![A pair of shotgun shooters getting instruction](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2022-02/Coaching%20%236.jpg?itok=vmpa2BOQ)
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Features: Sacramento perch are blackish above with about seven vertical dark bars that are irregular in form and position. They are not a true perch, but a sunfish. It is the only member of the sunfish family native to the west coast and, in Oregon, is found only in the Klamath Basin. Sacramento perch are distinguished from the other sunfish in Oregon by having 12 or 13 dorsal fin spines whereas all the others have 10 or fewer. Maximum size in Oregon is about 12-inches in length and a weight of about 3/4 pound, although in California they have been
![sacramento_perch_ray_krebs_flickr.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/sacramento_perch_ray_krebs_flickr.jpg?itok=uDjpmGQo)
Although quite common in the U.S., the Black-crowned night-heron's nocturnal and crepuscular feeding habits can make it difficult to locate. Its habitat consists of marshes, lakes, rivers, and other wetlands, where it feeds mostly on fish. It is a thick-billed, medium-sized, stocky heron with relatively short neck and legs. Adults have a black back and cap which contrast with the pale gray or whitish underparts. Immatures have brown backs with large pale spots and heavily streaked underparts. A distinctive choking squawk call is often heard at dusk. It is a fairly common summer resident east of the Cascades where it
![3159_black-crowned_night_heron_bronson.jpg Black-crowned night heron](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/3159_black-crowned_night_heron_bronson.jpg?itok=_WATcMQW)
Features: Redear sunfish are often confused with bluegill, but differ by having a red or orange border around the black ear flap and by lacking the spot on the dorsal fin and the vertical bars on the side. Habitat: In Oregon, redear sunfish are found only in a few ponds in the Willamette Valley and the central part of the state. In their native range, redear sunfish prefer warm, large lakes and reservoirs and bayous with vegetated shallow areas and clear water. They feed primarily on the bottom and seldom take surface insects. The diet consists mostly of zooplankton, insect
![redear_sunfish_patrick_lewis_flickr.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/redear_sunfish_patrick_lewis_flickr.jpg?itok=w1G2_Cxu)
![angler holding a very large lake trout](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2021-03/281_bull_trout_LBChinook.jpg?itok=DFUDRSc_)
Features: The color of all trout varies with environment. In general, the rainbow is bluish-green on the back, silvery on the sides and belly, and has a white edge to the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. A generous sprinkling of black spots appear along the back, and on the dorsal, adipose and caudal fins. A pinkish band usually extends along the sides. Habitat: Rainbow trout are the most widely stocked and distributed trout in Oregon. They occur naturally in many rivers and streams, and each year ODFW stocks millions more in ponds, lakes and streams. Prime trout waters are clear
![6810_rainbow_trout_munsel_odfw_1.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/6810_rainbow_trout_munsel_odfw_1.jpg?itok=gfqcLZ3a)
![A pair of shotgun shooters getting instruction](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2022-02/Coaching%20%236.jpg?itok=c6_CJs6Y)
![Image of father and son fishing at Mirror lake](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2019-06/angler%20at%20mirror%20lake.jpg?itok=XksWOzi2)
Features: Pumpkinseeds may be identified by the orange or red spot on the ear flap and the orange cheeks with wavy blue or turquoise stripes. Color is exceedingly brilliant and somewhat variable; olive to brassy-green above, the back finely dusted with gold or emerald. Habitat: Pumpkinseeds are found in the same habitats and often in association with bluegills. Adults often congregate beneath old deadheads and trees that have fallen into the water. Food habits are also similar to bluegill. They consume large numbers of snails by browsing on the stalks of aquatic vegetation. Techniques: Pumpkinseed are found in many of
![pumpkinseed_drainhook_flickr.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/pumpkinseed_drainhook_flickr.jpg?itok=YdBZSPiv)
Features: Warmouth have more of a bass-shaped body and a larger mouth than the other sunfishes, other than the green sunfish. Warmouth are yellowish brown in color with three or four brownish bars radiating back from the eye over the gill cover. They can be distinguished from the green sunfish by the absence of turquoise mottling on the gill cover and the lack of a dark spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin. Habitat: In Oregon, warmouth are present in a few coastal lakes and widely distributed in the Columbia basin, but are not commonly caught by anglers
![warmouth_clinton_and_charles_roberts_flickr.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/warmouth_clinton_and_charles_roberts_flickr.jpg?itok=j-Y17-X8)
Features: Color varies, but walleye are generally dark olive-brown on top grading to almost white below. Walleye have two well-separated dorsal fins; the first fin has a large black spot at its rear base. The opaque eyes, giving the fish its common name, and canine teeth are other prominent features. Habitat: Walleye are found in the Columbia, Willamette and Snake rivers. In the Willamette River, the walleye fishery is generally limited to the section downstream from Willamette Falls at Oregon City, although a few have been documented as far upstream as Dexter Dam. Walleye prefer large, clean and cold or
![walleye_31_inch_tom_nelson_or_bass_and_panfish_club.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/walleye_31_inch_tom_nelson_or_bass_and_panfish_club.jpg?itok=U3_x_H8z)
Gulls and terns can be seen year-round in Oregon, depending on the species. Gulls like open areas around water bodies and are frequently seen where human food is concentrated, such as dumps or restaurants. Terns are in the same family and usually are smaller and more slender.
![gulls_terns.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/gulls_terns.jpg?itok=f_cSrrtx)
Not sure what to do with a fishing rod even if you had one? Thought about hunting but getting started seems like an impossible task? Then let us help you. During ODFW's hands-on workshops and family fishing events we will provide the instruction and gear you'll need to actually catch a fish or shoot a pheasant. Other classes will help you navigate the controlled hunt process, or show you what equipment you'll need to hunt or fish.
![A pair of shotgun shooters getting instruction](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2022-02/Coaching%20%236.jpg?itok=vmpa2BOQ)
Not sure what to do with a fishing rod even if you had one? Thought about hunting but getting started seems like an impossible task? Then let us help you. During ODFW's hands-on workshops and family fishing events we will provide the instruction and gear you'll need to actually catch a fish or shoot a pheasant. Other classes will help you navigate the controlled hunt process, or show you what equipment you'll need to hunt or fish.
![Shooter aiming a shotgun while instructor looks on](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2024-04/shotgun%20instruction_0.jpg?h=864ba1b2&itok=fRw2Qwhi)
The pronghorn, often called "antelope," is deer-sized with relatively long and thin legs and feet with just two digits on each foot, a relatively small tail, and unique horns consisting of deciduous keratin sheaths set on bony cores arising from the fontal bones. Among males, the laterally flattened sheaths are long, branched and recurved, but in those females that possess horns they are short and simple. The horns and hooves are black. The front feet are larger and carry most of the weight when the pronghorn runs. The pelage is course. The dorsum is a light buff and is separated
![1407_antelope_buck.jpg Pronghorn](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Pronghorn_5_myatt_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=zolXtm7R)
It’s hard to enjoy a day of hunting if your feet are cramped, wet or cold. Many turkey hunters in Oregon have at least two different pairs of boots to meet the variety of conditions they might encounter while hunting. Rubber boot for cold, wet conditions Rubber knee boots are a good choice when conditions are cold and wet, and/or when you’ll be sitting for hours in a ground blind. Many boots are insulated to help keep your feet warm. If you’re looking at uninsulated boots, buy them ½ to one size larger than you normally wear. This will give
![image of two kinds of boots -- leather hiking and waterproof rubber](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/Footwear.jpg?itok=YfFflt3Z)
![1073_bass_crappie_balm_crk_arnold_odfw Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2018-03/1073_bass_crappie_balm_crk_arnold_odfw_hero.jpg?itok=K0DF2GsD)
Features: Largemouth bass are greenish on the back and sides with a white belly and usually a dark horizontal stripe along the side. They are distinguished from their close cousin, the smallmouth, by a large mouth with the upper jaw extending behind the eye. Largemouth bass in Oregon can exceed 25 inches in length and a weight of 12 pounds. Habitats: Their preferred habitats are shallow ponds and lakes, or the backwater sloughs of rivers where aquatic plants or submerged logs and brush provide abundant cover. Largemouth bass begin life feeding on zooplankton (tiny crustaceans), but soon switch to insects
![082316_largemouth_bass_haight_odfw.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/082316_largemouth_bass_haight_odfw.jpg?itok=SCG81pnM)
Oregon's recreational fisheries for Pacific halibut and bottomfish are constrained by bycatch of yelloweye rockfish, an overfished species. Many of the regulations on these fisheries exist to keep bycatch of yelloweye rockfish within sustainable limits, in order to help the stock recover (for example, depth restrictions in the bottomfish fishery, and no lingcod or rockfish during all-depth halibut days). ODFW encourages anglers to reduce impacts by using descending devices to release yelloweye rockfish, and better yet, to avoid areas where they might be caught.
The gopher snake occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from deserts and grasslands to woodlands and open forests. It frequents agricultural regions, especially where there is brushy cover such as fence rows. Diet varies according to size, with young eating insects, lizards, rodents, and birds and their eggs. Adults can take larger prey, occasionally as large as rabbits. Photo by Simon Wray, ODFW
![gopher_snake_simon_wray_odfw.jpg Gopher snake](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-06/4192_gopher_snake_munsel_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=VPiClRam)
Shellfish licenses are valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. You can begin buying your next year's license on Dec. 1 of the prior year. If you have questions, please call ODFW licensing staff at 503-947-6101.