Search myodfw.com
This massive area is a cornucopia of geographic features and prime upland and waterfowl hunting opportunities. It is a gem of Oregon.
Features: Both male and female mountain quail have a tall, straight, head plume that is black. They also have a chestnut brown throat patch that is bordered by a white stripe. Their head and shoulders are a gray color that fades into olive-brown on their backs. Their sides are brown with several black and white stripes making them a beautiful bird. Habitat: Mountain quail are native birds found on both sides of the Cascades. They thrive in the natural brushlands of southwestern Oregon and are also found in northwestern Oregon when suitable habitat is created by logging, fire or other
Features: The coot can't be mistaken in a wetland. With a black body, white curved bill and red eyes, these birds often move in rafts on the water. Low flyers, they still require furious wing beats before taking flight. Habitats: These birds can be found in wetlands, estuaries and bays where other waterfowl are found. Techniques: Coots are often taken as they enter decoy spreads. Not widely targeted, hunters may pinch a raft into a choke point to take birds on the wing.
Features: Slender birds, mourning doves have long tails and small heads. Their soft cooing and whistling wings make them unmistakable. Habitats: Mourning doves perch on telephone wires or in trees. They forage on the ground for seeds. Techniques: Scouting is always helpful. Look for a tree or telephone line that is near a food crop. Once a location is found, find a spot where a backdrop will breakup your silhouette and take a seat. Wait for a passing shot. Extra shells may be necessary.
Features: Female pheasants are brown on top and paler underneath. They have black spots on their sides and black bars throughout their tails. The males are much more conspicuous with bright red on their head, a white band around their necks, and an iridescent copper color on their sides and backs. Their tails are long and pointed with barring. Habitat: The ringneck is a farmland species, heavily dependent on cereal grains and other seeds. They also like taller vegetation for cover. Technique: Because pheasants are tied so closely to agriculture, the majority of hunting opportunity occurs on private lands. State
Hunting opportunities abound in the densely forested southwest corner of Oregon. From the beautiful, ragged coastline through the Siskiyou Mountains to Crater Lake National Park, there is something for every game bird hunter.
From the eastern flanks of Crater Lake National Park through ponderosa pine forests to the nationally-renowned Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, there is something for every bird hunter in south central Oregon.
Features: Male cinnamon teal have a cinnamon-red head, neck, breast and belly. Like blue-winged teal, t hey have a bright patch of iridescent green on the rear of the wing and a bright blue patch on the front of the wing . They also have a distinctive red eye, a black bill and yellow legs and feet. Female and young male cinnamon teal are often confused with female blue-winged teal. Habitat: Prefer shallow, alkaline lakes where they dabble on aquatic plans. Techniques: Most cinnamon teal in Oregon are taken in eastern Oregon in the early season. They are not common
Features: Both males and females have a bluish bill with a black tip. Drakes are white on the top of the head, green eye stripes, purplish breast and flanks, white belly and wing covert patch, and have an iridescent black/green speculum. The grayish hen shows white on the wing covert patch. Habitat: An abundant overwintering duck, especially in the Willamette Valley and coastal areas. Prefer shallow habitats like wet meadows or marshes where, like geese, they feed on green grass and sedges. Techniques: These ducks are early migrants (September) but can be common in mixed duck bags throughout the season
This vast area covers the Columbia Basin through the Blue, Wallowa and Elkhorn mountains to the Snake River.
Spring turkey hunting is about appealing to a tom’s urge to mate. Fall hunting, on the other hand, is about keying in on a flock’s daily routine. Look for a lone bird As fall turkey flocks become established, there’s a pecking order in each group. It’s not uncommon for a lone bird – usually a jake or young tom – to be wandering by himself looking for a flock to join. If you spot a lone bird, waste no time trying to get in front of him to set up and call. Don’t intimidate the lone bird with aggressive calling
The transition from forested foothills of Mt. Hood to the beginnings of the Columbia Basin offers bird hunters an array of wing shooting opportunities.
Features: Hungarian partridge have a gray-brown body with reddish brown barring on their wings, back and tail. Their beak and legs are gray. Habitat: In eastern Oregon, the best partridge populations exist in Columbia and Snake River basin counties. Although some birds may be found many miles from farming areas, the bunchgrass and sagebrush foothills adjacent to wheat and other farmlands provide the best habitat and the most stable populations. Technique: "Huns" are swift and challenging birds to hunt, usually bursting from the cover with a startling squeal and clatter of wings. They are typically hunted incidentally to pheasants or
Features: The distinctive white band across the base of their bill gives this goose its name. It is medium in size with a gray and brown body. Adults have d ark brown and black spots on their chests and breasts give this goose the "specklebelly" nickname, while the young of the year birds are a nondescript gray with yellow legs and bills. Habitats: The white-fronted goose grazes on a mixture of grasses and grains. It can often be found in agricultural lands. Techniques: Hunting white-fronted geese is not for the faint-hearted. Scouting is necessary. And since they're mostly found in
Features: Adult males' plumage is black except for white patches on the forehead and nape. The most distinguishing feature is the bill, a swollen white, red-orange, yellow, and black wedge. This highly visible standard advertises male's presence for up to a mile. Dark-billed adult females and subadults are dark brown above and paler brown below, with two indistinct light patches on the cheeks and sometimes on the nape Habitat: The surf scoter does not breed in Oregon but is abundant on salt water along the coast from fall through spring. Look for surf scoters in the Columbia River estuary and
Features: A medium-size goose, adult snow geese are white with black-tipped wings that are visible in flight. Their pronounced pink bill has a dark "grinning" patch across it, and they have pinkish feet. Young of the year snow geese are grayish white with grey legs and bills. These birds are very vocal and can be heard over a mile away. Habitat: Snow geese are well-adapted to agricultural land. They can also be found in wetlands, roosting in open water. Sauvie Island, Summer Lake and Klamath wildlife areas have abundant snow goose populations during various times of year. Technique: Snow geese
Features: During the fall, winter and spring months, males can be quickly identified by their distinctive iridescent green heads. Females are mottled-brown, with a dark brown stripe through each eye, an orange bill with black splotching and have orange legs. Immature ducks resemble adult females until the males develop more colorful plumage in early fall. After breeding season, males develop duller eclipse plumage beginning in June and resemble hens until mid-September. Wings of both sexes have a violet-blue speculum bordered in front and behind by a pronounced white stripe. Habitat: Mallards are the most common breeding and wintering duck in