2026 Oregon Antelope, Sheep, and Goat Application Guide

May 15

Oregon doesn't come up first when most hunters are mapping out their western application strategy — but if you're already buying a nonresident hunting license for elk or mule deer, this state deserves a serious second look.

The antelope herds are small, but the management is tight and the trophy quality is pretty strong. Sheep and goat tags are pure lottery, but the price of entry is cheap if you're already have the hunting license. The 2026 application deadline for all species is May 15th at 11:59 PM.

Here's everything you need to know before you decide.

What Does It Cost to Apply in Oregon?

Every nonresident applicant needs an Oregon hunting license — that runs $193 and covers you for the year. From there, the application fee is $10 per species.

If you're already buying the Oregon hunting license to chase Roosevelt elk or build mule deer points, adding antelope, sheep, and goat is almost a no-brainer.

The tag itself is where the price jumps. Antelope tags for nonresidents are $443. Sheep and goat tags come in at $1,695 for nonresidents and $159 for residents — a 10-to-1 split that I think is one of the healthiest in the country. It gives residents a meaningful benefit without hammering nonresidents to the point where it feels unfair.

Oregon Antelope: Small Herd, High Quality

Oregon is not Wyoming when it comes to antelope numbers. The herds are smaller, and if you're chasing volume, you'll want to look elsewhere.

But here's what Oregon does very well — they manage antelope with science-based population controls that keep trophy quality remarkably consistent. When you draw a tag in Oregon, you're not gambling on whether you ended up in a good unit or a bad one the way you might in a state with a wider range of herd quality. Most units have strong trophy potential.

The catch is the draw odds. Getting into the best units — those with 80-inch-plus potential — takes time as a nonresident. Rifle tags in units like 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, and 74 are sitting at 20 or more points. Archery tags in those same units are looking at 10-plus points. High harvest success rates make it worth it — rifle success in these top units often runs 80% or better, and some are at 100%.

Antelope Draw Odds by Point Level

0 Points

Your best option is swinging for the fences with a rifle application in Unit 72, which has 75-inch trophy potential and 60% harvest success. Draw odds are low, but it's worth a $10 swing. For archery hunters starting out, Unit 75 is the only current option with 100% draw odds at zero points — 56% public land, 75-inch potential, and 28% archery success.

5 Points

This is where things open up considerably. There are six units with 100% archery draw odds — Units 32, 33, 36, 64, 66, and 75. All run 75-inch trophy potential with solid public land access. If you're an archery hunter and you've been building Oregon points for five years, you have options right now.

15 Points

Unit 72 becomes accessible for rifle with 100% draw odds — 67% public land, 75-inch trophy potential, 60% harvest success. That's a genuinely good antelope tag. For archery, Unit 73 opens up at 15 points with 84% public land, 80-inch trophy potential, and 100% draw odds. Eighty-inch potential on a guaranteed draw is hard to find anywhere in the West at any point level.

At 20 points, you're getting into the elite rifle units — 68, 69, 70, 71, 73. All running 80-inch-plus potential with rifle success rates in the 80-100% range.

Should Oregon Antelope Be in Your Strategy?

It depends on one thing: are you already buying the Oregon hunting license?

If you're building elk points, chasing Roosevelt or Rocky Mountain bulls, or already in the Oregon mule deer game — $10 a year for an antelope point is an easy yes. Compare it to Wyoming, where antelope point costs have been climbing and you're looking at $31 piece. Fifteen years of Oregon points costs $150 total. Fifteen Wyoming points at old prices was $450.

If you're not already buying the Oregon hunting license, the math changes. Spending $203 to build one antelope point in a state with 20-point draw odds for the best units is a harder sell. Be honest with yourself about where Oregon fits in your overall strategy.

Oregon Bighorn Sheep: Two Herds, Very Low Odds

Oregon has both California Bighorn and Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep.

The draw system for sheep and goats is completely different from antelope, deer, and elk in Oregon. There are no preference points. Every applicant has equal odds every single year. It's a straight lottery, and the tags are split between residents and nonresidents by allocation.

For 2026, nonresidents have access to nine total sheep tags. Three of those are California Bighorn ewes. One is a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram in the Bear Creek unit. The remaining five California Bighorn Ram tags are in the John Day, E. Deschutes, E. Beauties, and S. Central units. The California Bighorn ewe tags are in the John Day River and Deschutes River units.

Before you apply, confirm that the unit you're choosing actually has a nonresident tag allocated. Some units simply don't.

California Bighorn Population Trend

This is the part of the Oregon sheep story worth paying attention to. California Bighorn numbers have been trending in the right direction. The 2021 estimate was around 700 animals. By 2024, that number had climbed to roughly 1,100 — nearly a 50% increase in three years. That's not something you see often in sheep management, and it suggests the population trajectory is healthy heading into future years.

Trophy potential for California Bighorn in top-tier resident units runs 165 to 175 inches. Resident draw odds are between a tenth and a half of a percent across most units. Nonresident odds sit between a tenth and two-tenths of a percent. Not great odds — but it's a sheep tag, and there's no better way to say it than this: it ain't easy to be a sheep hunter.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn tags in the Bear Creek unit show 170-inch trophy potential. Nonresident draw odds in Bear Creek are running around 0.15%.

Oregon Mountain Goat: One Tag, Declining Population

Mountain goats are where the Oregon picture gets a little complicated.

Oregon is genuinely underrated as a mountain goat destination when you look at trophy quality. Units 50 and 59 both have the potential for billies over 50 inches — that's big anywhere in the lower 48. You're not going to match the sheer volume of B&C billies you'd find in Alaska or British Columbia, but the average quality in Oregon is very strong.

The problem is the population trend.

Mountain goat estimates in Oregon have been declining steadily. The 2021 population estimate was around 775 animals. The 2025 estimate has dropped to roughly 250. That's not a typo. The population has declined by nearly 70% in four years, and as a result, tag allocations have been pulled back significantly.

In 2026, there are 20 total mountain goat tags statewide — and only one of them is allocated to a nonresident. That one nonresident tag is in Unit 51, Elkhorn Number 2.

Nonresident draw odds for goats in 2025 were around 0.1%. Given the tag reduction to a single nonresident allocation, expect that to be similar or slightly different in 2026 depending on applicant pool.

Should You Apply for Sheep and Goats?

Same answer as before — it depends entirely on whether you're already buying the Oregon hunting license.

If you are, $10 for a sheep lottery ticket and $10 for a goat lottery ticket is some of the cheapest access to these species you'll find anywhere. There's no point system, which means you're never falling further behind by not applying. You have equal odds every year you buy a ticket.

If you're not already in Oregon for elk, mule deer, or antelope, spending $203 just to apply for a sheep and goat tag with sub-0.15% draw odds doesn't make financial sense. That $200 a year, invested or saved, is better put toward a guided hunt in Alaska or British Columbia down the road — a far more realistic path to a goat or sheep hunt if Oregon isn't already part of your strategy.

The Bottom Line on Oregon

Oregon's antelope, sheep, and goat applications are addons, not anchors.

The state really shines for mule deer and elk — and if you've already gone through the Oregon Mule Deer and Oregon Elk episodes, you've done the harder part of this decision. If Oregon belongs in your long-term strategy for those two species, you should absolutely be buying these $10 lottery tickets every year.

The antelope program is legitimately strong if you're patient. The sheep population is improving. The goat situation requires some caution, but a $10 application is still a $10 application.

Deadline to apply for all Oregon species: May 15th, 11:59 PM. Don't miss it.

Keep Building Your Strategy

If you're new to the Oregon application game or just getting your western strategy off the ground, the Oregon Mule Deer and Oregon Elk episodes are required listening first. Those two help you decide whether the $193 Oregon hunting license makes sense for your situation — and that decision drives everything else.

[Oregon Mule Deer Application Guide]

[Oregon Elk Application Guide]

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