Wenaha Wildlife Area, Wildlife area near Troy, Oregon, United States

Wenaha Wildlife Area covers 12,419 acres near Troy, Oregon, and is run by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Its land borders the Umatilla National Forest. Bald eagles, black bears, bighorn sheep, bobcats, elk, mule deer and wild turkeys have been recorded in the area.

The area was established in 1953 when initial land purchases of 4,400 acres were made to address concerns about elk impacts on private farmland. The protected reserve has since grown through additional property acquisitions over the following decades.

The area lies in the traditional homeland of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla peoples, who hunted elk and deer and gathered plants in these Blue Mountain valleys. The name Wenaha comes from a Cayuse word for a river. Today the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the land for wildlife, and tribal members retain treaty hunting rights across the ceded territory.

The area is open to visitors year-round except January through March when it is closed for maintenance work. Guests should prepare for uneven terrain and changing weather conditions, particularly in the higher elevations of the reserve.

Wenaha Wildlife Area covers 12,419 acres (5,026 ha) beside the Umatilla National Forest and is run by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Its mix of open country and forest cover supports elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, bobcats, black bears, wild turkeys and bald eagles.