Commission meets Sept. 17-18 in La Grande

SALEM, Ore.—Oregon's Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Sept. 17-18 in La Grande to adopt 2027 Big Game Regulations.

See the meeting agenda at https://myodfw.com/articles/commission-agenda-september-17-18-2026 Meetings are livestreamed and can be viewed on MyODFW.com website or the agency YouTube channel.

On Thursday, Commissioners will tour key sites across the Blue Mountains to learn how ecological change, landowner perspectives, and new ODFW research are shaping elk distribution and long‑term management. To join the Tour, be at Hampton Inn Suites, 2830 Mulholland Dr, La Grande at 8 a.m. Members of the public may join the tour but must provide their own transportation and lunch.

Friday's business meeting starts at 8 am. at Eastern Oregon University, Gilbert Event Center, 1 University Blvd. 

To testify remotely about an item on the agenda, sign up at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting (Wednesday, Sept. 16 by 8 am) using the form found on the agenda page. To testify about an agenda item in person, sign up on the day using the paper forms provided at the meeting.

To testify about a topic not on the agenda, register for public forum online at least 48 hours before the meeting (by Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 8 a.m.).

Issues the Commission will consider:

2027 Big Game Regulations: Notable proposed changes to hunting regulations are limited to western Oregon elk hunts.

One proposed change would modify Western Coast Elk any legal weapon general seasons by shifting the spike-only bag limit hunts from the second period to the first period to evenly distribute hunters across the two periods. Additionally, three Wildlife Management Units would shift from two any bull elk bag limit periods to one any bull period and one spike-only period to raise bull ratios back up to bull ratio management objectives.

The other would reduce cow harvest in the West Cascades hunt by removing antlerless elk from the bag limits of the General Archery Season Tag, Santiam Unit Traditional Bow hunt (216R1), Cascade Muzzleloader tag (200M), and for holders of an Oregon Hunting and Fishing Disability Permit (PDP tag). The Cascades Elk population continues to be below population management objectives.

ODFW is also proposing to implement a three-year cougar target area in the Trout Creek Mountains to help reduce predation on bighorn sheep during an ongoing translocation project. The local herd suffers from a lack of genetic diversity so bighorn sheep from another herd are being relocated to augment the population. The target area is proposed as a temporary measure to reduce cougar predation on naive animals (animals that are unfamiliar with the area) during the planned augmentation. Predation by cougars was the primary cause of sheep mortalities during a prior translocation effort for this herd.

Access and Habitat funding: The Commission will be asked to approve funding for projects that open public hunting access to private land or improve wildlife habitat. Projects were recommended by the A&H board.

Sale of John Day Watershed District Office and land in Pendleton: The Commission will be asked to approve the sale of its old Pendleton office site of 40.54 acres to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The land is located within the boundaries of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and includes a fish acclimation facility that has been operated by CTUIR for many years.

Coquille Wildlife Area Acquisition: The Commission will be asked to approve the acquisition of 528 acres of land in Coos County adjacent to the existing Coquille Wildlife Area, expanding it to 1,224 acres. The acquisition will help protect and restore habitat, benefiting a number of species, and improve public access to the area.

An Executive Session may be held pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) to consider information or records that are exempt by law from public inspection, as well as to consult with legal counsel concerning legal rights and duties of a public body with regard to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed as authorized by ORS 192.660(2)(h). The executive session is closed to the public. Members of the press should contact ODFW's Director's Office at (503) 947-6044 for instructions on how to join the session.

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