June 2025

June is here, which means summer is right around the corner. While many of us are now in fishing mode, there is still much to be done in preparation for the upcoming hunting season. The results of the 2025 controlled hunt applications will be available on June 12. For those who have drawn tags, June is a great month for scouting. Antler development is not as exciting as it will be in another month, but animals are quite visible, and this is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the terrain if you are going to be a hunting a new area. Additionally, fire danger shouldn’t be high yet so access limitations should be minimal.

June means offspring season. Many species are having their young and while young animals may appear to be abandoned or orphaned, in most cases the parents have just left to forage and will return later. Remember, if you care, leave them there. If you do suspect a young animal to be injured or orphaned, please contact your local ODFW office for advice before taking any action. Picking up young wildlife not only reduces their chance of survival, it is also illegal to possess wildlife without the proper permits.

ODFW will be hosting the 2026 Big Game Public Meetings coming up in July. The southwest region will hold a joint public meeting virtually on Thursday, July 10 at 6:00pm. A link to attend will be provided at a later date so watch for additional information. Additionally, there will be three other meetings held in the Rogue District: 1) Curry County OHA meeting on Wednesday, July 2 at 6:30 PM at the Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach;
2) Jackson County OHA meeting on Thursday, July 10 at 7:00 PM  at the Eagles Lodge in Medford;
3) Josephine County OHA meeting on Thursday, July 17 at 7:00 PM at the Black Bear Diner in Grants Pass.
While there are no major changes planned for southwestern Oregon big game hunts for the 2026 season, there will be some significant changes for the mule deer hunts. As always,check the current Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations before going afield.

May 2025

Summer is just around the corner and that means that ODFW is in full swing with the regulation setting process for 2026 Big Game Hunting seasons. ODFW will be proposing a major change to our eastern Oregon mule deer hunts, which includes redefining hunt zone boundaries. Based on collar data obtained by ODFW staff we have identified new mule deer "herd ranges", which include the entire area a herd uses in a year, including summer ranges, winter ranges, and the migration corridors between them. These ranges now form the basis for ODFW's mule deer monitoring and management, including harvest management. You can find more information here: https://myodfw.com/articles/eastern-oregon-deer-hunts

In addition to this, locally we are looking at the possibility of adjusting some of our controlled cow elk hunts here in southern Oregon to help give hunters a better opportunity as well as focus pressure on certain elk damage areas. Once things are finalized, we will present the details later this summer at our public meetings for comment.

Fall turkey hunters in southwestern Oregon will also see a major change this year as a new beardless turkey permit will be available. This permit is only valid on private lands (excluding industrial timber) in all of the Applegate, Rogue, and most of the Evans Creek WMU. The permit is valid for three beardless turkeys and is designed to provide landowners experiencing turkey damage a method to reduce and/or deter turkey populations from their property. Anyone can purchase the permit to hunt on these private lands, it will be up to hunters to secure permission to access private lands. Each individual can purchase up to three permits for a total of 9 birds, these permits are in addition to the normal fall turkey tags.

May 2025

Summer is just around the corner and that means that ODFW is in full swing with the regulation setting process for 2026 Big Game Hunting seasons. ODFW will be proposing a major change to our eastern Oregon mule deer hunts, which includes redefining hunt zone boundaries. Based on collar data obtained by ODFW staff we have identified new mule deer "herd ranges", which include the entire area a herd uses in a year, including summer ranges, winter ranges, and the migration corridors between them. These ranges now form the basis for ODFW's mule deer monitoring and management, including harvest management. You can find more information here: https://myodfw.com/articles/eastern-oregon-deer-hunts

In addition to this, locally we are looking at the possibility of adjusting some of our controlled cow elk hunts here in southern Oregon to help give hunters a better opportunity as well as focus pressure on certain elk damage areas. Once things are finalized, we will present the details later this summer at our public meetings for comment.

Fall turkey hunters in southwestern Oregon will also see a major change this year as a new beardless turkey permit will be available. This permit is only valid on private lands (excluding industrial timber) in all of the Applegate, Rogue, and most of the Evans Creek WMU. The permit is valid for three beardless turkeys and is designed to provide landowners experiencing turkey damage a method to reduce and/or deter turkey populations from their property. Anyone can purchase the permit to hunt on these private lands, it will be up to hunters to secure permission to access private lands. Each individual can purchase up to three permits for a total of 9 birds, these permits are in addition to the normal fall turkey tags.

March 2025

While the weather may not always be a good indicator, Spring is only a couple of weeks away…at least on paper. It’s once again time to think about upcoming Spring hunting opportunities and finally ridding ourselves of this nasty case of cabin fever that has plagued us all Winter.

Oregon’s controlled Spring black bear hunts all begin on April 1^st, which will be here before we know it. If you purchased a Sports Pac, please remember to redeem your black bear tag voucher in order to avoid a late fee and/or a brush with law enforcement. Black bears are beginning to become active, but don’t expect too much movement early. Early Spring bears stick pretty close to home, which can make them challenging to find.

Next on the docket is the Spring turkey season, which begins statewide on April 15. Again, please be sure you have your tag and not a voucher. Toms are already showing their stuff, so this is a great time of year to scout for the upcoming season. Oregon offers some great turkey hunting in many different parts of the state. This provides a good opportunity for hunters to travel, experience new areas, and maybe do a little scouting for Fall big game hunts.

Speaking of Fall big game hunts, there are some significant changes coming to Oregon’s mule deer hunt structure. If you have not been following, please take some time to check out the updated Mule Deer Management Plan and how that will change mule deer hunt structures. The updates, available on the ODFW website, are continually being updated as new information becomes available, so please check back regularly. As always, if you have any questions, you can contact your local wildlife biologist who will be happy to answer them.

One last reminder, for any hunters who possessed big game tags that were valid after January 1, 2025, the mandatory reporting deadline is April 15. That’s correct, April 15 means taxes, turkeys, and reporting.

Stay safe and enjoy all the great outdoor experiences Oregon has to offer!

Jason Badger
Assistant District Wildlife Biologist
ODFW Gold Beach Field Office
541-247-7605 (office)    541-519-7708 (cell)

February 2025

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you all were able to fill your tags and freezers in 2024. For those who drew late season tags that end after January 1st, don’t forget to report on those hunts by April 15 and avoid the $25 late fee when you purchase your license and tags in 2026.

Although fall hunting seasons are far away, there are still great opportunities for hunting in southern Oregon right now. Our cougar season goes year-round, and a tag is included with the sports pac. As you are all aware we have healthy cougar populations throughout much of Oregon and abundant opportunity to pursue these elusive predators in the Rogue District. We are checking in more and more animals every year that are the result of hunters specifically targeting cougars. Techniques often include checking new fallen snow for tracks, as well as predator calling. There are numerous podcasts and online resources available to help hone your skills.

Aside from cougars, our next opportunity for hunting big game is the spring bear hunt that begins April 1st. Remember that the spring bear season is a controlled hunt, so be sure to get your applications in by February 10th.

On the smaller side, we also have a year-round gray squirrel season in the Rogue WMU with no bag limit or closed season in that part of unit 30 south of the Rogue River and South Fork Rogue River and north of Highway 140. Gray squirrels can be a fun animal to hunt and are a great way to enter the sport for young or new hunters. They can also be quite tasty when prepared well. https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/squirrels/world-
championship-squirrel-cookoff-recipes

In addition to small game and late winter/early spring big game hunting, the Access and Habitat board has continued its partnership with some private landowners to provide a good waterfowl hunting opportunity on the south coast. The New River Access Area is open during the South Coast goose season; from February 22nd to March 10th. Access is free, but days/times need to be reserved with the landowners, who are great to work with. You can check out the map for the location and rules for the program with the following link and be sure to get permission from the landowners and fill out a harvest card. https://www.dfw.state.or.us/maps/access_habitat/new_river.pdf

Oregon’s big game hunting seasons are structured to protect young animals, and it is illegal to take spotted kittens or a cougar traveling with spotted kittens, bear cubs under a year old, or a sow travelling with cubs under a year old.  Please remember to always check the regulations before heading into the field, and make sure you have the needed tags, licenses and endorsements for 2025.

Thank you all again for your support, and best of luck in your 2025 hunts!

Chris Shelton
Rogue District Wildlife Conflict Biologist

November 2024

The general fall hunting seasons have been a mixed bag so far this year. With the warm and dry temperatures deer hunting has been unusually slow, but bear harvest seems to be holding steady, with multiple bears being checked in at the Rogue District office everyday.

Moving the General Cascade Elk hunt back into November has continued to result in higher harvest rates in our area, with hunter success jumping from 2-3% before the date change to 4-13% in 2022, and 3-15% in 2023, depending on the unit that was hunted. ODFW is expecting similar results this year.

The Jackson Travel Management Area (JACTMA) went into effect October 15th and will last until April 30th of 2025. Please note that some additional lands were added late to the TMA around Fredenburg Butte, near Butte Falls. Supplemental maps have been added as an insert to the JACTMA paper maps, and both maps can be printed from the ODFW website at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/maps/#Travel

With the major hunting seasons soon ending, ODFW would like to remind hunters to complete the online mandatory reporting by January 31st to avoid the late reporting fee when purchasing your tags in 2026.

Thanks again to the Rogue Valley Chapter and Josephine County Chapters of OHA as well as Backcountry Hunters and Anglers for your continued support of Oregon’s wildlife, and best of luck in your late season hunts!

Chris Shelton
Rogue DistrictWildlife Conflict Biologist

October 2024

Fall is in the air, the days are getting shorter, and hunting seasons are in full swing.  If you were lucky enough to fill an archery elk tag back in September or one of those successful opening weekend rifle folks that’s now wondering what to fill your time with, besides cleaning the gutters of leaves, perhaps consider checking out one of our local Access & Habitat Program’s regional Access Areas (https://www.dfw.state.or.us/maps/). For waterfowl hunters, the New River Access Area outside of Langlois on Oregon’s south-coast would be a fun adventure. The 5 cooperating ranches out here offer 3,540 acres of private land to hunt waterfowl, access to an additional 500 acres of BLM lands, and at times can be chock full of Aleutian Geese.  Early Fall can be some of the best time to target the south-migrating geese here (especially Oct-mid Nov), and the ranchers will be happy you did!  Make sure to call ahead to reserve a spot as each property allows up to 6 hunters per day, and please fill out a hunter survey card! 

Have you heard of the Hunt by Reservation System?https://myodfw.com/HBR This is another program where private landowners allow public hunting access.  Sometimes these are associated with A&H projects, sometimes they are just landowners that experience a lot of damage and want help in reducing wildlife damage.  Turkeys comes to mind… The online lottery for October hunts closed mid-September, but there’s always Nov/Dec and next Spring to think about. Check regularly!

For the rest of us that may not have been as lucky earlier in the season, make sure you know about our regional Jackson Cooperative Travel Management Area (JACTMA).  This Travel Management Area (TMA) is another Access & Habitat Program funded project. The JACTMA recently added another 3,500+ private timber acres to it around the Town of Butte Falls and it runs from Oct 15 through April 30.  This project has a total of 21,125 acres of private industrial timber cooperators, and over 57,000 public acres.  Open roads are clearly marked with green dots on road markers and paper maps are available at entry points and at the Denman Wildlife Area’s office (1495 East Gregory Rd. Central Point). Closed roads are open to walk-in hunting access, and many are marked with yellow signage.  Digital maps are also available at the same website mentioned above regarding New River Access Area. The JACTMA can be an excellent area to check out if you’re a late season archer, as this area is in prime Winter range for our migratory black-tail deer.  Watch for hazard and closures on part of it that was associated with the 2024 Salt Creek Fire.  In the footprint of the 2020 Obenchain fire, some good habitat is starting to re-form. If you’re trying your luck with the Any Legal Weapon General West Cascade Elk Season, remember about the Upper Rogue Travel Management Area as well. This TMA runs 3 days prior to the start of the season and through its end.  For this year, those Upper Rogue TMA dates would be November 6 through November 15, 2024.  There’s tons more Access & Habitat areas available on our website.   If you’re ever wondering if private lands are open to hunting, the Oregon Forest Industries Council is a great resource to check out as well:
https://ofic.com/private-forestland-closures/ . 

If you’re interested in starting an A&H project (https://www.dfw.state.or.us/lands/ah/), have potential leads on a large tract of land or collection of private landowners that may be interested, would like to become a participating landowner in the Hunt by Reservation Program, or to find opportunities to volunteer on habitat enhancement projects, ODFW would love to hear from you.  Please contact Ryan.d.battleson@odfw.oregon.gov or give him a call at
541-857-2408.  Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities in your respective newsletters and monthly meetings.  In the Rogue District, some conifer thinning projects around Montane meadows and some fence removal/installation is on tap for this Fall, Winter and Spring.  I’d love to see you!

Chronic Wasting Disease Update

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal disease infecting deer and elk across North America.  It is highly contagious.  While CWD has not yet been detected in Oregon, it has been recently detected in our neighboring states of Idaho, California, and Washington.  https://myodfw.com/CWD

ODFW has been ahead of many of the other western states in the level of monitoring that it has employed to detect this disease in the past few years taking thousands of samples per year, but we are ramping up our detection tactics and turn-around time to notify hunters even further (via Senate Bill 5701), thanks in part to support from OHA and other conservation groups’ lobbying pressure.  New check stations will be deployed throughout the state this year, including here in SW Oregon.  You may run into ODFW staff while in the field, and we’d be happy to sample your harvest.  The sampling process should take about 10 minutes.  You can also drop heads off or make an appointment with a biologist at your local ODFW office.  It’s best if the heads are unfrozen.  For deer and elk, the retropharyngeal lymph nodes are taken, and additionally the obex from the brain of elk are sampled.  With an increase in funding, hunters should have their results within 3-5 weeks (sooner than the 7+ weeks from the past) as samples are now being tested in-state at Oregon State University. If your animal tests positive, ODFW will notify you on further guidance and steps to follow.

Hunters can do their part to limit the spread of CWD by adhering to the parts ban which is found on page 16 of the 2024 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations.  The Prions which are responsible for the infection of CWD in cervids (Deer/Elk) are found in the spinal column and brain tissue.  These are extremely difficult to destroy, hence the parts ban is in effect. Only deboned meat, quarters, hides or capes with no head attached, skull plates cleaned of any meat/brain tissue, fully processed/cleaned skulls void of any brain/meat, antlers with no brain tissue attached, finished taxidermy mounts/heads, or upper canine teeth “ivories” are allowed to be transported over state lines.  CWD has not been documented to spread to humans. However, public health and wildlife officials advise that hunters can also protect themselves with basic precautions used in the field when cleaning cervids like wearing disposable gloves, boning out meat instead of sawing through the backbone or spinal column, minimizing handling of brain and spinal tissues, and avoiding consuming meat from an animal that has tested positive. 

As always, thanks for your support!

Ryan Battleson
Wildlife Habitat Biologist
SW Regional Access & Habitat Program Coordinator
(Jackson, Josephine, Coos, Curry, Douglas counties)
ODFW Rogue District, Central Point

August 2024

Bear hunting season is here upon us. A reminder to check-in any bear within 10 days of harvest. ODFW would like to have the reproductive tract (uterus, ovaries) of females. The reproductive tract allows us to determine the number of young she has had in her lifetime. Important information for determining recruitment into bear population.

Big Game Regulation meetings were held in July. They were done virtually throughout the State. We want to thank our two OHA chapters for hosting. Here locally we also shared the information with our two OHA chapters. ODFW strongly encouraged hunters to write their comments into the Commission before September 13, 2024. By submitting your comments in writing the Commissioners can better understand your ideas and comment rather than us providing a summary. Here is the email address: ODFW.Commission@odfw.oregon.gov.

The Commission meeting will be held in The Dalles for those who would like to attend. If planning to testify they ask you register 48 hours in advance.

Local proposal:

— 600 Series for Applegate, Evans Creek and Chetco along with Applegate Youth and Chetco Youth will have a 5-tag increase. Evans Creek Youth will have 10 tag increase.

Youth Pheasant hunt will be September 17 & 18. Be sure to sign up for the event in September either online or at any place that sells license. We are always looking for volunteers to help and dog handlers to provide the youth with their best success. Thanks to RVOHA for providing more birds for this event.

Denman Wildlife Area 3D Archery Shoot will be held August 10th and 11th. Three start times 8, 9, 10am with $10 fee. At the end of Tou Velle Road. Registration online at: MyODFW.com/workshops-and-events.

Summary of proposals:

— Extend Beardless turkey permit for private lands to Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Benton, Linn, and eastern Lane Counties.

— Expansion of Fall turkey season into Ochoco and Beula Wildlife Management Units.

— Concurrent openers for Zone 1 and Zone 2 duck season.

— Only one harlequin duck is allowed in the daily bag limit.

— A new Red Fox closure area will be 15 miles from the Pacific Crest trail from Washington to Interstate 5 at California boarder. This is to help protect the Sierra Nevada Red Fox subspecies that is found only in the higher elevation of the Oregon Cascades.

— Mule Deer Management Plan was approved by the commission. No changes will be made for 2025 regulations, but discussions about what these changes might be for 2026 may occur.

— Buck deer 100 series: increase tags in Sumpter, Beulah, Malheur River, Owyhee, NE Owyhee, Interstate, Silver Lake, Steens Mtn archery, Sixes muzzleloader, and Hart Mtn muzzleloader.

— Three new muzzleloader hunts on private in Chesnimnus, Snake River, and Imnaha to address increasing white-tailed deer and damage. These hunts will require mandatory chronic wasting disease (CWD) Sampling.

— Elk 200 series: decrease in tags in Murderers Creek, Fossil, Heppner. Reduced spike tags in Mt Emily, Walla Walla, and Wenaha. Increase in cow tags in Ukiah and Starkey. Reduction to three Zumwalt hunts.

— Increase in bear tags for S Blues and Starkey-Ukiah hunts and a new Youth hunt for Alsea-Stott Mt.

Dan Ethridge
Asst. District Wildlife Biologist
ODFW ROWD
(541) 857-2406        dan.d.ethridge@odfw.oregon.gov

June 2024

June is a time of transition and renewal. Spring gives way to summer and other than cougar, most hunting seasons are now closed. Hunters are eagerly awaiting the results of the controlled hunt applications, which will be available on June 12. For those venturing forth with a cougar tag in pocket, the onset of fawning and calving season provides an opportunity to lure a big cat into range with the use of predator calls. Finding an ideal setup location and exercising extreme patience are key to this pursuit.

The application period for Sage Grouse hunts will be July 1 – August 11, so start planning now if you think you may be interested in hunting these fascinating birds. Oregon’s Sage Grouse are tenacious, holding their own in the face of many threats. Tags are issued through a controlled hunt process and are limited to protect this valuable resource while still providing an opportunity for a uniquely western hunt.

Also on the calendar are the ODFW 2025 Big Game Public Meetings. The Southwest region will hold a joint public meeting virtually on July 9 at 6:00 pm. A link to attend will be provided. There are no major changes planned for Southwestern Oregon big game hunts for the 2025 season. However, always check the current Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations before going afield.

Many wildlife species are now having their offspring so please remember to leave young wildlife where you find it. While young animals may appear to be abandoned or orphaned, in most cases the parents have just left to forage and will return later. If you do suspect a young animal to be injured or orphaned, please contact your local ODFW office to advice before taking any action.

Jason Badger
Assistant District Wildlife Biologist
ODFW Gold Beach Field Office
541-247-7605 (office)    541-519-7708 (cell)