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When preparing your turkey for the pot, you can either skin it or pluck it. Because wild turkeys have such thin skin, many hunters prefer skinning their turkeys as it ’s must faster than plucking the bird. Pick up where you left off gutting the bird Simply continue making the cut in the skin from the body cavity, all the way up the breast bone to the base of the neck. The skin is thin enough that you often can peel it free from the breast meat. Slide your thumbs under the skin and working it up and away from…

SALEM, Ore. – The Private Forest Accord (PFA) Advisory Committee will hold its regular virtual meeting on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff will present two new funding pathways for the PFA Grants Program, Land Transactions and Water Transactions, followed by Advisory Committee discussion of…

Tucker Jones, Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program Manager Summary of 2024 Fisheries and Outlook for 2025 Fisheries The Columbia River Management section of OSCRP has posted a document to the ODFW website with preliminary estimates of 2024 salmon returns and fishery results, 2025 run forecasts for spring Chinook, summer Chinook, and sockeye salmon, as well as a list of currently-known key dates for 2025 fisheries planning milestones. This document is prepared jointly by the ODFW and WDFW Columbia River fishery management staffs each year. This useful document has a table of salmonid returns/forecasts that will be updated on our…

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – The two-rod validation will not be available for the Willamette River in 2026 as the forecast for hatchery-origin adult fish does not meet the minimum return threshold. The 2026 Columbia River spring-summer forecast anticipates 43,700 adult Willamette-origin spring Chinook will return to the mouth of the Columbia…

Shooting a target while standing up at the range is a lot different from shooting a turkey while sitting in a ground blind. When practicing for a hunting trip, recreate your shooting scenario. Whether it will be standing, sitting, kneeling, and in or out of a ground blind. Shooting a turkey There ’s no substitute for practicing in conditions that closely resemble those you’ll be hunting in, and this is especially true for bowhunters looking to bag a turkey. Turkeys are nervous birds with very small kill zones, so accurate shot placement is critical for getting a quick, clean kill…

LA GRANDE, Ore. – Effective Aug. 1 through Sep. 30, minimum and maximum size limits as well as the daily and possession bag limits for rainbow trout and bass are suspended for Thief Valley Reservoir (Southeast Zone) located in Union County. Harvest will be allowed by hand, dip net, or…

Enterprise, Ore. – Beginning Friday, Sept. 19 through Friday, Oct. 31, harvest of wild adult Chinook salmon (non-adipose clipped, ≥ 24 inches) will be closed in the Snake River from the Oregon/Washington border upstream to Hells Canyon Dam. During this period, anglers may continue to harvest adipose-clipped (hatchery) fall Chinook…

SALEM, Ore. — ODFW is seeking applicants to serve on two public advisory committees that support its Fish Screening and Fish Passage Programs. These programs play a vital role in protecting native fish populations across the state. Through collaboration with landowners, agencies, and conservation partners, the programs work to keep…

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – Learn how to spot and identify animal tracks, splash around in a stream to check out aquatic bugs, and play "survival of the fish-est." Join the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Jackson County Parks, and Rogue River Watershed Council for Wildlife Wisdom every Saturday from…

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Recreation access sites within the restored Klamath River reach between Keno, Ore., and Hornbrook, Calif., will remain open as winter conditions allow. The five recreation day-use access sites now open until further notice are as follows: Pioneer Park West (Ore.) Moonshine Falls (Ore.) K'utárawáx·u (prounounced ku-ta-ra-wa-hhu)…

NEWPORT, Ore. – New research from Oregon's south coast highlights the positive economic impact of science and tourism within Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve. The study quantifies the number of jobs supported and income generated by these activities, providing important data for the local Port Orford community, policymakers, conservation practitioners, and…

SALEM, Ore. – The Private Forest Accord (PFA) Advisory Committee will hold its regular virtual meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. ODFW staff will present two new funding pathways for the PFA Grants Program, Land Transactions and Water Transactions, followed by Advisory Committee discussion of these pathways and the accompanying…