuel, no store, no reliable water taps beyond HQ. Cell service is effectively nonexistent on the refuge. Every road is dirt; rain or early snow turns them slick fast, and the interior routes close seasonally or after fire damage, so call the refuge (Sheldon-Hart complex) before you commit.
Nearest towns: Plush, Adel, Frenchglen, Lakeview
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-02 (boundary: all lands within Hart Mountain NAR; 99% public) · ODFW — WMU to Deer Hunt Areas Transition Guide, Jan 2026 (170R1/170R2/170M refuge hunts → DO102) · USFWS — Hart Mountain NAR Rules & Policies (open routes, designated campgrounds, blind and HQ-zone rules) · USFWS — Hunting at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (limited tags for mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn) · USFWS press release — Warner Peak Fire: 65,000+ acres burned, campground/road closures (Aug 2024) · KTVZ / USFWS — Hart Mountain bighorn decline (~150 in 2017 to ~48 in 2020), hunt suspension and cougar removal plan · Wikipedia — Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (establishment 1936, geography, services distances) · ODFW — Beatys Butte Unit 70 (legacy unit containing the refuge)
FAQ
- How big is Hunt Area DO-02 in Oregon?
- Hunt Area DO-02 (DeGarmo (DO-02)) covers about 439 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,500 to 8,017 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Hunt Area DO-02?
- Approximately 99% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: US Fish & Wildlife Service (Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Hunt Area DO-02?
- 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-02 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.