Access areas in Northeast Oregon closed due to fire danger, ODFW officials say

Eugene, OR – With the Northwest Fire Preparedness Level already at 5 and the potential for new large fires due to dry fuels and a predicted unstable atmosphere over northeast Oregon, A&H Access Areas in the region are closing to all access.

The access areas closing are: M.R King Ranches, Troy Ranches, Iron Mountain, Virtue Flat, Foster Ranch, Glass Hill, Owsley Canyon, Bear Creek, Carman Ranch, Harshfield Ranch, Divide Ridge, Heppner Regulated Hunt Area, Social Ridge, Four Mile, Bunker Hill, in addition to Manulife’s closure.

Additionally, the Upland Cooperative Access Program (UCAP) lands that allow year-round Welcome to Hunt access are closed to access.

Hunters, anglers, and others who use A&H properties can find more information and links to where to check for other private land forest closures at [ODFW’s Hunting and Fire Danger in Oregon](https://myodfw.com/articles/hunting-and-fire-danger-oregon).

Areas will reopen once predicted fire danger and fire behavior is reduced and fire resources are again available. ODFW will announce when areas have reopened to access.

While it’s still far too early to tell how this year’s wildfires will impact hunting seasons, hunters should be aware of ODFW policies on reinstating preference points, a decision that is made after a hunting season ends.

A Fire Preparedness Level of 5 means resources are heavily committed to fires and low activity geographic areas are reaching drawdown levels, so emergency measures are required to maintain fire operations.