Hunt Area MC-01 Mid-Columbia (MC-01)
The Dalles to the Deschutes: oak-pine transition deer country with cherry-orchard damage hunts and a real public-land core.
ODFW The Dalles district — Columbia Gorge east side / east slope of the Cascades · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
1,253
sq mi
Public land
37%
approx.
Elevation
100–6,525
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Mid-Columbia MC-01 is a roughly 1,250-square-mile 2026 deer hunt area covering most of Wasco County plus a slice of Hood River County — from the Columbia River at The Dalles south through Dufur and Tygh Valley to the Warm Springs Reservation boundary, bounded west by Hwy 35/Hwy 26 on the east slope of Mt. Hood and east by the Deschutes River canyon. It corresponds to the legacy White River Unit (41) plus the strip of the old West Biggs (43) hunt between Hwy 197 and the Deschutes; the Early Mid-Columbia hunts descend from the old Hood–White River high-Cascades hunt. About 37 percent is public — Mt. Hood National Forest, the 30,000-acre White River Wildlife Area at Tygh Valley, and BLM ground in the lower Deschutes canyon — with private wheat, ranch, and orchard country between. The Mid-Columbia herd is flagged at 'Very High' population concern in ODFW's 2026 tag-setting and buck ratios have run below objective, so treat this as a scenic, varied opportunity hunt: general, early, late, bow, muzzleloader, and youth deer hunts plus The Dalles Orchard antlerless damage hunt around the famous cherry benches.
Terrain
A complete west-to-east transect of the east-slope Cascades: true-fir and lodgepole high country under Bennett Pass and 6,525-foot Lookout Mountain in the Badger Creek Wilderness, dropping through ponderosa pine and Oregon white oak woodlands around Dufur and Tygh Valley, then wheat benches and grass-sage breaks that fall into the basalt gorge of the Deschutes River. Fifteenmile, Eightmile, Badger, and White River drainages stair-step the whole unit; deer summer high and winter low, which is exactly why the White River Wildlife Area winter range sits at the bottom of the slope.
Cover: Mixed conifer (fir, pine) and huckleberry brushfields in the Cascade high country; ponderosa pine/oak savanna and brushy creek draws mid-slope; wheat, CRP, and irrigated pasture on the plateaus; sagebrush-bunchgrass canyon walls along the Deschutes; commercial cherry orchards on the benches above The Dalles and Mosier.
Landmarks: The Dalles / Columbia River · White River Wildlife Area (Tygh Valley) · Badger Creek Wilderness / Lookout Mountain · Hwy 35 – Bennett Pass and the east slope of Mt. Hood · Fifteenmile and Eightmile creeks · Tygh Ridge · Deschutes River canyon (east boundary) · White River and White River Falls · US 197 through Dufur to Maupin
Access
Genuinely mixed access, and better than most of the Columbia Plateau: the entire western third is Mt. Hood National Forest, and the White River Wildlife Area gives 30,000-plus contiguous public acres of winter-range oak and pine at Tygh Valley — an ODFW Wildlife Area Parking Permit is required, lands north of Forest Road 27 close December 1–March 31, and winter travel south of FR 27 is foot/horse/mountain-bike only. The Deschutes canyon rim and river corridor add BLM and state ground on the east edge. The middle of the unit — the wheat and orchard country around Dufur, Tygh Ridge, and The Dalles — is private, and The Dalles Orchard antlerless hunt applies within about a mile of commercial orchards, effectively a permission hunt on farm ground. The Dalles municipal watershed is closed to casual entry, and the McQuinn Strip along the Warm Springs Reservation boundary has been closed to public hunting since 1992. National forest roads are extensive but subject to seasonal snow and fire closures.
Managers: US Forest Service (Mt. Hood National Forest — Barlow and Hood River ranger districts), ODFW (White River Wildlife Area, ~30,760 acres with BLM lease), BLM Prineville District (lower Deschutes canyon), Oregon Parks (Deschutes River State Recreation Area at the mouth), Private wheat, ranch, and orchard lands, City of The Dalles municipal watershed (restricted entry)
Access points: US 197 south from The Dalles through Dufur to Tygh Valley and Maupin · Hwy 35 and Forest Road 44 (Dufur Mill Road) into the Mt. Hood NF high country · White River Wildlife Area entrances off Hwy 216 near Tygh Valley · Hwy 216 to White River Falls and the Deschutes at Sherars Falls · Deschutes River State Recreation Area at the river mouth (I-84 exit 97)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe Mid-Columbia herd is managed as one of ODFW's 22 eastern Oregon mule deer herd ranges, and it is rebuilding rather than booming: ODFW's 2026 tag-setting rates it 'Very High' concern, and recent surveys in the White River country ran about 20 bucks per 100 does against a 25-buck objective, with improving fawn ratios. Plenty of deer to hunt across varied country, but temper trophy expectations.
- →In October, hunt the oak-pine transition between the wheat and the timber — the Fifteenmile/Eightmile breaks and Tygh Ridge edges concentrate deer where feed, mast, and cover meet.
- →For the early high-country hunts, glass huckleberry basins and burns off Hwy 35, FR 44, and the Badger Creek Wilderness edges; deer are still on summer range near the crest in September.
- →Watch the weather: the first real snow starts pushing deer downslope toward the White River winter range, and hunters on the migration corridors between FR 27 and Tygh Valley intercept them.
- →In the dry east half, key on water and shaded north-slope draws through warm afternoons; canyon-rim glassing along the Deschutes turns up bucks nobody drives past.
- →The Dalles Orchard hunt is a permission game — talk to cherry growers on the Dry Hollow, Mill Creek, and Cherry Heights benches, where deer damage is a real and welcome-to-help problem.
Blacktail Deer
common opportunityThe Cascade crest is ODFW's mule deer/black-tailed deer overlap zone and the two hybridize along it; ODFW itself describes the White River Wildlife Area as winter range for black-tailed deer. Expect blacktail-type and hybrid deer in the fir timber of the unit's western third, grading to classic mule deer toward the Deschutes.
- →Still-hunt dark fir timber and reprod edges on the Mt. Hood NF side slowly — these west-side-acting deer hold tight and move in low light.
- →Hunt oak-fir edge cover on the wildlife area and mid-slope benches, especially on wet or foggy days that keep deer on their feet.
- →Rattling and calling can work on timber bucks in late October as rut behavior builds.
Pro tips
- →Pick your zone by hunt: high-country basins for the early hunt, oak-pine breaks for the general, and migration edges near the White River winter range late.
- →The White River Wildlife Area is the best public anchor in the unit — buy the parking permit, learn the FR 27 corridor, and note which portions close December 1.
- →Don't ignore the Deschutes canyon rim — long-glass the benches and side draws from the rim roads; most traffic stays on the water fishing.
- →Cherry growers around The Dalles deal with chronic deer damage; a polite summer conversation can produce orchard-hunt access and often leads to buck-season permission.
- →Scout Forest Road 44 and Hwy 35 clearcut and burn edges in September — huckleberry brushfields tell you where the deer summer.
- →Carry chains and a shovel for late hunts; east-slope snow squalls close high roads fast.
Watch out for
- !The McQuinn Strip along the Warm Springs Reservation boundary has been closed to public hunting since September 1992 — know exactly where the reservation line runs on the unit's south edge.
- !The Dalles municipal watershed is a restricted-entry area — don't follow deer into it without confirming current rules.
- !White River Wildlife Area seasonal rules: parking permit required, December 1–March 31 closure north of FR 27, non-motorized-only travel south of it in winter.
- !Fire-season closures and red-flag restrictions regularly hit the Mt. Hood NF and wheat country in early fall — check before the early hunts.
- !Rattlesnakes and poison oak are both common in the Deschutes canyon and lower draws.
- !The orchard damage hunt area is tied to commercial orchard ground — it is private-permission hunting, not a public-land tag.
- !Buck ratios have run below ODFW's management objective — this is an opportunity area, so calibrate expectations accordingly.
Logistics
The Dalles is the full-service base — motels, fuel, groceries, hardware — with small-town fuel and cafes in Dufur and Maupin and almost nothing in Tygh Valley. Camping is easy on the national forest (developed sites off FR 44 and Hwy 35, plus Rock Creek Reservoir country near Wamic, subject to seasonal closures and fire bans) and at Deschutes River State Recreation Area; dispersed camping is workable on NF and BLM ground but not on the wildlife area outside designated rules. Cell coverage is good along I-84, US 197, and the farm plateaus, and poor in the forest and down in the Deschutes canyon. Bring a chainsaw or saw early season for blowdown on forest roads and expect snow to close the high roads by late fall.
Nearest towns: The Dalles, Dufur, Tygh Valley, Maupin, Hood River
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Oregon sources:
Research sources: ODFW — Mid Columbia Hunt Area MC-01 (boundary, 37% public land, hunt list) · ODFW — WMUs to Deer Hunt Areas Transition Guide (141 White River & 143B West Biggs → MC101 hunts) · ODFW — White River Unit 41 (legacy boundary, The Dalles Watershed and McQuinn Strip notes) · ODFW — Biggs Unit 43 (legacy boundary confirming the Hwy 197–Deschutes strip) · ODFW — White River Wildlife Area visitors' guide (acreage, black-tailed deer winter range, closures, parking permit) · ODFW — 2026 Limited Landowner Preference Mule Deer Tags (MC101 'Very High' concern, Tier 2) · eRegulations — Oregon Antlerless Deer Hunt Descriptions (MC601 The Dalles Orchard: within 1 mile of commercial orchards west of Hwy 197, north of Fivemile Creek) · ODFW — Oregon Mule Deer Plan, Chapter 2 (Cascade-crest blacktail/mule deer overlap and hybridization; herd history) · ODFW — 2025 Big Game Hunting Forecast (White River deer recovering; ~20 bucks/100 does vs 25 objective) · ODFW — Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas for 2026
FAQ
- How big is Hunt Area MC-01 in Oregon?
- Hunt Area MC-01 (Mid-Columbia (MC-01)) covers about 1,253 square miles, ranging from roughly 100 to 6,525 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Hunt Area MC-01?
- Approximately 37% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: US Forest Service (Mt. Hood National Forest — Barlow and Hood River ranger districts), ODFW (White River Wildlife Area, ~30,760 acres with BLM lease), BLM Prineville District (lower Deschutes canyon), Oregon Parks (Deschutes River State Recreation Area at the mouth), Private wheat, ranch, and orchard lands, City of The Dalles municipal watershed (restricted entry). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Hunt Area MC-01?
- Mule Deer, Blacktail Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Oregon agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Hunt Area MC-01 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.