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Features: The coot can't be mistaken in a wetland. With a black body, white curved bill and red eyes, these birds often move in rafts on the water. Low flyers, they still require furious wing beats before taking flight. Habitats: These birds can be found in wetlands, estuaries and bays where other waterfowl are found. Techniques: Coots are often taken as they enter decoy spreads. Not widely targeted, hunters may pinch a raft into a choke point to take birds on the wing.
SALEM, Ore.— If you are considering registering for a youth pheasant hunt, it is not too late. More slots have opened for many youth pheasant hunts being held statewide this month after duplicate registrations were removed from the system. "We've heard some parents have been unable to sign up their…
Features: Slightly larger than its cousin, the rock pigeon, band-tailed pigeons have a grey body. As its name suggests, a wide pale band stretches along the tip of tail feathers. Up close a distinctive white, crescent-shaped mark across its neck is noticable. Habitats: Found on the west side of the state, the band-tailed pigeon frequents semi-open coniferous forests. It forages on wild seeds and fruits in tree tops. In search of food, it travels in flocks from tree top to tree top. Techniques: Find a food source, such as elderberry or cascara, and location with open shooting lanes. Then wait…
The transition from forested foothills of Mt. Hood to the beginnings of the Columbia Basin offers bird hunters an array of wing shooting opportunities.
Hunting opportunities abound in the densely forested southwest corner of Oregon. From the beautiful, ragged coastline through the Siskiyou Mountains to Crater Lake National Park, there is something for every game bird hunter.
Features: Female pheasants are brown on top and paler underneath. They have black spots on their sides and black bars throughout their tails. The males are much more conspicuous with bright red on their head, a white band around their necks, and an iridescent copper color on their sides and backs. Their tails are long and pointed with barring. Habitat: The ringneck is a farmland species, heavily dependent on cereal grains and other seeds. They also like taller vegetation for cover. Technique: Because pheasants are tied so closely to agriculture, the majority of hunting opportunity occurs on private lands. State…
Features: In breeding plumage, green-winged drakes have a cinnamon-colored head with a green eye-stripe, gray back, flanks, and a bright patch of iridescent green on the rear of the wing (speculum). Hens are brown with a green speculum. Habitat: Green-winged teal are primarily winter migrants in Oregon. They are puddle (dabbling) ducks that prefer shallow areas like ponds and marshes, where they feed on or near the surface of the water by tipping up. Techniques: Teal are early migrants that begin arriving in Oregon in August but will continue to arrive into November. There are good early season hunts in…
From the eastern flanks of Crater Lake National Park through ponderosa pine forests to the nationally-renowned Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, there is something for every bird hunter in south central Oregon.
Features: Males have glossy, slate-blue plumage accented with white stripes and dots. Females are mottled brown. Habitat: In the summer these ducks breed on fast water rivers in western Oregon. During winter they can be spotted in rocky intertidal areas along the coast. Larger concentrations of wintering birds are usually seen in Lane, Lincoln and Coos counties. Techniques: These ducks are extremely rare in the bag. Their winter habitat of rocky intertidal areas are mostly inaccessible to hunters.
Features: Slender birds, mourning doves have long tails and small heads. Their soft cooing and whistling wings make them unmistakable. Habitats: Mourning doves perch on telephone wires or in trees. They forage on the ground for seeds. Techniques: Scouting is always helpful. Look for a tree or telephone line that is near a food crop. Once a location is found, find a spot where a backdrop will breakup your silhouette and take a seat. Wait for a passing shot. Extra shells may be necessary.
