Hunting in Oregon: 4 Animals to Hunt Year-Round

Elk and deer are the well-known stars of Oregon’s cast of legal prey, but hunting the big-game animals is limited by seasons. Enter the varmint. From coyotes to crows, animals that pose a threat to farm animals, crops and native species are fair game year-round.

Here are four animals that can be hunted with few restrictions in Oregon.

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1. The ground squirrel, or sage rat, is a favorite year-round prey for hunters seeking plenty of shooting action. Hunters typically shoot from a platform as the squirrels surface from their tunnels in an open field. A typical day of sage rat hunting averages several hundred rounds of ammunition per hunter, according to Gary Lewis, an Oregon’s hunting expert and author.

Lewis described the sage rat as an “eating machine” that devours alfalfa by the pound during growing season. “And when they are not eating, they spend their time making more sage rats,” with litters of five to eight pups sired by several sage rat dads, he wrote.

2. The coyote is a popular varmint prey, although some prefer the label “predator” for the wily animal. It’s open season from January to December on Oregon coyotes, a cousin of the wolf and dog that preys on young deer and elk in the wild. Near farms and ranches, the coyote goes after newborn calves.

Public lands in western Oregon are popular locales for coyote hunting, The Oregonian reported.

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3. Rabbits are found throughout Oregon and can be hunted in any season in unlimited quantities. Varieties include jackrabbits, cottontails and snowshoe hares. Beagles often are used to roust rabbits from hiding places.

In Eastern Oregon, hunters target cottontails and jackrabbits around alfalfa and sage-brush on public lands. In Western Oregon, rabbits are found under cover of wild rose bushes and mowed crops and grasses, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s rabbit hunting guide said.

4. Eurasian collared doves are light-brown large birds that Oregon classifies as invasive along with rock doves. The birds can be hunted all year to reduce their numbers.

Eurasion collared doves are often found in farmlands where they feed on seeds. Rock doves are found near buildings.

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

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