Commission makes changes to how LOP mule deer tags are allocated

SALEM, Ore.—Oregon's Fish and Wildlife Commission today made changes to the formula used to allocate mule deer Landowner Preference (LOP) tags, which was needed due to the new harvest and population management system for mule deer approved in 2024.

In a 6-0 vote (one abstention), the Commission approved shifting to a more simplified two-tiered formula (from three tiers) to manage mule deer LOP tags, removing the most restrictive tier from the formula. The new system will consider both population size and growth rate when allocating tags (the previous system only considered population size). It will generally result in a higher statewide allocation of LOP tags, in recognition of the valuable role private lands play in providing habitat for mule deer. Some landowners may see a decline in tags offered, proportional to declines in controlled hunt tag numbers, in areas where mule deer populations have declined. The Commission also directed ODFW to review the new allocation system after two years.

The Landowner Preference (LOP) program was created by the Oregon Legislature in 1981 to allow landowners with qualifying property to obtain controlled hunt tags for their own land. Since 2015, at the direction of the state legislature, the number of LOP tags available for buck deer use has been limited based on mule deer population size.

ODFW's Licensing Program will be reaching out to landowners enrolled in the program with more information. Final LOP tag numbers will be available by May 1, 2026.

In other business, the Commission:

Burns-Paiute Ceremonial Hunting tags: Updated rules for the hunting program for the Burns Paiute Tribe to support opportunities for ceremonial and subsistence hunting. The changes increase opportunities for mule deer and elk and make changes to allowed hunt areas including alignment with newly adopted mule deer hunt areas.

Coquille River Fall Chinook Conservation Hatchery Program: In a 6-1 vote, the Commission approved changes to the Coquille Fall Chinook Conservation Hatchery Program to allow the use of an integrated stock that utilizes natural origin and hatchery origin broodstock. The change is needed to achieve the target release number for smolts and adequately assess the program. In response to declining populations of fall Chinook on the Coquille River, in 2022 the Commission approved the implementation of a fall Chinook Conservation Hatchery Program in the Coquille basin co-managed by ODFW and the Coquille Indian Tribe. The program intended to use natural origin (NOR) broodstock to supplement naturally spawning populations of Chinook salmon. Due to insufficient returns of NOR adult fall Chinook salmon, there has not been the ability to capture, spawn, and release enough smolts to meet program objectives or inform a robust assessment of the program.

A recording of today's meeting is available here.