![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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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)
World famous for its loud, persistent singing and mimic abilities, the Mockingbird is highly conspicuous. The white flashes in the wings and tail of this grayish bird identify it in flight. It is primarily a southern species that has, by taking advantage of the environmental changes brought about by the ever-increasing human population, expanded its range northward in recent years. In many parts of the country it is a familiar bird of residential neighborhoods. Hear the call of the Northern mockingbird Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW
![northern_mockingbird_kohl.jpg Northern mockingbird](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Northern%20Mockingbird_kohl_cx.jpg?itok=Xgf826k3)
The Bohemian waxwing is a nomadic species, invading locations with fruit-bearing trees or shrubs. Referred to as a "roving bands," their name reflects this view of their unpredictable and seemingly carefree lifestyle. Very sociable birds, they exhibit pronounced flocking habits in the winter, and frequently give themselves away with their constant gentle seeping or trilling voice. Their sleek profile and elegant, almost exotic coloration also distinguish these birds. Hear the song of the Bohemian waxwing Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW
![9451_bohemian_waxwing_munsel_odfw.jpg Bohemian waxwing](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/9451_bohemian_waxwing_cx.jpg?itok=KFnRYByG)
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)
One of the most nondescript birds found in Oregon, this sparrow makes up for its drab appearance by its extraordinary song. It is by far the most abundant bird breeding in the vast sagebrush expanses of the Intermountain West. The Brewer's sparrow is an abundant migrant and summer resident east of the Cascades summit, particularly in the southeast quarter of the state among the vast sagebrush communities of the Great Basin Shrub-steppe. In the Columbia Plateau ecoregion, it is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species. Hear the song of the Brewer's sparrow Photo by Dave Menke, USFWS
![brewers_sparrow_ken_schneider_flickr.jpg Brewers sparrow](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/brewers_sparrow_dave_menke_usfws_cx%20.jpg?itok=trdZKk8Y)
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.
Gray jays are common visitors at mountainous campsites and parks and are commonly known as "camp robbers" for their habit of taking food from humans. Gray jays in the Blue Mountains have the top of their heads white, while birds in the Cascades and Coast ranges have white restricted to the forehead. Coast Range birds are decidedly browner vs grayish overall. In Oregon, the Gray jay resides in conifer forests of the Coast and Cascade ranges, the eastern slope of the Cascades at Ft. Klamath and in the southwestern part of the state. Hear the call of the Gray jay
![5929_gray_jay_kohl_0.jpg Gray jay](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/5929_gray_jay_kohl_cx.jpg?itok=1UkNhWCC)
Chestnut-backed chickadees are one of the most common species of bird in conifer forests of western Oregon. They are distinguished from other chickadees by their chestnut-colored back, lack of an eye-line, and their wheezy song. Like other chickadees, they are frequently observed performing acrobatic maneuvers such as hanging from branch tips while foraging high in the canopy. They also frequent bird feeders for suet and sunflower seeds, and will nest in boxes if they are placed near groves of conifers. Hear the call of the Chestnut-backed chickadee Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW
![1305_chestnut-backed_chickadee_munsel_odfw.jpg Chestnut-backed chickadee](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/1305_chestnut-backed_chickadee_munsel_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=C7oQffH8)
The song of this bird is one of the characteristic sounds of spring evenings in much of the high desert country of eastern Oregon. This temperate migrant is a ground-nesting, ground-foraging bird of most of the grassland, agricultural land, and shrubs steppe habitats of Oregon. The streaked brownish plumage of the Vesper sparrow is similar to that of several small to medium-sized sparrows, except for white outer tail feathers, shown most conspicuously in flight. The Oregon vesper sparrow is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Hear the song of the Vesper sparrow Photo
![Vesper_Sparrow_2_wray.jpg Vesper sparrow](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Vesper_Sparrow_2_wray.jpg?itok=agvsRJI1)
Familiar to anyone from the eastern United States and Canada, this sparrow is much less common in Oregon. Adults show both a white-striped and tan-striped morph, while first year birds resemble tan-striped adults but are typically more heavily streaked underneath. Even the dullest first-year birds have a distinct rectangular white throat patch, often set off with a partial black border. The White-throated sparrow is an uncommon migrant and winter visitor, mainly in western Oregon. Hear the call of the White-throated sparrow Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW
![white_throated_sparrow_kohl.jpg White-throated sparrow](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/White-throated%20Sparrow_kohl.jpg?itok=cokOSZbY)
One of Oregon's characteristic offshore seabirds, these stocky gull-like birds with steep foreheads come in a broad range of color morphs from white to slate gray, with buffy, bluish-gray, mottled and brown intermediates. The round head and pecking motion of birds feeding on the water is reminiscent of the shape and behavior of pigeons. The heavy hooked bills are divided into colorful plates of green, yellow, and orange, with large tubed nostrils atop. They are irregularly common to abundant in Oregon in winter, especially beyond five miles from shore. Hear the call of the Northern fulmar Photo by Martyne Reesman
![northern_fulmar_reesman_odfw.jpg Northern Fulmar](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/northern_fulmar_reesman_odfw.jpg?itok=L56ChL0O)
Commonly found along beaches and about estuaries, this large, ponderous bird is a conspicuous member of the summer coastal community, easily recognized by its large size, massive bill, and brownish plumage. Highly gregarious, it often forms large flocks; regularly observed foraging over the ocean just offshore. Brown pelicans often join mixed flocks of birds attracted to schools of small fish. They are common spring, summer, and fall visitors along the Oregon coast. Brown pelicans are an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Nearshore ecoregion. Hear the call of the brown pelican Photo by Michael Lazott
![952_brown_pelican_flight_lazott_odfw.jpg Brown pelican](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/952_brown_pelican_flight_lazott_odfw.jpg?itok=jmNNs3gg)
The most common seabirds breeding in Oregon, Common murres are easily recognized by their distinct black and white breeding plumage and their upright stance at colonies. Wing-beats are rapid and like all alcids they can fly underwater. They are often seen over the ocean in long lines of 10-40 or more birds. They nest on rocky islands and cliffs in colonies of tens or hundreds of thousands of birds packed together almost shoulder to shoulder. Major nesting concentrations in Oregon are on the south and north coasts reflecting the availability of suitable nesting habitat. Hear the call of the Common
![7218_common_murre_gilson.jpg Common murre](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/7218_common_murre.jpg?itok=gdJN2wxB)
This well-known ground-dwelling bird is black above on the male and brown on the female, including the entire head and upper breast. On both sexes the upperparts are spotted with white on the wings and the long tail. It has rufous sides and a white belly. It frequents brushy areas and is common at bird feeders wherever seed is scattered on the ground, but does not feed far from cover. The varied song usually has one to three parts. The Spotted towhee breeds statewide and winters primarily west of the Cascades and in small numbers in lowland areas east of
![spotted_towhee_ganskopp.jpg Spotted towhee](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/spotted_towhee_ganskopp.jpg?itok=WQfjxCTD)
Although not brilliantly plumaged, the conspicuous Song Sparrow is one of the more regularly seen birds in Oregon. Defensive and curious, when approached it readily announces its presence with loud chips and often excitedly rises to a conspicuous perch to confront the interloper. The Song sparrow is well named as both male and female have a variety of songs that may be heard at any time of year, and juvenile birds begin to sing full songs within two months of hatching. The Song sparrow is a common and widespread resident of western Oregon. Hear the song of the Song sparrow
![030_song_sparrow_budeau.jpg Song sparrow](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/030_song_sparrow_budeau_cx.jpg?itok=KAr4zG1S)
This large sparrow is white below and in most plumages has at least some black around the face or throat, more in adults than younger birds. Cheeks are golden-tan in fall and winter and grayish in spring. It is streaked above. It is a winter visitor usually found with other sparrows. A very rare migrant and rare but regular visitor, you can find the Harris's sparrow statewide. Numbers vary considerably from year to year, but a few birds are typically found in the state every year. They are most regular in the Columbia Basin and in valleys within the Blue
![harriss_sparrow_brittany_oconnor.jpg Harris' sparrow](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/harriss_sparrow_brittany_oconnor_cx_1.jpg?itok=eg7M2_mB)
This is a marine gull that breeds on both offshore islands and rocky cliffs along the Oregon Coast. It also uses structures for nesting and, occasionally, will nest on grass-covered headlands. The Western gull's food comes from the marine environment, estuaries, and the immediate shoreline. It eats small fish, clams, mussels, bird eggs, the young of other birds nesting nearby, sea urchins, starfish, squid, crustaceans, marine worms, and carrion. it will scavenge garbage or waste from fishing boats as well. It is present all year along the entire coast of Oregon. Hear the call of the Western gull Photo by
![2130054_western_gull_budeau.jpg Western gull](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/2130054_western_gull_budeau.jpg?itok=1s0yMf31)