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
How to hunt game birds
A test of your shooting skills, a delight for your palette
Learning the flight patterns of the birds, and honing your long-range shooting skills are keys to this unique and challenging...
How to fish
Help protect wild fish during historic low runs
Wild steelhead mortalities are generally low under normal fishing regulations. But with several years of low runs, many anglers...
Where to hunt big game
Due to increasing numbers of elk on private land and chronic elk damage, ODFW is piloting a new general season...
How to hunt big game
This permit allows hunters with certain disabilities to use a draw locking device attached to the riser of a modern...
How to fish
Let’s go fishing! Not enough time? Think again.
If you live on Oregon’s South Coast, there are a number of...
How to hunt big game
"I was out hunting near a reserve, and I shot a white-tailed deer. I didn’t know it was a white-tailed...
One hunter’s story
An experienced hunter witnessed a mule deer being poached. He was so rattled he forgot who to call and how...
How to fish
Our tips for new or novice anglers
Fishing isn’t hard, but it can be confusing to know how to begin. Here’s a step-by-step approach to get from...
In the spring of 2019, several clients chartered an ocean fishing trip out of Coos Bay. They were promised trophy-size lingcod...
Popular setups for bass, walleye and more
Ask 10 anglers how to fish and you’re likely to get 10 different answers. However, there are a few types...
Where to fish
Exceeding the bag limit, snagging fish are common violations
Each year, thousands of fish are harvested illegally in Oregon. Anglers who wait all year for their favorite salmon or...
How to hunt game birds
Legal hunting weapons and weapon restrictions for hunting big game and game birds in Oregon.
Each year over 9 million Oregonians and visitors head to the mountains – and the desert, and the beach –...
How to hunt big game
Oregon’s population of about 6,000 cougars occupies a wide variety of habitat across the state, offering a year-round, readily-accessible hunting...
Where to fish
Includes lakes in the Umpqua National Forest and the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness.
Take the Western Native Trout Challenge and you’ll learn about native trout and where to find them, earn bragging rights...
How to fish
Wipers, a cross between striped and white bass, reach prodigious proportions in the productive waters of Ana Reservoir. Their size...
how to hunt
Bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat the rarest game mammals in Oregon today, with less than 100 bighorn sheep tags...
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Columbian white-tailed and black-tailed deer share the same habitat in some parts of western Oregon. This video and related graphic illustrate several key...
Can't find a place to see Oregon’s iconic spring chinook salmon spawning? Want to cross the ferruginous hawk off your birdwatching...
ODFW at work
Due to customer demand for a more modern, easier-to-navigate website, ODFW is introducing MyODFW.com. This new mobile-friendly website was designed with...
The north coast area includes the Lower Columbia River downstream of St. Helens to the Pacific Ocean, and the Oregon...
Where to hunt big game
Regulated Hunt Areas (RHAs) are cooperative programs between Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and private landowners that offer regulated...