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Educational Moment
In the spring, hunters try to take advantage of a tom’s predicted behavior during breeding season to bag a bird. In the fall, hunters fill their turkey tags by studying food sources and the daily routine of birds. Turkeys follow food sources As fall progresses, food sources for turkeys change. In late summer and early fall, turkeys largely feed on high-protein insects. Grasshoppers are a primary food source throughout Oregon this time of year. Silk worms, caterpillars, spiders and other bugs make up a good part of a turkey ’s fall diet. As fall leads to winter, earthworms and a
May 19, 2020
Educational Moment
A box calls is the most popular turkey call, and is a good choice for new turkey hunters. Box calls not only are easy to use, but they can sound very realistic. A box call can create a wide range of yelps, clucks, purrs, fighting purrs, cackles and gobbles. If you can get yelps, clucks and purrs to sound good on a box call, you’ll routinely bring in birds. Parts of a box call Box calls come in two parts – a narrow rectangular box with a paddle attached at one end. Attached with a single screw in the center
May 19, 2020
Officials urge public to avoid contact with sick or dead birds as avian flu persists across Oregon
SALEM, Ore. – People across Oregon are being urged to avoid contact with sick or dead birds as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to impact wild and domestic bird populations across the state. There is currently no effective treatment for wild and domestic birds, and the virus can…
December 3, 2025
Recreation Report
SE Fishing December 4, 2025 Best bets for weekend fishing Yellow perch fishing is still an option in Recreation Creek, Pelican Bay Area of Upper Klamath Lake, Sevenmile Canal Mouth, and Fourmile Canal. Best fishing for wild, native trout in the Klamath Basin will be the Klamath River. There are some nice holdover trout in the Malheur River below Warmsprings right now. Trout fishing has been great at Chickahominy Reservoir Crappie are abundant in Wolf Creek Reservoir with some nicer fish around 8 inches available. Crappie fishing in Owhyee Reservoir has been good. Channel catfish are a popular option. Find
September 05, 2017
Recreation Report
CENTRAL WILDLIFE VIEWING December 4, 2025 Crook County Fall ungulate migration will soon be upon us. You can find mule deer transitioning from high elevation summer feeding areas to the lower elevation sagebrush and agricultural areas. There are red-tailed, rough-legged and ferruginous hawks, northern harriers, American kestrels, prairie falcons and golden eagles throughout Crook County and they're usually associated more closely with open/agricultural areas. Bald eagles and ospreys, on the other hand, are more closely associated with water bodies. Look for northern goshawks throughout the Ochoco National Forest, and for ducks and geese in rivers and lakes. Prineville Reservoir Wildlife
September 05, 2017
Article
Rockfish must be released when retention is prohibited or when an angler has reached the daily bag limit, but continues to fish for other species. However, releasing rockfish isn’t as simple as just dropping them back into the water. Some rockfish need help to get back down to deeper water to recover from a condition called barotrauma.
Article
The white sturgeon is one of Oregon's most iconic and distinctive fish species with a lineage dating back to the age of the dinosaurs. Due to population concerns, the sturgeon fishery is highly regulated in terms of retention opportunity and size limits. The structure of retention seasons is likely to change in 2026 with no New Year's Day opener in Bonneville and The Dalles pools, as quotas have been met in just a few days in recent years. Oregon and Washington will hold a joint state hearing Nov. 13, 2025 at 2 p.m. to discuss and lay out a new
November 4, 2025
Hunters play key role in CWD testing: Reminder to stop at CWD Check Stations (in Baker City, Celilo Park, Elgin, Prineville, Riley, Ukiah)
SALEM, Ore.—As 2025 deer and elk hunting seasons begin, ODFW is ramping up its Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance statewide. Hunters are encouraged to take advantage of streamlined testing options and reminded that CWD check stations are mandatory to stop at when transporting harvested deer…
September 25, 2025
Article
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.
December 20, 2022
Article
This is your one-stop platform for learning how to hunt and fish in Oregon. Register to participate in one or more of the many statewide events and workshops, check back items are updated weekly. Build your confidence and expand your knowledge to enjoy the great outdoors. Looking for the required youth hunter safety courses and field days, choose between a conventional in-person course or complete one of the online education courses and an in-person field day. Sign up for a location, date and time that works with your schedule. Hunter safety events are taught by certified volunteer instructors statewide. To
August 14, 2025
Article
The Oregon Health Authority has issued an advisory for recreationally harvested softshell and gaper clams along the Oregon coast due to arsenic contamination. Visit healthoregon.ogr/fishadv to lean more, including shellfish cleaning guidelines that reduce your exposure.
Educational Moment
Pot calls, often called slate calls, are friction-style calls that are easy to use and produce a range of turkey sounds. Parts of a pot call A pot call consists of three parts: a pot, a calling surface and a striker. The pot holds the slate and acts as a sound chamber. There are holes drilled in the bottom for sound to escape. To keep from covering the holes, hold the pot with the tips of your fingers, keeping it away from the palm of your hand. Pot calls can be made to be all-weather, with the right striker. The
May 19, 2020
Educational Moment
Turkey hunters using a shotgun face a very small target – the head and neck of a turkey. Combine that with today’s specialized turkey loads shooting very tight patterns, and making a clean kill shot might depend on a steady shooting rest. Turkeys are nervous-looking birds that seem to never stop moving. Because of their monocular vision and eyes set on the side of their skull, turkeys are often moving and bobbing their heads to try to decipher what they’re seeing. Consider a shooting rest If you’ve got your gun in a ready position, and are waiting for a turkey
May 19, 2020
Article
A dozen great rivers pour out of the Coast Range Mountains into tidal bays that welcome runs of salmon and the sea-going rainbow trout called “steelhead.” Bays are the year-round home to marine perch, rockfish, crabs and clams, while other species come and go with the seasons and the tides. In the Northwest Zone a handful of ponds dot the forested slopes, and there are dozens of dune lakes— many stocked with plump rainbow trout, and some that grow their own largemouth bass, perch, crappie and brown bullhead.
Article
Check out the fishing, clamming, crabbing and hunting regulation updates for 2024. These new regulations are highlighted in yellow in both online and printed versions.
December 21, 2023
Recreation Report
Central Fishing December 4, 2025 Best bets for weekend fishing Steelhead anglers have been doing well on the lower Deschutes all the way up to Mecca Flat Fall is great time to fish the Crooked and Metolius Rivers. Anglers report excellent dry fly and nymphing opportunities on Fall River. Anglers report good bank fishing opportunities for trout at Haystack Reservoir Anglers report excellent kokanee fishing at Lake Billy Chinook. Trout stocking Weekly fish stocking will resume in March, 2026. Check out the 2025 stocking schedule. Trout stocking maps Check out the ODFW fishing and trout stocking maps to find nearby
September 05, 2017
Recreation Report
Willamette fishing December 4, 2025 Best bets for weekend fishing: The Willamette River and other water bodies are increasing in activity. Several waterbodies will be stocked with trout this week. Cascade Hike-in Lakes offer beauty, serenity, and the potential for untrammeled fishing opportunities. Trout stocking Stocked the week of Nov 17-21: Row River nature park (formerly Cottage Grove Lake) Scheduled to be stocked the week of Nov 24-28: Walter Wirth Lake, Mt Hood Pond at MHCC campus, Waverly Lake, Junction City Pond, Timber Linn Lake. Check the 2025 trout stocking schedule Trout stocking maps Check out the ODFW fishing and
September 05, 2017
Article
Buy licenses/tags online and print them immediately from any printer—or choose electronic tagging to carry your documents and tag fish and game with the MyODFW mobile app on your phone. Buy a license
Article
Binoculars? Check. Field guide? Check. Now what? Learn the basics for bird watching.
Article
Digging razor clams is a challenging and fun recreational pastime with delicious rewards. Continue reading to learn some fundamental skills needed to harvest razor clams.
