Unit 39

Lake Billy Chinook, a major reservoir created by Roundup Dam, anchors the northern portion and serves as a landmark visible from high country. The Deschutes, Metolius, and Whychus creek canyons provide navigational corridors and water sources; their rims—particularly Big Canyon Rim and Whychus Creek Rim—offer glassing vantage points. Scattered buttes like Tetherow Butte, Akawa Butte, and Black Butte serve as terrain reference points across the sagebrush.

Green Ridge and Sugar Pine Ridge form ridgeline navigation aids. Multiple named lakes (Table Lake, Shirley Lake, Fly Lake, George Lake) cluster in the western portion and function as water sources and map references. Balanced Rocks and other distinctive formations help with orientation in otherwise featureless sagebrush country.

The vast majority of Unit 39 sits below 5,000 feet, characterized by open sagebrush plains mixed with scattered juniper and ponderosa stands. Low elevations support typical high-desert habitat—sparse grasslands, rabbitbrush flats, and canyon-bottom willows along perennial streams. Ridges and buttes rise above the flats, with the highest points around 7,500 feet supporting denser timber and limited meadow pockets.

The elevation profile creates distinct habitat zones: open desert flats for pronghorn, canyon systems for elk and bighorn, scattered butte country for goats and lions. Forest cover remains moderate overall—roughly 37% combined—with open country dominating. The terrain transitions gradually rather than abruptly, making elevation-based hunting strategies less critical than water and canyon access.

Road density of 5.4 miles per square mile indicates well-connected country with extensive vehicle access. Highway 97 and other major routes cross or border the unit, providing easy access from nearby towns. The Crooked River Ranch area and other populated zones receive significant hunting pressure.

Road access concentrates hunters along main corridors, creating opportunity for solitude in benchland areas away from canyon systems and major drainages. Private land checkerboard means careful mapping is essential—not all accessible-looking country is open. Early season typically brings heavier pressure; late season thins crowds as weather and access degrade.

The connected road network means a hunter can cover substantial country but must navigate public-private boundaries strategically.

Unit 39 comprises roughly 670 square miles of transitional high-desert terrain in central Oregon, anchored by the Deschutes and Metolius river systems running north-south through deep canyons. The unit spans from low sagebrush flats around populated areas like Crooked River Ranch and Black Butte Ranch on the west, stretching east into more remote benchlands and ridges. The landscape sits in the rain shadow of the Cascades, creating a distinct dry climate with scattered timber and open country.

Public land dominates at roughly two-thirds ownership, but private parcels and ranches create a checkerboard access situation typical of central Oregon high-desert units. This is established hunting country with reasonable infrastructure.

Water availability is moderate but concentrated along specific corridors. The Deschutes and Metolius rivers provide perennial flow through their respective canyons but require canyon access to reach. Whychus Creek drains the western portion.

Multiple spring systems—Summit Spring, Wizard Falls Spring, Sugar Pine Spring, Whiskey Spring, Cougar Spring—dot the unit and function as reliable mid-country water sources. Canal systems (Three Sisters Canal, Lateral F) indicate agricultural water infrastructure that hunters should avoid. Lakes including Table, Shirley, Fly, and George offer water but may have access restrictions.

Dry Creek Swamp and seasonal meadows provide supplemental sources. Water scarcity in summer drives elk and pronghorn movement toward canyon systems and known springs, making water-source hunting a key strategy.

Unit 39 supports elk in canyon bottoms and higher-elevation timber, pronghorn on open flats, bighorn sheep in canyon walls, mountain goats on cliff systems, and black bears throughout. Early season focuses on elk in cool-weather higher ground and canyon systems where water concentrates animals. Pronghorn hunting works open sagebrush near water sources and migration corridors.

Bighorn and goat hunting requires canyon navigation and cliff understanding—glassing from canyon rims yields results. Lions follow deer and elk movement, so productive areas align with big-game corridors. Water sources become critical by mid-season as surface water dries; concentrating effort around reliable springs and canyon systems increases encounter odds.

Late season pushes remaining elk lower into protected canyon terrain. The mix of open country and canyon systems suits both spot-and-stalk and water-hole hunting tactics.