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Upland Birds on Historic Oregon Trail Ranch
Bird hunting in the Ochoco Mountains on 12,000-acre Keystone Ranch.
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Classic Western Oregon Pheasant
Hunting pheasants along the Calpooia River on the Dern’s Wildlife Ranch.
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Pheasants, on the farm and in the forest
Hunting ring-necked roosters in historic habitat in the Willamette Valley
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Remember the Birds of September
Opening day of dove season, that harbinger of autumn, is around the corner. Whether you’re shooting birds over maize near Madras, or on the stubble outside of Stayton, it’s hard to deny the thrill of seeing dozens of doves, sweeping toward you and beyond, the sound of the wind in their wings.
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Empty Hulls and Spent Partridges
Time slowed down. The bird was six feet over my head; I swiveled on my heel, focused on the streaking orange collar, the eye, the beak and let him put some distance between us. It was like there was a string between my bead and the bird; I was conscious of the gray shot string…
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Prospecting for Pronghorn: Archery and Blackpowder
For the hunter that chooses the blackpowder or bow and arrow option, an antelope hunt comes along a lot more often. According to the 2013 Oregon Tag Guide, a muzzleloader hunter that applies for the Paulina Unit this year has a 43 percent chance of drawing a tag with only six preference points. The East…
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Oregon’s Best Turkey Hunting by the Numbers
A hunter based in Bend and Redmond has choices. Between Bend and Maupin, bird numbers run one to five per square mile. Yes, you can find turkeys close to home but you are going to work at it. Eighteen gobblers were tagged in the Upper Deschutes Unit last year. Harvest in the Metolius Unit dropped…
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Farming for Waterfowl Pays Off on the Crooked River
This hunt on the last day of duck season was testament to Mitchell’s first year dream of a sanctuary for wildlife along the Crooked River. Here, where the river carves a twisted course through ranch land, we staged Duck Creek Outfitters’ first annual father/son hunt.
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Upland Etiquette for the First-time Bird Hunter
Don’t show up in camouflage. Camo is for big game and turkey hunting. On an upland hunt, you want to be seen. It’s a safety thing. Upland bird pants or chaps are a good idea and a bird vest with orange panels allows your fellow hunter to see you and keep everyone safe while swinging…
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Gearing up for Spring Turkey Season
My taste in shotguns runs to wood and blued steel, I like two barrels, one on top of the other or side by side, but last year I won a Weatherby SA-08 semi-automatic with a five-dollar ticket in a raffle. I didn’t need another shotgun I told myself, but then I reflected on a day…
Field Guide
Oregon Hunting
Hunting in Oregon is a more diverse experience than anywhere else in the country. One of the great things about Oregon hunting is the incredible variety of species available for the taking; a hunter can choose to pursue mule deer, blacktail deer, Columbian whitetail, northeast whitetail, Rocky Mountain and Roosevelt elk as well as goats, sheep and predators. The abundance of diverse habitat allows for everything from sage rats to black bear hunting in Oregon!
I’ve been fishing and hunting in Oregon since I was a teenager and I’ve gotten to know the country, habitat and hotspots. The result was an Oregon hunting guide—my book, Hunting Oregon.
The first Hunting Oregon was brought to you by Sun Publishing in 1999. As every Oregon hunter knows, animal habits and habitat change. That’s why we published the second edition—Gary Lewis’s Hunting Oregon. This update, finished in 2010, is completely new, with chapters written by Scott Haugen and Duane Dungannon. In full color, this Oregon hunting guide is what every hunter needs to have before they head out into the field.
There are other ways to prepare for your time in the Oregon outdoors, and I’ve listed a few helpful resources below, to go along with Hunting Oregon.