Recreation Report
East Area
Recreation Report
EASTERN OREGON
September 10, 2026
Current Season:
Mourning dove, ruffed and blue grouse, Rooster pheasant and Quail (Western Oregon), Turkey (Select WMU's)
Announcements, resources
2026-27 Game Bird Regulations online and available at ODFW licensed agents and vendors.
Buy your 2026-27 bird stamp(s) and validations - Available for purchase now: upland and waterfowl validations, federal duck stamp and don't skip the HIP survey. Redeem your sports-pac vouchers before entering the field to hunt.
Don't miss the Youth Upland Game Bird Hunts register now.
Plan this season's hunts with prior year game bird harvest summaries.
ODFW's Hunt by Reservation Program connects bird hunters with private landowners. By making a reservation online, hunters receive a permit to hunt select private lands on dates that landowners select ahead of time.
Permits required for band-tailed pigeons and sea ducks. For more information on permits.
Turn in wings and tails - Grouse and mountain quail hunters, please turn in your bird's wings and tails – our biologists collect them to help assess bird populations and set seasons. Use this map to find blue collection barrels where you hunt.
Hunting in drought and wildfire season - actions you can take to protect wildlife.
For the most current fire closures and restrictions--KNOW BEFORE YOU GO.
ALL DISTRICTS
Eurasian collared doves: These birds have no protection in Oregon, so there are no closed seasons and no limits to their harvest. Target Eurasian collared doves around agricultural areas where food sources are abundant. Be sure of your identification before you hunt these birds which are larger and lighter than mourning doves with a distinctive band around the back of the neck. Identify this species and its habitat.
All birds except European starling, house sparrow, Eurasian collared-dove, and rock pigeon are protected by federal and/or state laws and may not be taken without authorization. Contact the law enforcement branch of the USFWS for Federal regulations regarding take at (503) 682-6131.
Klamath and Lake Counties:
Mourning dove: Season opened Sept. 1 and continues through Oct. 30. Best prospects are near agricultural areas and water. Be sure of your identification before you hunt these birds which are smaller and darker than the Eurasian collared dove. Learn more about hunting mourning dove.
Forest grouse: Season opened Sept. 1 and continues through Jan. 31. Best prospects are in the Cascade Mountains for both blue and ruffed grouse, although there are fair numbers of blue grouse in forested habitat in eastern Klamath County. Hunters are asked to provide a wing and tail from each grouse harvested and drop them off at the Klamath District Office on Miller Island Road. In Lake County some areas to look for blue grouse are along ridge tops in more open forest habitats such as Winter Rim and the Warner mountains.
- Dove season opened Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 30.
- The wildlife area is open for September Canada goose. Sept. 12-16.
- Sept. 19-20 is reserved for the Youth Upland Bird Hunt and youth hunters only.
- Sept. 26-27 is reserved for the Youth Waterfowl Hunt and youth hunters only.
- Oct. 10 is the opening of Zone 2 duck, merganser, coot, snipe and pheasant.
- Oct. 24, all of Miller Island Unit is open to youth hunters only on a first-come basis.
Miller Island Unit:
- The Miller Island Unit is located 6 miles south and west of Klamath Falls. Miller Island Unit is closed to all access from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m.
- Discharging firearms is prohibited except during authorized game bird hunting seasons or by special permit.
- Oct. 1 – Dec. 31: Open to public use Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
- Open to game bird hunting Oct. 10 and 11 and every following Monday, Wednesday and Saturday during authorized game bird seasons.
- All other days are closed to all entry, except public roads, parking areas, boat ramp, designated birding trail and designated dog training area.
- Upland game bird shooting hours begin at 10 a.m.
- Overnight camping is not allowed on the Miller Island Unit.
Gorr Island Unit:
Gorr Island is located four miles south of the Miller Island Unit in the Klamath River, accessible only by boat. Gorr Island is open daily with no wildlife area permit required during authorized seasons.
Shoalwater Bay Unit and Sesti Tgawaals Unit:
Shoalwater Bay and Sesti Tgawaals are both located on the west side of Upper Klamath Lake approximately 10 miles to the north and west of Klamath Falls. Both units are open for hunting daily with no wildlife area permit required during authorized seasons.
Hunting Information Miller Island Unit:
Mourning dove hunting is generally good for the first couple of days of the season. It does tend to drop off after that. Hunters should focus on areas around some of the old homesteads where there are plenty of trees and shrubs for roosting.
If you have any questions, please contact Klamath Wildlife Area at (541) 883-5732.
Dove season is currently open and runs through Oct. 30.
Youth Waterfowl Season is September 26-27.
All hunters will need to obtain and have a daily hunting permit in their possession while in the field. Free daily hunting permits will be available either by service or in person check-in. Check out is mandatory and can be accomplished by filling out and dropping the "B" portion of the permit off in check-out boxes found at major access areas.
From Oct. 3 through 4am on Oct. 10, entry is prohibited south of Thousand Springs Lane except Foster Place unit and open roads to campground areas.
Summer Lake Wildlife Area harvest statistics, maps and weekly bird counts can be found on the MyODFW website.
Please contact Summer Lake Wildlife Area at (541) 943-3152 for additional information.
Deschutes County:
Overall, central Oregon has lower densities of game birds than other portions of the state. Many of the birds that are present are associated with private agriculture, so obtaining permission is a must.
Mourning Dove: Season opened September 1 and will run through October 30. Most doves are concentrated on private agricultural fields within central Oregon, but locating public areas adjacent to these ag fields can set hunters up for success. Doves can roost and commute to the ag fields, so finding those pinch points where doves will fly over can result in success. Many of the doves will migrate south as the season progresses, so hitting it early is recommended.
Forest Grouse: Season opened September 1 and will run through the end of January. Our portion of the east slope of the Cascades has low densities of grouse when compared to the western slope, but ridgetops and creek bottoms with water and berries can occasionally hold some birds.
Controlled Sage-grouse: Controlled sage-grouse season begins Sept. 12 and runs through Sept. 20. These tags were all allocated in the controlled draw held in August, so if you don't have a tag, you will have to wait until next year. North Wagontire should have good bird numbers this year, as it had stable numbers during this spring's lek surveys. Water is key for concentration of birds, and some places to look include along the Dickerson Well Rd (just make sure you are on the east side of the road), and Whiskey Springs.
September Goose Season: Early September goose season opens Sept. 12 ending Sept. 16. Resident geese numbers continue to climb, making good opportunities for hunting. Many of the high lakes will have huntable geese, including Wickiup Reservoir, Crane Prairie, and Davis Lake. Large spreads are often helpful in the early season, but not always necessary.
Union County
Forest Grouse: Grouse numbers should be similar to/better than last year due to the easy winter. Blue grouse will be found along ridgelines and timbered slopes at higher elevations than ruffed grouse. Ruffed grouse will be closer to riparian areas and lower in elevation. Please remember to turn in wings into our wing barrels that are at various locations throughout the county.
Quail: The best public land quail hunting will be found on Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area. Quail like to be close to riparian areas with plenty of brush and cover. Numbers are better than years past likely due to the mild winter.
Pheasant: Hunting this year should be similar to last season and birds can be found throughout the county, similar to quail. The best public land hunting is located on the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area. Pheasants will be found near the grain fields, along taller ditches, and near cattails. They can use the cattails as hiding cover and seem to hold in those areas fairly well.
Ladd Marsh is open to Hunting Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Federal Holidays
Nontoxic shot only
A free youth pheasant hunt is coming up on September 19 and 20, no pre-registration necessary, but in-person registration is required at check in: 59116 Pierce Rd La Grande OR, 97850.
Dove season is underway and people are having good success. Birds do not seem to be concentrated at any location. Many hunters are either walking tree and shrub rows or setting up for some pass shooting.
Waterfowl Hunting:
Attention waterfowl hunters, because of the light winter and dry summer conditions, water on Ladd Marsh is extremely limited. Please make sure you scout for the water on an open day before you intend to hunt or call the office for a water report. It is anticipated that only 2-3 ponds will have water by opening weekend.
Current water conditions: 1 pond West of Union Hwy, 3 ponds West of Peach Rd, 2 ponds East of Peach.
Wallowa County
Mourning Dove: Season opened September 1. Doves are often found in open grasslands and pastures and are more concentrated in farmlands or agricultural areas.
Forest Grouse: It was a successful first week of the season with many wings being submitted in the barrels. Grouse numbers are up from previous years. Blue grouse experienced a good hatch this year, likely due to a mild winter. Blue grouse hunters should expect good hunting along the timber edges and open timbered slopes, look for nearby berries such as chokecherry. Ruffed grouse will be found closer to the riparian areas. Spruce grouse can be identified by the red combs over their eyes, and their behavior can also help as spruce grouse tend not to flush. ODFW is seeking help from the public to report observations of spruce grouse they encounter, please consider submitting a report if you see one.
Hood River, Wasco, Sherman Counties
Habitat Conditions: This year's dry summer and fires have resulted in many closures across these counties both on private and public land. Currently Green Diamond/ Twin creeks timber is closed to all forms of public recreation, more information can be found on their website by clicking here. Hood River County timber lands are also closed to motorized access and many of their main gates are closed, more information on Hood River County land closures can be found on their website by clicking here. The Grasshopper fire west of Wamic resulted in 93,990 acres burned and a closure order from the US Forest Service, more information can be found on their web page here.
Mourning dove: Season opened Sept. 1 continuing through Oct. 30. Best prospects are near agricultural areas and water. Be sure of your identification before you hunt these birds which are smaller and darker than the Eurasian collared dove. Learn more about hunting mourning dove.
Crook County
Crook county tends to have lower game bird populations than some neighboring counties, however, there are still opportunities for mourning dove and forest grouse. Mourning doves are typically associated with agricultural areas, acquiring landowner permission before hunting is essential. Forest grouse occur in relatively low numbers within Crook County; however, they can be found in high elevation areas with dense timber and along creeks with healthy riparian vegetation.
September Canada goose season is open from September 12-16. Access is fairly limited for waterfowl in Crook County, but some can be found in Prineville reservoir and along the crooked river. Be sure to acquire permission before hunting private land.
Much of Crook County has been affected by wildfires, most public land within the Grizzly WMU is closed to all forms of public access. Check with the Ochoco National Forest for the most up to date access information.