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What to get for family and friends who love the outdoors—the birder, hiker, aspiring angler, avid hunter or neighbor who cares deeply about conservation? ‌Here's a list of gift ideas that get them outdoors the entire year or contribute to conserving fish, wildlife and their habitats.

Fishing isn’t hard, but it can be confusing to know how to begin. Here’s a step-by-step approach to get from thinking about it to doing it.

The free disabled veteran combination license, and permit for disabled hunters and anglers make it easier for everyone to participate.

Sport fishing offers youth and adults alike a healthy and fun recreational activity that can be shared for a lifetime with friends and family. Workshops are offered statewide throughout the year. View and register for an upcoming event: Classes and W or kshops.

Summer Lake Wildlife Area was established in 1944, with primary objectives of protecting and improving waterfowl habitat and providing a public hunting area. It is now a popular destination for hunting, wildlife viewing and environmental education due to its geographic setting, the abundance of wildlife present and species diversity.

Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area is located in the Oregon Coast Range Mountains, in the northwestern part of the state. The wildlife area was established in 1969, with an initial purchase of 183 acres. It now encompasses 1,114 acres. The wildlife area’s purpose is to protect and enhance habitat to benefit native wildlife species, to reduce wildlife damage to adjacent properties, and to provide the public with an opportunity to observe wildlife in a natural setting.

Following droughts in the 1930s that affected most of North America, major conservation efforts, both private and governmental, were enacted to reverse trends of degrading and disappearing wetlands. During this time period there was a major creation and expansion of Federal refuges and State wildlife areas. As the concept of waterfowl flyway management was endorsed and developed, wildlife areas were acquired and managed as part of a larger plan focused on migratory waterfowl needs. Klamath Wildlife Area was one of several wetland-focused wildlife areas established in Oregon. KWA was established in 1958, with primary objectives of protecting and improving waterfowl…

Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area provides winter range for mule deer populations and year-round habitat for a variety of wildlife including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Elk, deer, and bighorn sheep viewing is often good during winter and early spring. Bird watching is excellent all year. Native habitats include sagebrush shrubland, riparian, ponderosa pine forest, western juniper woodland and mixed conifer which support a diversity of fish and wildlife. The riparian areas along the mainstem John Day River, South Fork John Day River and Murderers Creek provide excellent habitat for many birds. Upland areas provide important habitat for passerines and…

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife owns or manages nearly 200,000 acres of land set aside for wildlife use and public recreation. The ODFW Wildlife Area Parking Permit helps fund habitat improvements and visitor amenities such as parking, restrooms and interpretive signs at these wildlife refuges. Buy a Parking Permit

This list features some of the best performing videos of the year and takes viewers to unique parts of Oregon where biologists work to protect fish, wildlife and habitats for everyone to enjoy.

Join the community scientists who have shared their wildlife observations in Oregon throughout the iNaturalist app. Record your sightings of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles from around the state and contribute valuable data to wildlife conservation.

White River Wildlife Area was established in 1953. Located along the east slope of the Cascade Mountains in the north central part of Oregon, the wildlife area encompasses 29,480 acres. An additional 1,280 acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is managed by the ODFW bringing the total acres managed by the department to 30,760. The primary purpose of White River Wildlife Area is to provide winter range habitat for black-tailed deer and Rocky Mountain elk and to minimize big game damage to adjacent private agricultural lands.

Pioneer and other licenses are available for senior hunters and anglers at a reduced cost.

Information gleaned from the teeth of harvested black-tail deer will help ODFW biologists learn more about the deer population.

The FRWA was created by a licensing agreement signed in 1957 and modified in 1982 and 2008, between the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Game Commission. This agreement authorized the state to develop, conserve, and manage all wildlife resources on 5,261 acres of land and water within the Fern Ridge Project. ODFW also acquired the 309 acre Coyote Creek South and 224 acre Coyote Creek Northeast units in 2013 and 2015, respectively. The wildlife area now totals 5,794 acres.