Deer hunters

ODFW Articles

Need to figure out controlled hunts, find a place to clam, learn how to fish or get directions to a wildlife area? We've got information on all that and more, straight from ODFW biologists and other accomplished hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers. 

Header image by Dave Budeau

And we need your help

We're looking for ways to make our Recreation Report even more useful. Take a six-minute survey to tell us what...

Halibut
How to fish

This newsletter provides a summary of Oregon’s 2023 sport halibut fishery.

photo of three smiling women each holding a Dungeness crab
How to clam and crab

Oregon has over 360 miles of coastline -- that's a big sandbox in which to take the family clamming and...

image of two spaniel dogs (one a pup) retrieving a duck
How to hunt game birds
Download the Game Bird Release Permit

Rules for permits and releasing birds, pursuit seasons and competitive dog trials. Download Game Bird Release Permit.

Regulation changes you should know about

Check out the fishing, clamming, crabbing and hunting regulation updates for 2024. These new regulations are highlighted in yellow in...

volunteers walking in stream looking for reds
Find the perfect fit

Here are the current volunteer opportunities at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Find the one that's right for...

Several Rogue River fishing boats pulled up on shore
Where to fish
Required for steelhead anglers; season begins Dec. 1

The Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation is required for all winter steelhead anglers fishing in the Rogue Basin or on the...

Herman the Sturgeon
ODFW at work

He is an Oregon icon – Herman, the sturgeon, the state's most famous fish. At 10 ft. long and nearly 500...

Young hunter with her first cow wlk
Where to hunt big game
A quick guide for early season hunters

ODFW wildlife biologists offer a look at the habitat conditions and hunting outlook for the upcoming season.

Young hunter standing with his turkey in an oak scrub landscape
Where to hunt game birds
How you can benefit

Hunt by Reservation landowners are diverse. They range from small rural farms to large land trusts. Some need help reducing...

bird hunters
Where to hunt game birds

Legal shooting hours for game bird and Northwest Permit Goose during the 2023-24 hunting seasons.

Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area.

Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the Sky Lakes Wilderness.

Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Willamette National Forest and the Three Sisters, Waldo Lake and Mt. Washington wilderness areas. 

Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Winema and Rogue River national forests, and the Sky Lakes and Mountain Lake wilderness areas.

First buck
Special instructions and hunt maps
image of a float tuber on a high lake
Where to fish

This schedule includes lakes in the Deschutes National Forest and the Three Sisters and Mt. Jefferson Wilderness areas.

image of Marion Lake
Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Willamette National Forest and Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.

image of Catalpa Lake
Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Mt. Hood National Forest, the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness and the Olallie Lake Scenic Area.

Image of father and son fishing at Mirror lake
Where to fish

Includes lakes in the Mt. Hood National Forest and the Bull of the Woods and Roaring River wilderness areas.

Bull moose
regulations

Few major changes proposed for 2024 as ODFW has wrapped up its years-long big game review that resulted in some...

Where to fish

Fall salmon fishing seasons in rivers along Oregon’s coast from Necanicum River to the Winchuck River depend on the outlook...

a herd of elk
How to hunt big game

See the latest and historic data on big game population surveys from 2012 to present.

access
Where to hunt big game

Private lands accounts for just over half of Oregon’s land base and include farms, range lands, wetlands, forests and stream...