![photo of two turkey hunters wearing lots of camo](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/Clothing%20considerations.jpg?itok=6eSt4XQ6)
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As with all types of hunting, it’s important to choose the right kind of clothing for turkey hunting. Early in the spring turkey season, conditions can be very cold and wet compared to later in the season. At the same time, higher elevations may be colder than the valley floors. The fall turkey hunting season also offers a wide-range of weather conditions, in a variety of places. The weather in October can be very different than conditions in late December. This means proper clothing is important no matter what time of year or where in the state you’re hunting. Layer
![photo of two turkey hunters wearing lots of camo](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/Clothing%20considerations.jpg?itok=6eSt4XQ6)
High overhead at the top of the rimrock in Oregon's desert country, the White-throated swift swoops, soars, and darts about erratically, hunting and catching insects. At great speed, it disappears into a crevice on a cliff without appearing to slow down. Its long, strong claws enable it to crawl deep inside these crevices to roosting and nesting areas, which often cannot be seen from the entrance. This bird is a locally common to abundant breeder, primarily on eastern Oregon cliffs. It is an occasional spring and sporadic fall migrant in western Oregon along the coast, in the Willamette Valley, and
![white-throated_swift_julio_mulero_flickr.jpg White-throated swift](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/white-throated_swift_julio_mulero_flickr_cx.jpg?itok=jdI7F9fn)
The McKenzie River originates in the Cascade Range and empties into the Willamette River near Eugene, which then flows northward into the Columbia River. McKenzie Hatchery was first constructed in 1938 and rebuilt in 1975. Today, 30 rearing ponds, a visitor's center, spawning room, egg incubation facility, office, feed storage, shop area, fish ladder and picnic area are the main components of the facility layout. McKenzie Hatchery is temporarily closed to comply with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality permit conditions. Visitors should be aware that no fish are present in the facilities' production raceways and show ponds. Fish have been
![using hemostats to remove hook from fish's mouth](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2021-07/unhookin%20fish.jpg?itok=4_oq1i45)
![Hybrid bass_Wiper from Ana Reservoir Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2019-03/Hybrid%20bass_Ana%20Res.jpg?itok=4KmQUl9p)
Turkeys make a lot of different sounds, many of which are different in spring and fall. Though most hunters can routinely fill tags by using only two or three sounds, it’s good to know what other sounds turkeys make and why. The hen yelp and variations The most commonly heard sound in the turkey woods is made by the hen, and it’s called a yelp. Toms also yelp, but it’s louder, raspier and often more drawn-out than that of hens. The yelp is usually delivered in a series of one-note tunes. However, yelps can take on various forms. Specifically, there
![image of two tom turkeys talking trash](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/Sounds-turkeys-make-NWTF.jpg?itok=YBB5JryG)
This tiny owl has a reputation as an aggressive predator on everything from mice and voles to birds and mammals over twice its size. Coloration is highly variable with brown and gray morphs. In Oregon, color varies from dark brown in coastal mountains to gray in eastern Oregon, with an intermediate pale grayish-brown form in the Cascade mountains. About the length of a White-crowned sparrow, it has striking yellow eyes, dark vertical streaks on the breast and abdomen, and dark "eyespots" on the back of the head. It is primarily diurnal and can often be approached quite closely when it
![89_pygmy_owl_odfw_0.jpg Pygmy owl](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/89_pygmy_owl_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=O9z4BdNg)
With short pointed wings and long narrow tails, these small falcons are well built for fast pursuit and mid-air attacks. Sexes differ in color and size, with adult males about 25 percent smaller by weight than females. Males range from blackish gray to pale blue-gray on the back with a reddish wash along sides of the breast and a banded tail; females have brownish backs. In winter, it can be found throughout the state in open or semi-open habitats, but it is most regular near major estuaries, lakes, reservoirs, and occasionally in cities where food supplies are reliable. For nesting
![9053_merlin_swingle_odfw.jpg Merlin falcon](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/9053_merlin_swingle_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=uANiZSic)
![brownlee_res_idaho_fish_and_game.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2018-03/brownlee_res_idaho_fish_and_game.jpg?itok=VoPy1uBU)
![photo of three smiling women each holding a Dungeness crab](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2019-12/Three%20women%20with%20crab.jpg?itok=2Ka0-ZAg)
As the winter day turns to dusk, White-tailed kites drop into their roosts and Short-eared owls rise to take their place on the local hunting grounds. White-tailed kites in Oregon often roost communally in winter, but they disperse in early spring and are more difficult to find during the breeding season. By day, they are conspicuous as they hover over rural fields searching for prey, in part because of their pale appearance. The tail is entirely white, as are the head and the underparts. Dark crescents on the underwing can be seen when a bird is flying or hovering. Above
![white_tailed_kite_len_blumin_flickr.jpg White-tailed kite](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/white_tailed_kite_len_blumin_flickr_0.jpg?itok=6c_Td7_5)
![photo of a copper rockfish](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2019-12/copper%20rockfish.jpg?itok=wZqRhiPr)
Aug. 28, 2024 If there's not a photo, it didn't happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Best bets for weekend fishing: Hatchery summer steelhead fishing has been productive in the McKenzie and Middle Fork Willamette below Dexter. The summer steelhead run in the North Santiam has been the strongest since 2016 with over 4,700 adults already counted at Stayton. Most fish are working their way upriver to cooler water. Willamette River smallmouth bass fishing is excellent this time of year, especially early or late in the day. Wilderness Lakes
![Alton Baker Family FIshing Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2017-09/Alton%20Baker%201.jpg?itok=9X3Z78M1)
The Northern harrier is a slender, medium-sized hawk characterized by a noticeably long tail, bold white rump patch, and owl-like face. Commonly encountered in large expanses of open country, its main hunting technique is through use of a distinctive buoyant, gliding flight low over the ground that relies heavily on visual as well as auditory cues to detect prey. The larger females have rich brown upperparts while adult males are mostly light to medium gray, sometimes appearing almost ghostly silvery-white. Males are noted for their high-spirited and acrobatic courtship displays, in particular a series of dives and barrel rolls in
![northern_harrier_2_nowak_odfw.jpg Northern harrier](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/northern_harrier_2_nowak_odfw.jpg?itok=wOOy6Fdz)
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
![image of a turkey box call](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/Using-box-call-NWTF.jpg?itok=GJmjtwpK)
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
![image of a hunter striking a slate with the striker](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/Using-pot-call.jpg?h=8b92fa15&itok=hL71cNjI)
Aug. 28, 2024 If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Best bets for weekend fishing Jubilee Lake should provide good trout fishing into the summer. Wallowa Lake can have good fishing for rainbow trout throughout the summer. There's been some good trout fishing in the south fork of the Walla Walla River. Fishing the Wallowa River for trout and whitefish can be good throughout the summer. Bass fishing on the John Day remains a good bet for late summer fishing. Magone Lake is