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Article

Avoid "accidental" poaching: Know your target

"I was out hunting near a reserve, and I shot a white-tailed deer. I didn’t know it was a white-tailed deer. The rules don’t say what kind of deer to hunt, they just say a deer, and I shot a deer, but I guess it’s a white-tail. What do I do now?" "Do I have to turn myself in to OSP?" -- recent call to ODFW

December 8, 2020

photo of a white-tailed deer doe standing in a shrubby field

Site Sections

Big Game Hunting: Seasons

Spring, fall and winter are the seasons when most big game hunters will be in the woods or on the grasslands. Visit e-regulations

Article

Start hunting game birds

Whether it’s spending more time outdoors or harvesting food to fill the freezer, there are many reasons to become a hunter. Here’s how to take the first steps into the field.

August 18, 2025

Article

Report your hunt

If you bought a tag you must report, even if you weren't successful or didn't hunt. Report your hunt online or at an ODFW license vendor. Hunters have until January 31 (or April 15 if purchased a late tag) each year to report their previous year's hunts.

December 8, 2025

Article

How to check (and earn) preference points

Check your preference points.

Article

Hunting opportunities for youth

Mentored Youth Hunter Program allows youth 9 through 15 years of age to hunt without first passing an approved hunter safety education program. It gives unlicensed youngsters an unlimited opportunity to receive mentored, one-on-one field experience and training on the ethics, safety, responsibility and enjoyment of hunting while closely supervised by a licensed adult who is 21 years of age or older and who has a valid license and tag(s) for the dates, area and species being hunted. Register for the Mentored Youth Hunter Program free of charge online (or after clicking the online link – go to Purchase from…

April 27, 2026

Article

Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation

The Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation is required for all winter steelhead anglers fishing in the Rogue Basin or on the south coast from Dec. 1 to April 30. In addition, a harvest tag is required to keep wild winter steelhead in this area.‌ Visit e-regulations

October 25, 2023

Several Rogue River fishing boats pulled up on shore

Article

Hunting bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat

Bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat the rarest game mammals in Oregon today, with less than 100 bighorn sheep tags and 20 Rocky Mtn goat tags offered in 2015. The tags are “once-in-a-lifetime” so hunters who draw them can’t draw them again.

March 2, 2019

Article

Hunting cougar in Oregon

Cougar season and hunting information, including information about cougar conflict target areas. Resuming in 2022, successful cougar hunters must appear in-person at an ODFW office to check in their cougar.

Article

Apply for an emergency hunt

An emergency hunt is an unanticipated hunt held on short notice to address acute agricultural damage. Many damage situations are addressed by controlled hunts during annual big game seasons. ODFW expects to implement very few emergency hunts during any year. On average, about 200 tags are issued annually statewide. Emergency hunt tags are in addition to tags for general seasons, controlled hunts or leftover hunts. Emergency hunt participants are selected from a list established on a county-by-county basis. You may apply for only one county.

Article

Premium big game hunts

ODFW’s Premium Hunts give any hunter a chance to draw an additional deer, elk or pronghorn tag with a months-long season.

Article

Big game raffle and auction hunts

All funds raised by deer and elk auction and raffle tags go directly to the Access and Habitat Program. Funds raised by bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and Rocky Mountain goat auction and raffle tags go directly to the management of those species.

November 25, 2025

Landing page

Landowner Preference Program

The Landowner Preference Program (LOP) was established to acknowledge the contribution of private lands to support wildlife and provide a form of compensation to landowners for resources used by wildlife. Tags are available to landowners, family members, and others designated by the landowner based on the acreage owned. Pronghorn hunts are only available to landowners and family members. Recipients of LOP tags may only hunt on the property for which they are registered. step-by-step instructions Create Landowner Account

November 18, 2025

Article

Oregon Disabilities Hunting and Fishing Permit information

April 15, 2026

Species and Subspecies

Black-tailed jackrabbit

The black-tailed jackrabbit is slightly smaller than the white-tailed jackrabbit but considerably larger than the snowshoe hare. In conformation, it is much like the white-tailed jackrabbit. West of the Cascade Range, the dorsal hairs of this rabbit have gray blending to dark-brown or blackish base followed by a narrow band of buff and a black tip. Hairs on the throat, sides, and rump have gray bases blending to buff with short black tips. On the venter, hairs are white with light pinkish-buff tips. The tail is black on the dorsum and dark buff on the venter. The ears are dark…

Article

Fishing opportunities for youth and disabled anglers

A few waterbodies in Oregon are set aside just for younger anglers and those with disabilities—offering everything from warmwater and stocked trout to salmon and steelhead fishing.

Article

Exclusive benefits for uniformed services and disabled veterans

ODFW wants to make sure our uniformed service members are given the opportunity to participate in the outdoor recreation Oregon has to offer.

April 15, 2026

Press Release

Angling closed on the lowest reach of Eagle Creek in the Clackamas basin Sept. 27 through Oct. 31

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Angling will be closed on the lowest reach of Eagle Creek in the Clackamas basin from Sept. 27 through Oct. 31 to give coho salmon a safe resting area amid ongoing low water flows. The closure is from SE Dowty Road downstream to the Clackamas River confluence…

September 26, 2025

Article

10 ways to be a better cougar hunter

Oregon’s population of about 6,000 cougars occupies a wide variety of habitat across the state, offering a year-round, readily-accessible hunting opportunity.

August 29, 2019

Species and Subspecies

Birds

If this is a new activity for you, our friends at the Audubon Society have tips on how to start birding and how to connect with other birders. This is a great resource that also includes tips on choosing binoculars, reviews and recommendations on the best birding apps and field guides, and an easy seven-point guide on how to identify birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has an extensive website that includes the world's largest archive of wildlife sounds and videos, bird cams, eBird citizen science opportunities, scientific publications, bird guides, bird nesting box plans and more. ODFW's Living with…