Hunting in Oregon: Online Resources and Mobile Apps to Enhance the Field Experience

While Oregon's Portland may be America's most successful small city, most of the state is rural or backcountry. Hunting thrives in the Beaver State (much of which, by the way, is probably too dry for beavers to thrive in) as it lies in the rain shadow of the Cascades.

The state offers a wide variety of climates, landscapes, and ecosystems to keep track of, along with the usual wildlife management regulations that hunters are bound by.

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It's fitting that in a state much of whose economic activity is generated by the IT sector, there are multiple websites and mobile apps available to keep hunters focused on the elusive critters they're hoping to bring home for dinner.

Both the state itself and numerous private parties have devised online forms, apps, and pages to keep hunters informed. The apps cover everything from weather and hunting ranges, to what you should have remembered to bring along for backcountry hunting in a land of wild storms and occasional volcanic eruptions.

Here's a selection of high-tech resources to keep you champing at the bit – and bytes –
while on the trail.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Online Services

– The Hunter's Checklist is a web page where you can check off all the necessary items to bring with you on the hunt.

– With the Interactive Hunting Access Map, you can find open and by-permission hunting ranges, species lists, special regulations, accessibility, and more available at the click of a mouse.

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– The Weekly Recreation Report, which at the time of this writing is focused entirely on hunting and fishing, is available in Word, PDF, or mobile-friendly text versions.

– An Online Hunting (and Fishing) License Sales web page is available to residents and non-residents alike. Plus, you can choose to print your license on the spot.

onXMaps Hunt Northwest for Garmin

– The GPS hunter's mapping app covers Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

– An Android and iPhone version of the same app are also available.

Ducks Unlimited Apps

Ducks Unlimited offers a plethora of apps for iPhone, Android, and Windows devices. The apps help you identify birds, keep a hunting journal, submit migration reports, and keep up on weather and relevant news.

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

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