Report Your hunt

Report Your Hunt

Who needs to report

• Every hunter who purchased a deer, elk, cougar, bear, pronghorn or turkey tag needs to report. Complete a survey for the tag you purchased — even if you didn’t hunt or weren’t successful.
• Information from hunters who did not hunt or did not harvest an animal is as important as from those who did take an animal.
• SportsPac buyers do not need to report on tags that were never issued to them.

A $25 penalty will be assessed for any hunter who fails to report deer and elk tags by the reporting deadline (Jan. 31 for most tags). The penalty is paid with the purchase of a hunting license two years hence. Only a single penalty is assessed, regardless of the number of tags you did not report.

Ways to report

• Go online.
• Call 1-866-947-ODFW (6339) and speak with a customer service representative who will take your information.
• Visit an ODFW office with a computer available for reporting:  Adair Village/Corvallis, Bend, Clackamas, La Grande, Portland-Sauvie Island, Roseburg, Salem Headquarters, Springfield, Tillamook.

Information you need to report

• Hunter/Angler ID number (located on ODFW licenses, tags and applications). If you do not have your tag or license anymore, call 1-866-947-6339 for your Hunter/Angler ID#. This number stays the same year after year so you can also use an old license or tag.
• The two-digit Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) number of the Unit you hunted in most of the time if the hunt area included more than 1 WMU. See the Big Game Hunting Areas page or the Oregon Big Game Regulations.
• The total number of days hunted—including mentoring youth—and the number of days hunted in the WMU hunted most.

A worksheet is available for use in report preparation: Preparation Worksheet (pdf)

When to report

Reporting deadlines

Jan. 31: All turkey and big game hunts with seasons ending between April 1 and Dec. 31 of previous year
April 15: All hunts ending between Jan. 1 and March 31 of that year

Penalties for not reporting

The $25 penalty was put in place by the Fish and Wildlife Commission in October 2012 because although reporting has been “mandatory” since 2007, just 41 percent of tags were reported by the deadline in 2011. At this low rate, the data provided was not statistically sound.

After the penalty was announced, reporting rates went from about 40 percent to an average of 80-85 percent for deer and elk tags.

Incentives to report on time

All hunters who report on time are entered to win a special big game tag with hunting privileges similar to auction and raffle tags. ODFW draws three winners each year. Winners can choose to hunt deer, elk or pronghorn in an expanded hunt area and for an extended season. The drawing takes place in June and winners are notified in June.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the penalty go away if I just don’t buy a license?

No, the $25 penalty does not go away and must be paid before you can purchase another hunting license, even if you choose to skip a year or more of hunting.

Why do I need to report when I didn’t even go hunting or fill my tag?

ODFW biologists look at harvest, hunting pressure, and the number of people who got a tag but didn’t hunt when they set regulations. Hunters have been more likely to report when they are successful. So at low reporting rates, harvest was being over-estimated, which could lead to an unnecessary reduction in hunting tags and opportunities.

Can’t ODFW get this information another way, like through phone surveys?

ODFW used to get this information through phone surveys, but these have gotten much more difficult and expensive. The new reporting system allows ODFW to phase out survey calls, saving license dollars.

I am certain I reported on time but am still being asked to pay the penalty.

If you have an email or confirmation number from reporting on your tags but are still being asked to pay the penalty, please contact our licensing division at 503-947-6101.

What if I choose not to report?

Hunters that don’t report would need to pay the $25 penalty before they can purchase another license and tag.

Is there a penalty for not reporting pronghorn, cougar, bear and turkey tags?

No, though reporting is also required for any of these tags that are purchased. ODFW believes most of these hunts will be reported when hunters report deer and elk tags. But in the future, there could be a penalty for not reporting these other tags.

What does ODFW do with the money from reporting penalty fees?

The funds are not being dedicated specifically in the ODFW budget because the department hopes that in the future, all hunters will report and no penalty fees will be collected. But currently the funds are being used to increase Oregon State Police patrol and enforcement of winter range closures in Oregon. These closures help deer, elk and other wildlife survive the winter by limiting disturbances from people.

ODFW called about my tags. Why do I have to give you this information twice?

In the past, ODFW did continue its phone surveys for big game hunts because not enough hunters were reporting for the data to be useable. Since 2014, ODFW no longer conducts phone surveys for big game hunts where reporting is required.

Can I see the data based on mandatory reporting?

Yes, hunt statistics are online. They show pressure, harvest, and antler points of animals harvested for most of our deer and elk hunts.

Header photo by Kelly Kusak