Fern Ridge Wildlife Area Game Bird Harvest Statistics

Find hunt summaries and maps for Fern Ridge.

2024-25 Hunt Summaries

A pair of American Wigeon's standing on a log in the water

All hunters at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area must obtain a daily hunt permit prior to hunting. There are two ways to obtain a permit based on when and where you want to hunt.

Hunters wishing to hunt ducks during the Reservation Waterfowl Hunt in the East, West, and South Coyote units must check-in at the ODFW staffed checkstation on the morning of their hunt. Reservation permits are obtained through the controlled hunt draw process. Unfilled reservations are available to hunters without reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis the day of at the check station. (see specific details in the Game Bird Hunting Regulations). During the check-in process, hunters will receive a daily hunt permit for themselves and a hunt guest if accompanied by one.
All other hunters (waterfowl, upland game, big game, etc.) that will be hunting in other wildlife area units or the Coyote units outside of the Reservation Waterfowl Hunt, must obtain a free-daily hunt permit at one of several self-service check stations located across the wildlife area. One half of the permit (the A-half) is completed during check-in and the harvest report half (the B-half) is competed upon check-out. See specific details in the Game Bird Hunting Regulations.

Two types of harvest summaries are provided below, a Reservation Waterfowl Hunt Summary for the entire season-to-date and weekly summaries for areas & seasons outside of the Reservation Hunt Area.

2024-25 Coyote Units Reservation Hunt Summaries (pdf)

2024/25 Fern Ridge Wildlife Area Reservation Waterfowl Hunt Summary

Hunt Blind Map
Coyote Units Reservation Waterfowl Hunt

The information provided here is intended to help you get an idea of your odds of drawing a reservation for the Coyote units. Seventeen reservation are available each day. Since you can only draw one reservation a year, here are some points to consider to increase your odds. If you don't draw, you can always go get in the stand-by line.

Days that have more first-choice applicants than permits available will never be drawn as anything other than as first-choice. Meaning you are not going to draw a very popular hunt day as a second through fifth-choice.
If there are fewer first-choice applicants than permits, the process restarts for second-choice hunt applicants and so on. For your second and third-choice, choose a day that is not as likely to get more first choice applicants than permits available, that way you might still get drawn.
To increase the likelihood that you will be drawn, apply for a non-weekend hunt day or later in the season as there are typically fewer applicants. Looking at the number of first choice applicants last year can give you an idea of which days of the week and time periods typically get less applicants.
Check out our harvest statistics to see how the hunting has been at different times of the season.

Reservation Draw - # of 1st Choice Applicants by Hunt (pdf)