Hunt Area KE-01 Keno (KE-01)
The Cascade-crest transition unit: mule deer and blacktails mix from the Klamath River canyon to the Sky Lakes high country.
ODFW Klamath Watershed District — southern Cascades (Keno / west of Upper Klamath Lake) · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
1,045
sq mi
Public land
41%
approx.
Elevation
4,000–8,300
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Keno Hunt Area KE-01 is a roughly 1,045-square-mile unit covering everything west of US Hwy 97 between the Oregon-California line and Crater Lake National Park — the Pokegama Plateau and Klamath River canyon in the south, the Keno and Hwy 66 (Green Springs) country in the middle, and the west side of Upper Klamath Lake up through Pelican Butte, the Mountain Lakes Wilderness, and the eastern Sky Lakes Wilderness along the Pacific Crest Trail. Under ODFW's 2026 shift from WMU-based to herd-range-based deer hunts, KE-01 corresponds almost exactly to the legacy Keno WMU (Unit 31), and ODFW noted 2026 tag levels here are similar to the old Keno hunts. This is Oregon's classic east-slope transition unit: a largely resident black-tailed deer population overlaps a migratory Keno mule deer herd, with the heaviest blacktail influence of any east-side unit and hybrids along the crest. About 41% is public (Fremont-Winema NF, BLM); the biggest private block is Green Diamond timberland — roughly a quarter of the unit — kept open through ODFW's Access & Habitat 'Welcome to Hunt' program.
Terrain
East-slope Cascade country in three tiers: the deep, rugged Klamath River canyon and the rolling, timbered Pokegama Plateau (~4,200 ft) in the south; mid-elevation mixed-conifer timberlands around Keno, Aspen Lake, and Buck Lake; and true high country in the north — Pelican Butte, the Mountain Lakes Wilderness (Aspen Butte, 8,208 ft), and the Sky Lakes crest along the PCT. Hunts like a westside timber unit low and a wilderness mule deer unit high.
Cover: Mixed conifer (Douglas-fir, white fir, ponderosa) with brushy clear-cut regeneration on the timberlands; oak, juniper, and brush breaks toward the Klamath River canyon; lodgepole, mountain hemlock, and true fir with lake basins and wet meadows in the wilderness high country; tule marsh along the west shore of Upper Klamath Lake.
Landmarks: Klamath River canyon / Upper Klamath Wild & Scenic River · Pokegama Plateau · Topsy Road (historic road paralleling the Klamath River) · State Hwy 66 (Green Springs Highway) · Keno and Worden · Upper Klamath Lake west shore (Rocky Point, Odessa) · Pelican Butte (8,036 ft) · Mountain Lakes Wilderness / Aspen Butte (8,208 ft) · Sky Lakes Wilderness and Pacific Crest Trail (west boundary) · Fourmile Lake
Access
About 41% public, but effective access is much better because Green Diamond — the legacy JWTR/JELD-WEN timberlands, roughly 27% of the old Keno unit (~178,000 acres) — is enrolled in ODFW's Access & Habitat 'Welcome to Hunt' program, renewed April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029, keeping the timberlands open on main roads within an OSP-patrolled travel management area. Two gate systems matter: the ~50,000-acre Aspen Lake seasonal-restriction block west of Klamath Falls is non-motorized year-round except that gates open for hunting seasons (late August to November 15), and ODFW maintains winter-range closure gates on the southern plateau — Green Diamond ground here is more than 80% of the Keno unit's big-game winter range. The Klamath River corridor is BLM Wild & Scenic canyon country, walk-in steep, and still changing after the 2024 dam removals; expect ongoing restoration activity around the former J.C. Boyle project. Wilderness areas in the north are foot/stock only. Check the current ODFW/Green Diamond color access map before every trip.
Managers: Green Diamond Oregon Timberlands (private industrial timber, A&H "Welcome to Hunt"), Fremont-Winema National Forest (USFS — Sky Lakes, Mountain Lakes, Pelican Butte country), BLM Lakeview District, Klamath Falls Resource Area (Klamath River canyon, Upper Klamath WSR), Private ranch and rural residential (Keno, Worden, Hwy 66 corridor)
Access points: State Hwy 66 west from Klamath Falls through Keno (spine of the southern unit) · Topsy Road / Klamath River canyon access off Hwy 66 (BLM) · Clover Creek Road toward Aspen Lake and Buck Lake (seasonal Green Diamond gates) · Westside Road along Upper Klamath Lake toward Rocky Point · State Hwy 140 to FR 3661 and Fourmile Lake trailheads (north high country) · US Hwy 97 corridor from Klamath Falls south to the state line (east edge)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe migratory Keno mule deer herd summers high on the east slope of the Cascades and winters between Hwy 66 and the California line on the Pokegama Plateau — a herd ODFW and USGS have mapped closely with collar data. Buck ratios in the legacy Keno unit have run at or slightly above objective, better than much of eastern Oregon, and the late archery hunt is keyed to the November migration.
- →Early season, hunt high — the lake basins, meadow edges, and burns of the Sky Lakes/Mountain Lakes country hold summering mule deer away from roads.
- →Follow the migration: as storms and cold arrive, deer drop south and west across Hwy 66 toward the Pokegama Plateau winter range — the late-bow window rides this movement.
- →Glass clear-cut regeneration on Green Diamond ground at first and last light; timber harvest keeps forage openings scattered through the middle elevations.
- →On the winter-range plateau, still-hunt the bitterbrush and brush breaks above the Klamath River canyon rim in the cold late season.
- →Expect hybrids and blacktail-looking deer at mid elevations — know your tag and identify carefully.
Blacktail Deer
common opportunityA largely resident black-tailed deer population inhabits the Keno country — the heaviest blacktail influence of any Oregon east-side unit, with mule deer/blacktail hybrids through the overlap zone along the crest. They behave like westside deer: cover-loving, home-bodied, and best hunted in the timber and cut edges.
- →Treat the lower/western timberlands like a westside unit: still-hunt the timber edges of 3- to 10-year-old clear-cuts early and late.
- →Hunt close to cover — resident blacktails hold tight in brush and reprod rather than crossing open country like migratory mule deer.
- →Rainy or foggy fronts get blacktails on their feet in daylight; be in the cuts when weather breaks.
- →The November rut (late-bow timeframe) is the best chance at a mature buck that lives in the thick stuff.
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityElk use the Pokegama Plateau and the timbered middle elevations, and Green Diamond reports some of the most productive elk hunting (by hunter success) in Klamath and Lake counties on its enrolled lands. Numbers are modest and distribution patchy — an opportunity, not a destination elk hunt.
- →Concentrate on the Pokegama Plateau and Green Diamond forage openings near heavy timber, dawn and dusk.
- →Water and wallows matter in the dry early fall — check springs and stock ponds on the plateau.
- →Elk here shift quickly off pressure; hunt weekdays and away from open mainlines.
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bear are well distributed from the Klamath River canyon brush through the wilderness high country — solid southern-Cascades bear numbers taken mostly incidental to deer hunting.
- →Glass berry- and brush-choked clear-cut regeneration and canyon slopes in early fall.
- →Work oak and brush patches toward the Klamath River canyon where mast and berries concentrate feed.
- →Sit promising feed sign in the evening rather than pushing through the thick reprod.
Pro tips
- →Learn the elevation game: resident blacktails low and mid, migratory mule deer high early and low late — pick your species and hunt the right band for the date.
- →The Aspen Lake block's gates open for hunting season (late August-November 15); its year-round non-motorized rule means fresh, lightly pressured ground on foot the rest of the year.
- →Green Diamond's Welcome-to-Hunt access is free but map-dependent — download the current ODFW color access map (myodfw.com/articles/maps) before every trip.
- →For the late bow hunt, scout the Hwy 66-to-state-line winter range (Pokegama Plateau) rather than the summer country — that's where the herd will be.
- →Wilderness deer in Sky Lakes and Mountain Lakes see few hunters; a backpack hunt around the lake basins early season beats fighting the road network.
- →Watch for wild horses on the Pokegama Plateau (BLM Pokegama HMA) — sign can read like elk until you learn the difference.
Watch out for
- !Species ID matters here more than anywhere in eastern Oregon — blacktails, mule deer, and hybrids overlap; know what your tag allows before you shoot.
- !The Klamath River canyon is steep, rugged, and remote, and the corridor is still in active restoration after the 2024 dam removals — expect changed roads, facilities, and river conditions from old maps.
- !Gates rule the unit: Aspen Lake seasonal gates, ODFW winter-range closures, and fire-season shutdowns on Green Diamond and Forest ground — verify status or plan to walk.
- !Crater Lake National Park (north boundary) is closed to hunting; the PCT/wilderness west boundary is easy to cross unknowingly — know your lines.
- !Early snow can close the 7,000-ft-plus trailheads (Fourmile Lake country) overnight.
- !Private ranch and rural-residential land along Hwy 66 and around Keno/Worden is not enrolled timber ground — get permission or stay off.
- !2026 hunt structure is new — confirm your hunt area and tag in the current Big Game Regulations before applying.
Logistics
Klamath Falls sits at the unit's northeast corner with full services — motels, groceries, fuel, sporting goods — and Hwy 66 and Hwy 140 put most of the unit within an hour. Keno has fuel and a store; Rocky Point has a resort and boat access on the west side of Upper Klamath Lake. Camp options: dispersed and developed sites on Fremont-Winema NF (Fourmile Lake, Rocky Point area) and BLM sites in the Klamath River corridor; Green Diamond enrolled lands are day-use hunting access with camping restrictions — check the current access map. Cell coverage is decent near Klamath Falls and along Hwy 66/97 but gone in the canyon and wilderness. Winter-range and Aspen Lake gates, plus fire-season closures, decide what you can drive — carry the ODFW georeferenced map offline.
Nearest towns: Klamath Falls, Keno, Worden, Rocky Point, Fort Klamath, Ashland (via Hwy 66)
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Oregon sources:
Research sources: ODFW — Keno Hunt Area KE-01 (41% public land; full boundary description) · ODFW — Eastern Oregon Mule Deer Hunt Areas boundary descriptions (PDF; KE01 verbatim boundary and public-land percentage) · ODFW July 2025 District Meeting Info (KE-01 tags similar to legacy Keno WMU; herd-range hunt rationale) · ODFW Access & Habitat — Green Diamond 2026 grant application (601,685 acres Welcome-to-Hunt; Keno unit 27%/~178,000 acres Green Diamond; >80% of Keno winter range; Aspen Lake ~50,000-acre seasonal gate block, gates open late Aug-Nov 15; winter closure gates; KE-01 herd range) · USGS Science Data Catalog — Oregon Mule Deer Keno Winter Ranges (herd winters between Hwy 66 and OR-CA border; migrates north across Hwy 66 to Cascade east-slope summer range) · BLM — Pokegama Herd Management Area (plateau geography; black-tailed and mule deer, elk, bear; feral horse overlap with deer summer range) · GoHunt — Oregon Unit 31 Keno / KE-01 profiles (1,042 sq mi; 4,000-8,300 ft; blacktail influence heavier in Keno than other east-slope units) · Oregon Encyclopedia — Pokegama Plateau (~4,200 ft; ~140,000 private acres between the high Cascades and the Klamath River canyon)
FAQ
- How big is Hunt Area KE-01 in Oregon?
- Hunt Area KE-01 (Keno (KE-01)) covers about 1,045 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,000 to 8,300 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Hunt Area KE-01?
- Approximately 41% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Green Diamond Oregon Timberlands (private industrial timber, A&H "Welcome to Hunt"), Fremont-Winema National Forest (USFS — Sky Lakes, Mountain Lakes, Pelican Butte country), BLM Lakeview District, Klamath Falls Resource Area (Klamath River canyon, Upper Klamath WSR), Private ranch and rural residential (Keno, Worden, Hwy 66 corridor). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Hunt Area KE-01?
- Mule Deer, Blacktail Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Black Bear. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Oregon agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Hunt Area KE-01 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.