Search myodfw.com

Learn to fish, hunt, shoot or cast at an ODFW class or workshop. There are events throughout the state, and throughout the year. You'll find Hunter Education Safety classes and field days here. Upcoming classes and workshops

More than 50 percent of native bats in North America are at risk. In Oregon, eight of 15 species are state sensitive. With a few small steps, you can help in a big way.

Before you apply for a controlled hunt, you'll need to know how to read a hunt number to find hunts that include what you want to hunt for, where you want to hunt and how you want to hunt.

The white sturgeon is one of Oregon's most iconic and distinctive fish species with a lineage dating back to the age of the dinosaurs. Due to population concerns, the sturgeon fishery is highly regulated in terms of size, seasons and retention. This article outlines what you need to know before planning a sturgeon fishing trip.

You caught it, now it's time to cook it—and what better time than during a holiday meal with your family and friends. We rounded up some recipes from various hunting and fishing organizations.

There are a variety of flatfish species that can be found off the Oregon coast.

ODFW believes everyone benefits from healthy fish and wildlife and from the chance to explore, connect and thrive outdoors. Join us as we strive to reach more people than ever and help us ensure that Oregon's natural resources are safe and accessible for all.

Private lands accounts for just over half of Oregon’s land base and include farms, range lands, wetlands, forests and stream corridors. To improve landowner-hunter relations and engage landowners in the conservation of fish and wildlife, the Oregon Legislature created the Access & Habitat (A&H) Program in 1993. The law established a funding mechanism to provide grants to private landowners, timber and agriculture corporations, sportsmen groups, natural resource agencies, and others for projects designed to increase public hunting access to private lands and/or improve wildlife habitat.

Oregon Open Fields is a grant that the A&H Program has been awarded from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program. First awarded in 2008 and renewed in the 2014 and 2020 Farm Bills, this program provides block grants to state agencies and tribes to increase public hunting access to private land and improve wildlife habitat on enrolled lands.

Regulated Hunt Areas (RHAs) are cooperative programs between Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and private landowners that offer regulated hunting on private lands. Each RHA has special regulations so be sure to check them before hunting. The Upland Cooperative Access Program (UCAP) is an incentive-based program designed to provide quality public hunting opportunities for upland game birds on private lands in Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam and Morrow counties in the Columbia Basin.

The north coast area includes the Lower Columbia River downstream of St. Helens to the Pacific Ocean, and the Oregon Coast from Astoria south to Yachats. The Columbia, and particularly its backwaters and sloughs, provide excellent fisheries for bass, crappie, and catfish.

The time shared between a youngster and a mentor is invaluable. There simply is no better way to introduce a young person to safe, ethical and responsible aspects of hunting than in the Mentored Youth Hunter Program, under the close supervision of an adult mentor.

Many of the more popular fishing locations across the state are accessible to anglers with disabilities. ODFW tries to keep the information on this map current but it's always best to check with the waterbody manager for the latest information before going fishing. ‌

Due to customer demand for a more modern, easier-to-navigate website, ODFW is introducing MyODFW.com. This new mobile-friendly website was designed with the hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing customer in mind.

Spring bear is the first big game hunt of the season. Here's a look at what hunters can expect in 2025.

Two commonly caught species of salmon are coho and Chinook. Fishing regulations require anglers to correctly identify salmon species as restrictions such as legal lengths and seasons often vary based on the species.

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.

It's important to be able to distinguish between the most commonly encountered rockfish. Knowing what you've caught, and how many you can possess, will keep you on the right side of the regulations. Reminder: Yelloweye rockfish and quillback rockfish are prohibited at all times and in all waters.‌‌

Fishing with your kids or grandkids can be a lot of fun for all. Check out ODFW's fishing opportunities for youth, tips for parents/guardians, and free fishing events across the state.

Rockfish must be released when retention is prohibited or when an angler has reached the daily bag limit, but continues to fish for other species. However, releasing rockfish isn’t as simple as just dropping them back into the water. Some rockfish need help to get back down to deeper water to recover from a condition called barotrauma.