Hunting in Oregon: 23 Animals to Hunt in the Fall

Hunting is popular in Oregon, as you'd expect in a state largely comprising farms, ranches, and wilderness areas set in a pleasant labyrinth of mountain ranges, deserts, and verdant river valleys.

The pulpwood plantations of the Weyerhaeuser company are also open to hunting, although Weyerhaeuser has its own bureaucracy that overlays the regulations imposed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Nevertheless, effective coordination among the federal, state, and private administrations, plus a well-designed online presence, makes preparing for the chase in the Beaver State an almost painless affair.

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Of course, game populations are managed. Indiscriminate hunting in the past, along with habitat loss to development and tree farms (which are decidedly unnatural despite their bucolic appearance), has pushed some species to the brink of local extinction.

However, critters such as cougars are now plentiful thanks to well-crafted regulation, ensuring that the hunt may go on for generations to come.

Autumn is one of the most popular hunting seasons everywhere, and Oregon is no exception. Here are the species hungry Nimrods may target in that rainy state in fall of 2015. Note that the same areas are not open every year, nor even with the same hunting season:

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Big Game
– Deer: Oct. 3 to Nov. 6, with occasional breaks, plus youth hunts to Nov. 25.
– Elk: Oct. 17 to Nov. 27, with short seasons assigned to various area.
– Black bear: Aug. 1 to Dec. 31.
– Cougar: All year, including fall.
– Rocky Mountain Goat: Sept. 1 to Oct. 27, with regional restrictions.
– California Bighorn Sheep: Oct. 17 to Nov. 10, with regional restrictions.
– Western Gray Squirrel: (For some reason Oregon lists these in the Big Game schedule) Sept. 12 to Nov. 11.

Small Game
– Bobcat: Dec. 1 to Feb. 28.
– Gray Fox: Nov. 15 to Feb. 28.
– Red Fox: All year, with regional restrictions.
– Marten: Nov. 1 to Jan. 31.
– Muskrat, Mink, Raccoon, and River Otter: Nov. 15 to March 15.
– Badger, Coyote, Nutria, Opossum, Porcupine, Spotted Skunk, Striped Skunk and Weasel: All year.

Always keep in mind that what is legal to take in one hunting range may be illegal in a different, nearby area, and that different weapons (modern guns, muzzleloaders, and bows and arrows) may have entirely different seasons. Always check with the ODFW to make sure you are in compliance.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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