You must have been hunting the same spots as we were. We had the exact same experiences. Last year we were camped above a road in the Imnaha unit. Every night there would be pickups idling down the road, bugling every 200 yards. We bailed on the Starkey unit due to the ATV/SideXSide circus. My son has been lobbying to move to a different unit, but we don't really know where it might be better.
You are correct about the private timber grounds being removed from ODFW's Access and Habitat Program. It's actually Manulife (previously Hancock) and it will have a huge impact on people hunting the Sled Springs unit in particular. Years ago, that was a solid unit that my hunting partners at that time and I packed quite a few bulls out of. Between the logging, popularity/preference points required, and fire closures, we had already given up on that unit anyway. They are moving to a pay to play permit system.
Here is the pertinent information:
Hunters will need permission from Manulife to enter their property as of June 1, 2026. Manulife has informed ODFW that they intend to launch a fee permit program where hunters or other recreationists can purchase a permit to access their lands. More information about the program should be available from Manulife in coming weeks, prior to the May 15 controlled hunt application deadline.
The decision will impact about 270,000 acres in northeast Oregon and a little over 12,400 acres in southwest Oregon. The list of impacted areas includes:
Northeast Oregon:
- Catherine Creek, Mount Emily, Sled Springs (Manulife properties make up about 33% of this unit), Starkey, Sumpter, Ukiah, Walla Walla and Wenaha wildlife management units
- TMAs: Little Catherine Creek, Meachem, Noregaard, Shamrock/Whiskey Creek
- Deer Hunt Areas: NB-01, NE-02, NE-03, NE-04, NE-05, NE-06, SW-02
- Jackson Cooperative TMA in the Rogue and Dixon wildlife management units
