Deer Area 3072 Paterson
A walk-in slough-and-shoreline refuge strip east of Paterson: quiet, small, special-permit mule deer water on Umatilla NWR.
Region 3 (South Central) — District 4, Benton County; Paterson/Crow Butte reach of the Columbia River (Lake Umatilla) · Last reviewed 2026-07-17
Area
6
sq mi
Public land
100%
approx.
Elevation
265–400
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
Deer Area 3072 "Paterson" is a small (about 5.9 square miles) special-permit deer area cut out of GMU 373 Horse Heaven: legally it is the Paterson Unit of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, a several-mile ribbon of Columbia River shoreline, sloughs, and dry bench running east from the Paterson townsite along SR 14 in southern Benton County. The ground is federal — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mid-Columbia River NWR Complex, on a refuge established in 1969 to mitigate habitat drowned by John Day Dam — while WDFW administers the limited deer permits through the state special-permit draw; hunts are archery and muzzleloader only. The unit exists for waterfowl first: Paterson Slough and its backwaters winter huge numbers of ducks and geese, and the deer hunt rides along on the same riparian cover. Expect a walk-in, close-cover hunt for a modest number of mule deer that shuttle between refuge thickets and the irrigated farm and vineyard country above the highway — a low-pressure oddity, not a numbers or trophy destination.
Terrain
A long, narrow shoreline corridor at reservoir pool level backed by a low, dry shrub-steppe bench that rises to the railroad grade and SR 14. The hunting compresses into the bottom: slough edges, backwater ponds, and brushy riparian strings, with open cheatgrass flats between. You can see most of the unit from the bench — the game is figuring out which thicket holds the deer.
Cover: Cattail-bulrush marsh around Paterson Slough and the backwater ponds; willow and Russian-olive riparian thickets along the shore; dry cheatgrass and remnant sagebrush shrub-steppe on the bench. Irrigated vineyards and crop circles sprawl across the private plateau just north of the highway — feed that pulls deer through the refuge strip.
Landmarks: Paterson Slough · Columbia River / Lake Umatilla (John Day pool) · SR 14 / SR 221 junction at Paterson · Railroad grade along the unit's upper edge · Bing Canyon (east end) · Christie Road (east end) · Crow Butte Park (a few miles downstream)
Access
The deer area is the refuge unit itself, so the land is public — but deer hunting requires drawing the WDFW special permit, and refuge rules control the rest. Access is genuinely easy by eastern-Washington standards: SR 14 parallels the whole unit, with a string of designated refuge parking areas along the highway east of Paterson and a boat launch on the unit for reaching the slough and backwaters. Vehicles (including bikes) must stay on designated routes and parking areas — everything past the lots is on foot or by boat. Hunter access runs from 1.5 hours before to 1.5 hours after legal hunting time; no camping, fires, or overnight parking on the refuge. Bird hunting on the Paterson Unit is limited to Wednesdays, weekends, and federal holidays, but that day restriction does not apply to deer permit holders. Mid-river islands and waters in the refuge sanctuary closure area are closed to all entry, and boats may only hunt in the designated waters shown on the refuge hunt map.
Managers: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, Paterson Unit)
Access points: SR 14 designated refuge parking areas east of Paterson (walk-in) · Paterson Unit boat launch (Paterson Slough / Columbia backwaters) · Christie Road at the unit's east end off SR 14
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThis is mule deer country — white-tailed deer make up less than one percent of deer on District 4 surveys — and the refuge's riparian strip concentrates the deer that live along this reach. Numbers are modest on a unit this small; the appeal is drawing one of a handful of permits and hunting bottomland deer that see almost no pressure, with realistic (not gaudy) buck quality.
- →Glass the whole bottom from the bench or highway-side parking areas at first light — the unit is a narrow ribbon, and ten minutes of glassing beats an hour of walking scent through it.
- →Key on the travel lines between the private irrigated fields and vineyards above SR 14 and the slough-side bedding cover below; deer cross the bench and railroad grade at dawn and dusk.
- →Sit water and cover edges in the October archery window: warm, dry early fall pins deer to the slough margins and shady Russian-olive thickets.
- →Use a boat or waders to cross Paterson Slough and hunt the outside shoreline strips that walk-in hunters skip — staying inside the waters designated open on the refuge map.
- →In the late-fall muzzleloader window, hunt all day through the rut period — bucks cruise the length of the corridor, and midday movement in the thickets is real.
Pro tips
- →Hunt the non-bird weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) in late fall — the day-of-week limits on bird hunting leave the unit nearly empty for deer permit holders.
- →Carry the USFWS hunt map with the parking areas, open waters, and sanctuary closure marked — the open/closed pattern on this reach is enforceable federal boundary, not a suggestion.
- →Scout the crossing points on the railroad grade and bench between the refuge and the irrigated ground above SR 14 — trails and tracks there tell you exactly which thickets deer are using.
- →A canoe or small skiff on Paterson Slough is a cheat code: quiet access to shoreline pockets, easy retrieval, and a scouting platform in one.
- →Treat the whole hunt like farm-belt bottomland whitetail hunting transplanted to mule deer — stand sits, wind discipline, and patience over miles.
Watch out for
- !Special-permit ground only — without the WDFW permit for this deer area you cannot hunt deer here, general seasons notwithstanding.
- !Sanctuary islands and waters are closed to all access year-round; boat hunters must stay inside the designated open waters on the refuge map.
- !No camping, fires, overnight parking, or alcohol while hunting on the refuge, and vehicles stay in the designated lots and routes.
- !The refuge closes 1.5 hours after legal hunting time — budget tracking and pack-out time accordingly.
- !Late-fall Wednesdays, weekends, and holidays bring waterfowl hunters to the slough; set deer plans away from the bird activity those days.
- !The private vineyards and irrigated fields north of SR 14 are outside the deer area — a deer that crosses the highway is off-limits ground, so know the boundary before you commit to a stalk.
- !SR 14 and the railroad run the length of the unit: watch shots and crossings near both, and expect trains.
Logistics
Paterson is a highway junction with a school and vineyards, not a service town — stage out of Prosser (about 30 minutes north on SR 221) or the Tri-Cities for motels, fuel, and groceries, or Umatilla/Hermiston, Oregon via the I-82 bridge upstream. No camping or overnight parking is allowed on the refuge; Crow Butte Park downstream has a seasonal campground (confirm fall availability before relying on it). Everything about the approach is easy — paved SR 14 the length of the unit, pull-in parking lots, short walks — and cell coverage along the SR 14 corridor is generally workable. Bring binoculars you'd trust in open country, waders or a canoe for the slough, and plan to pack out everything.
Nearest towns: Paterson (unincorporated, minimal services), Prosser (via SR 221), Plymouth (upstream on SR 14), Umatilla / Hermiston, OR, Kennewick (Tri-Cities)
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW Deer Area 3072 — Paterson hunt map (Umatilla NWR Paterson Unit, GMU 373, Paterson Slough/Bing Canyon reach) · USFWS Umatilla NWR Hunting Regulations — Boardman, Paterson, Ridge and Whitcomb Units (Aug 2024 brochure: deer permit rules, parking/boat launch, sanctuary closures, hunt map) · WDFW 2025 District 4 Hunting Prospects — Benton and Franklin counties (Deer Areas 3071/3072 special permits; district deer species mix; habitat, waterfowl context) · Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge — official refuge page (establishment, habitat, mule deer, island closures, Paterson Unit boat ramp) · Washington Deer Areas — WAC legal descriptions (Deer Area 3072 Paterson: 'That part of GMU 373 made up by the Paterson Unit of the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge')
FAQ
- How big is Deer Area 3072 in Washington?
- Deer Area 3072 (Paterson) covers about 6 square miles, ranging from roughly 265 to 400 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Deer Area 3072?
- Approximately 100% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, Paterson Unit). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Deer Area 3072?
- Mule Deer. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Deer Area 3072 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.