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What to Do About Your Oregon Applications

February 26, 2010.

A lot of guys (including me) apply in pretty much every western state for every species available, hoping to hit the jackpot on a really good tag, or at least hoping to build bonus points so that one day we might hit that jackpot.

If you're one of those guys, you may have gone back and forth about applying in Oregon. Oregon is generally not known as one of the top-shelf western trophy states. Further, the level to which they discriminate against nonresident hunters makes the handful of really good tags that they do have that much harder to come by.

In past years, the relatively low cost ($75 for a hunting license plus a small fee for each species you applied for) made it possible to justify applying in Oregon, even if half-heartedly.

This year, Oregon has raised the price of the required non-refundable hunting license to $140. If you have been building points in Oregon just for the sake of building points, it may be time to ditch that strategy. The cost now seems to outweigh the benefit.

I started applying in Oregon a couple years ago specifically because I wanted to build points towards a premier blacktail deer tag -- I've hunted mulies, whitetails, and coues deer, and kind of have a bug to complete a "Grand Slam of Deer".

I'm getting close to getting the blacktail tag I want, so I'm going to bite the bullet and keep building points in Oregon. After I draw that deer tag, though, I'll be saving my money for other opportunities.

If you do decide to apply in Oregon, try to do so prior to March 15 -- there's a chance that you'll be one of those selected for a free hunting license as part of the program in place to encourage hunters to apply early.

Oregon big game regulations are available online.

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