License Requirements

All Hunters

• Every hunter must have in his or her possession a valid hunting license (see License, Tag, & Permit Fees for license types).
  • See exceptions for youths participating in the Mentored Youth Hunter Program on Mentored Youth Hunter Program and youth 11 years of age and under in the Youth section (below).
• Annual hunting licenses are valid beginning Jan. 1, or from the time of purchase if after Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 of the document year.
• No person may possess more than one valid annual hunting license, except a youth between 9 and 11 years of age may hold both a Free Youth Game Bird Hunting License and a Youth Combination License.
• Depending on the species of game bird you are hunting, your age, and your residency status, you must have a signed federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Federal Duck Stamp) or its electronic version (E-Stamp), HIP Validation, game bird validations, permits, and/ or turkey tags to hunt (License, Tag, & Permit Fees).
  • Federal Duck Stamps and Upland Game Bird, Waterfowl, Nonresident Game Bird, and HIP Validations are valid from Jul. 1 through Jun. 30 of the following year.
  • Before hunting but after Jul. 1, Sports Pac License holders must redeem Sports Pac vouchers for current game bird and HIP Validations. Sports Pac vouchers are not valid for hunting.
• Any documents in possession, either electronic or paper, must be accessible immediately upon request by Department staff or law enforcement.

Columbia and Snake River Boundary

• To hunt the Oregon portion of the Columbia Rvr, including that portion of the Lewis and Clark NWR and other islands in Oregon in the Columbia Rvr, hunters must possess a valid Oregon Resident or Oregon Nonresident Hunting License.
• To view a map of the boundary between Oregon and Washington in the Columbia Rvr visit, oregonhuntingmap.com.
• Any hunter with a valid Oregon or Idaho hunting license may hunt in the waters or on the islands of the Snake Rvr, where the Rvr forms the boundary between the two states. All laws and rules of the respective states apply.

Oregon Residency Requirements

• A resident is any person who:
  1. Has physically resided in Oregon for not less than six consecutive months immediately prior to making application for a license, tag, or permit.
  2. Members of the uniformed services of the United States who: (i) Are permanently assigned to active duty in this state, and their spouse and dependent children, (ii) Reside in this state while assigned to duty at any base, station, shore establishment or other facility in this state, (iii) Reside in this state while serving as members of the crew of a ship that has an Oregon port or shore establishment as its home port or permanent station.
  3. Aliens attending school in Oregon under a foreign student exchange program.
  4. Except for persons who qualify as a resident in (b) or (c), a “Resident” does not include a person who merely owns real property or pays property taxes in this state, or who claims resident privileges in another state or country for any purpose.
• Submitting a false application is a crime.

Youth (Resident and Nonresident)

• All youths 17 years of age and younger must have a Hunter Education Certificate or a Department issued document which includes their Hunter Education Certificate Number in their possession to hunt anywhere except on their own land or land owned by their parent or legal guardian. For Hunter Education information, call the Hunter Education office in Salem at 503-947-6028.
• Youth 11 years of age and under do not need a license to hunt game birds, small game, or unprotected wildlife except:
  • A Free Youth Game Bird License or a Youth Combination License is required to obtain Band-tailed Pigeon, Brant, Sea Duck, Northwest Goose, Fee Pheasant Permits, HIP Validations or turkey tags and to hunt for those species for which the tag, validation, or permit is required.
  • A Youth Combination License is required to apply for a Controlled Sage-Grouse Permit or a Wildlife Area Reservation Hunt.
• Youths 13 years of age and under while hunting on property other than their own must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older.
• See exceptions for the Mentored Youth Hunter Program (Mentored Youth Hunter Program).

Nonresidents

• Nonresidents choosing to purchase a Three Day Bird Hunting License must also purchase applicable game bird validations, permits, and/ or turkey tags (License, Tag, & Permit Fees).
• Three Day Bird Hunting Licenses are valid for three consecutive days.
• Multiple Three Day Bird Hunting Licenses may be purchased during a season.
• A Three Day Bird Hunting License is not valid to apply for Controlled Sage-Grouse Permits or Wildlife Area Reservation Hunts. To apply for these, a regular hunting license is required.

Landowners

• Resident landowners can obtain a Free Landowner Hunting License to hunt game birds on their own property, except for brant, band-tailed pigeon, sea duck, sage-grouse and turkey. For these hunt types, a regular hunting license and applicable tags and permits are required for landowners hunting on their own property.
• Landowners choosing to obtain a Free Landowner Hunting License must still purchase applicable validations to hunt for game birds (dependent on species, see License, Tag, & Permit Fees).