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Oregon offers some great opportunities for the first-time hunter -- from deer and elk, to geese and ducks, to chukar and pheasants. Here are a few pointers to help you get started.
Whether it’s spending more time outdoors or harvesting food for the freezer, there are lots reasons to become a hunter. Here’s how to get from thinking about it to doing it.
Oregon offers some of the best upland game bird hunting in the West. The state’s diverse habitats support nine species of upland game birds— pheasants, chukar, Hungarian partridge, valley (California) quail, mountain quail, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, sage-grouse and wild turkey. There are upland hunting opportunities in every corner of the state, and one upland bird season or another is open continuously from September 1 through January 31. Throw in a six-week spring turkey season and you can hunt upland game birds in Oregon for more than half of the year! Also, since many of the species share similar habitat
Learning the flight patterns of the birds, and honing your long-range shooting skills are keys to this unique and challenging hunting experience.
The Rock pigeon is an invasive species introduced from Europe. It is found in and about human-created structures, e.g., masonry buildings, parking structures, barns, abandoned houses, bridges, water towers and freeway overpasses that posses cornices, ledges, and cave-like cavities used for nesting and shelter. Pigeons forage in city streets and parks on food refuse, public handouts, and weed seeds, and on grain spilled at shipping facilities and along transportation corridors. In agricultural areas they forage in livestock feedlots and fields. It is common to abundant statewide in cities, towns and agricultural areas. Hear the call of the Rock pigeon Photo
For the 2022-23 Oregon game bird seasons, hunters will find strong upland bird population across the state, with some exceptions. Duck hunters will find a mixed bag when it comes to local duck populations and habitat conditions.
With dove and quail seasons beginning Sept. 1, some waterfowl seasons extending through January, and spring turkey available through the end of May, game bird hunting in Oregon is almost (but not quite) a year-round activity. Visit e-regulations
The 2023-24 Oregon upland game bird seasons promise an excellent year with pheasant, quail and chukar numbers above average in the east, and abundant forest grouse and mountain quail populations in the west. For waterfowl, breeding habitat conditions in Oregon were much improved from last year in eastern Oregon, which benefited breeding waterfowl in the region. However, population surveys for ducks and geese in Alaska indicated breeding populations for many species were lower than last year.
Coos Bay is Oregon’s largest bay. The lower bay (areas from the ocean entrance to the airport) is “marine dominated”, meaning there is little freshwater influence, and offers some of Oregon’s most productive shellfishing opportunities.
The E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area came into existence in 1950 when the U.S. Government gave quitclaim title to the property to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The wildlife area covers approximately 1,788 acres, is located on Highway 99W about 10 miles north of Corvallis and is situated on the Willamette Valley floor.
The Buff-breasted sandpiper resembles a plover with a high-stepping, pigeon-like gait. One of the few Oregon shorebirds that frequents dry, sparsely vegetated coastal grasslands. Fall migrants consist of juveniles. It has scaly, buffy-brown underparts, yellow legs, a small head, and a short black bill. Beady black eyes stand out on a plain, pale face. It bobs its head while moving. Gleaming white underwings are displayed in a graceful flight pattern. It is unique among North American shorebirds in having a lek mating system. This is a rare but regular fall migrant on the Oregon coast where it has been recorded
About the size of the domestic pigeon, this swift-flying species is popular among sport hunters. An arboreal bird, it is often observed perched alone on top of a tall tree or in flocks when flying about feeding areas and mineral sites. This is a common summer resident in forested areas west of the Cascade crest. It typically nests in forested mountain areas in the west Cascades. Hear the call of the Band-tailed pigeon Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW
Pigeons and doves are a familiar sight, daintily walking and bobbing their heads. Rock pigeons and Eurasian collared-doves are natives of Europe while Band-tailed pigeons and Mourning doves are native to Oregon.
During the breeding season Pigeon guillemots are easily seen flying low over the water along rocky coastlines or in estuaries. They have striking red feet, legs, and mouth linings and their large white wing patches contrast markedly with the rest of their black plumage. When standing on land they have a distinctive upright posture and often emit a high-pitched squeal. In the non breeding season they move offshore and look entirely different when their black plumage becomes mottled with white. The Pigeon guillemot occurs during the breeding season all along the Oregon coast wherever offshore islands or rocky cliffs are
One of Oregon's characteristic offshore seabirds, these stocky gull-like birds with steep foreheads come in a broad range of color morphs from white to slate gray, with buffy, bluish-gray, mottled and brown intermediates. The round head and pecking motion of birds feeding on the water is reminiscent of the shape and behavior of pigeons. The heavy hooked bills are divided into colorful plates of green, yellow, and orange, with large tubed nostrils atop. They are irregularly common to abundant in Oregon in winter, especially beyond five miles from shore. Hear the call of the Northern fulmar Photo by Martyne Reesman
Features: Slightly larger than its cousin, the rock pigeon, band-tailed pigeons have a grey body. As its name suggests, a wide pale band stretches along the tip of tail feathers. Up close a distinctive white, crescent-shaped mark across its neck is noticable. Habitats: Found on the west side of the state, the band-tailed pigeon frequents semi-open coniferous forests. It forages on wild seeds and fruits in tree tops. In search of food, it travels in flocks from tree top to tree top. Techniques: Find a food source, such as elderberry or cascara, and location with open shooting lanes. Then wait
Find all the information you need to trap or hunt furbearers in Oregon, including licensing requirements and seasons. Furtakers Harvest Reporting Online Mail/Fax
Private lands accounts for just over half of Oregon’s land base and include farms, range lands, wetlands, forests and stream corridors. To improve landowner-hunter relations and engage landowners in the conservation of fish and wildlife, the Oregon Legislature created the Access & Habitat (A&H) Program in 1993. The law established a funding mechanism to provide grants to private landowners, timber and agriculture corporations, sportsmen groups, natural resource agencies, and others for projects designed to increase public hunting access to private lands and/or improve wildlife habitat.
Game bird seasons in Oregon run from July 1 to June 30, which means you'll need to purchase new upland and waterfowl validations before you hunt again in the fall. If you have questions, please call ODFW licensing staff at 503-947-6101.
April 10, 2024 If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen Submit your viewing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Tillamook county No recent viewing report. Clatsop county Birds Ft. Stevens offers many viewing opportunities, including forest, wetlands, grasslands, dunes, seashore and river. Best viewing for pelagic birds, beach-foraging shorebirds and gulls would be with a spotting scope from the viewing platform near Parking Lot C. The viewing bunker a short walk from Parking Lot D offers views of Trestle Bay, with more waterfowl, marsh-foraging shorebirds and salt marsh passerines present. Several duck