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After a devastating 2020 fire season that saw the destruction of more than one million acres of land in Western Oregon alone, We explore the impacts of wildfire on fish and streams with Jason Dunham, an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in this episode of the Beaver State Podcast.

Klamath Lake redband trout are unlike any other trout. They are climate change masters that have survived glaciers and thrived in conditions that other trout could not survive in. They are unique in the world of trout and one of the most fascinating species in Oregon. We talked to ODFW Assistant District Fish Biologist Bill Tinniswood, PhD student Jordan Ortega and his adviser Jonny Armstrong about these amazing fish and the research their doing to help us learn more about what makes them so good at adapting changing conditions. Rated Moderately Nerdy

Resources to help prepare for a successful hunt in sagebrush country.

Dove hunting seasons open earlier than many others and offer one of the first opportunities to go afield each year. The action can be fast, offering lots of opportunities to shoot and the chance to sharpen your skills for the opening of other bird seasons later in the fall.

Sooty grouse are popular gamebirds in Oregon, but they're cryptic and tough to keep track of unless it's mating season and the male grouse are hooting. Starting in spring, biologists from all over western Oregon head up into the mountains driving forest service roads or logging roads to listen for hooting grouse. A recent partnership between Oregon State University and ODFW seeks to improve how we collect data about sooty grouse by utilizing acoustic audio recorders to better track when grouse are and are not hooting. Rated Moderately Nerdy

The Dungeness crab reigns supreme in Oregon, often the most desired fare for holiday meals. But there are many types of crabs in bays, estuaries and along Oregon's 300-mile coastline. We talk to ODFW shellfish project leader Mitch Vance about crab biology, habitat and just why they're so fun to go catch in this week's Beaver State Podcast.

The moose that was the impetus behind the formation of Oregon's own Nosler Inc. still hangs on the wall overlooking the production floor some 73 years after its famously tough hide led to a renaissance in hunting ammunition and the formation of Nosler. We talk to Nosler's Zach Waterman about the company's history, ammunition jargon and what new hunters need to understand about ballistics in this episode. Rated lightly nerdy.

The job of wildlife veterinarian at state fish and wildlife agencies is only a couple of decades old, but it relies on skills picked up over many years of working with many types of animals. From monitoring a nasty pneumonia in bighorn sheep to tracking a hemorrhagic disease in rabbits, Dr. Julia Burco is part disease detective, part infectious disease expert and part field/lab veterinarian. In this episode we explore her pathway to this job and talk about ongoing wildlife disease issues in the state and even finding love in in the midst of a busy career. Rated lightly nerdy.

Rabbit hunting is the third most popular type of hunting activity in the U.S., behind wild turkey and deer hunting. Few people take advantage of it in Oregon, but they should—rabbits and hares are abundant and there is no closed season or bag limit. Plus, they taste good!

When animal rights activist and practicing vegan Carla Brauer decided to look more deeply into animal agriculture to be more informed about it, it led down a rabbit hole and eventually to a chicken egg, which was the start of her journey towards hunting, taxidermy and small-scale farming. Brauer is now the Regional Director for Back Country Hunters and Anglers, a hunter education instructor for Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the owner of Dermestidarium Skull Cleaning, a service that utilizes beetles to strip the meat off of bones. We talk LGBTQ representation in hunting, the many pathways people

Young animals are rarely orphaned, so leave them where you find them. Chances are good mom is nearby, just waiting for you to leave before she returns to her baby. Leaving young wildlife where they are is the right thing to do, picking it up and taking it home is illegal.

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

No, your hunting and fishing license fees do not go to the general fund. We're mythbusting the ODFW budget in this episode of the Beaver State Podcast with ODFW director Curt Melcher and Deputy Director Erica Kleiner. We tackle questions about ODFW's fancy, new-ish headquarters in Salem, which actually saves the agency money, the new Electronic Licensing System, which also saves money, where your license and tag money goes, how the budget gets approved and how you can get involved in that process. Rated slightly nerdy

During summer drought and high temperatures, fish start feeling the heat. Give them a break by following these warm weather fishing guidelines.

Every two years, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff embark on a week-long process of hauling fingerling trout to ski resorts in the Cascade Mountains, where they have a date with a helicopter and a special Aerial Stocking Device and a sky dive into an alpine lake. Many of these fish spend the summer eating aquatic and terrestrial insects and growing larger, until they grow to legal size the next year. ODFW's Recreational Fishing Managers, Mike Gauvin tells us this reseeding the high lakes effort is popular with anglers seeking the solitude and beauty of fishing these remote lakes.

Pauline Baker, director of rehab at Central Oregon's ThinkWild, spends a lot of time talking to people on the phone, because many animals that people think they should take to rehab don't actually need it. But when they do need it, there are a few pathways to success that professional rehabbers like Baker can use to help increase the chances of a successful recovery and release back into the wild.