I have been a hunter and fisherman for the past 55 years in Oregon. In that time I have seen the sports go steadily downhill. Last year our F&G dept. increased fee across the board by 50 to 100%. At present our hunting SEASONS begin in August with archery for deer and elk. This is followed by the regular deer season, doe season, more archery season, high cascade hunts, black powder hunts, first bull elk season, second bull elk season, cow elk season, damage control hunts and the list goes on through the end of December. Fishing season is just as bad. Shorter seasons, tighter keeper windows, limited days of the week when you can fish, etc. Last year I pulled the plug on hunting and fishing. It is a sad note that what the animal huggers have been trying to do for 55 years was finally accomplished by the Fish and Game dept.

I agree with Madman. Same time frame. Now Oregon gets wolves to boot. Less yearlings.
The ODFW has become another govt. bureaucracy, control everything

I know your pain. I've been coming across the Columbia River from Washington to Oregon to elk hunt for 15 years. Last year the non-resident fees went from $440 to $640. I hunt the coast range where in the past it was common to see herds of 30 to 50 elk. Now there are not nearly as many elk as there used to be, and I have to pay more to try and get one. Where is the management??? What I've heard is that there are less and less hunters in Oregon each year, and the DFW is trying to make up the lost funds by sticking it to those of us who remain. There is also the excuse of "poor economic times", which I understand, but will there be a cost reduction in "good economic times"? I won't hold my breath. What really kills me is I work for an Oregon company so I pay Oregon taxes just like residents. At least give me a little discount, then I might come back. Until then, I'm staying in WA.

As a FORMER HUNTER AND FISHERMAN from Oregon it seems to me that what has happened to the sports is a simple economic condition known as the principle of diminishing returns. As the Fish and Game dept. finds revenue falling as more and more sportsman give up the sport due to cost, poor returns, hard to get tags, shorter seasons but many many more of them, and a variety of other reasons, they raise the fees to generate more income and add more seasons to do the same. The result is that they drive even more sportsman away and have less revenue then before. This becomes a self feeding cycle. I understand that they, ODFW, are walking a narrow edge. They are trying to keep both the sportsman and the animal huggers happy. However, the question I have to ask is which group pays there salaries? And for how much longer?

I have only hunted a few years (42) and fully agree with this post. I am in Washington myself but have never hunted in Oregon. The WFDW appear to have a like agenda. The director was (3rd party) said to have stated that with-in 10 years Wolf Watching would generate more income to the state than hunting. I have not confirmed this but the source can be trusted. What can we do?

Now I know that what I am about to say may sound insane to many sportsman, but please hear me out. We all are tired of the way that our states are mismanaging our wildlife. High tag and license fee, shorter seasons, more and more special seasons, auctioning off our game to the highest (read that richest) bidder, and the list goes on and on. I can't help but wonder what would happen if all hunters and fishermen would boy cot the sports for a year. Maybe the Fish and Wildlife departments would find out just who it is that butters their toast. I know that this is a lot to ask in states like Oregon with their preference point system, but you can get a point saver so you don't lose the points that you have built up. Not only would this put a crimp in the income for the state dept., but the sporting goods dealers, gas dealers, motels, sporting equipment companies, etc. would also be screaming. Just maybe we could get the state to wake up and smell the roses, or at least the doe scent and smelly jelly that sportsman buy.

Since I posted my last blog I have been doing a little research. I found a listing for all license sales and fees charged by the ODFW since l975. Here are a few examples: Combination hunting/fishing license sales 1975 totaled 168,388 and in 2010 they totaled 86,859. Fishing: 1975 - 301,958 down to 265,579 in 2010. Jr. Angler fees: 1975 - 52,393 2010 - 23,808. Hunting licenses: 1975 - 150,056 down to 88,947 in 2010. It becomes even more interesting when you really start studying the data. Every year when there have been large % fee increases the sales have dropped by large % amounts. The numbers do slowly build back up but never to the levels they were at before the fee increase. This study did not list the sale stats for tags, but it stands to reason that if license sales go down tag sales go down equally. But for me the most alarming stats were on the jr. licenses., both fishing and hunting. Percentage wise these declines far surpassed the adult sales. Is this the future of our sport? Is this the goal of the ODFW, what they have been working toward for years?

Now I have heard reports by the ODFW that there is more game then ever in Oregon and more people hunting and fishing then ever. However, each year I see second chance tags available for prime hunting units in the state. These are the 'best' units, and yet there are tags left over. This tells me that what they are saying just ain't so. It seems that the wildlife people have become just as bad as any other politician. Double talk, lies, and if you ask them their favorite color they will say plaid.

Am I unhappy? You bet. Do I still support the ODFW POLITICIANS? Not a chance. Will I buy any licenses or tags in Oregon? NO WAY. I plan to save that money and when there is is enough I will take a trip to someplace where they still understand what hunting and fishing is all about. Not only does the state loose out on the fees, but the businesses also loose out the what I would spend if I did my hunting and fishing at home. Perhaps when I turn 65 and can get a pioneers fishing license for free I might return to trout fishing, but I certainly will not buy a salmon/surgeon/steelhead/tuna tag to go along with it. However, the way things are going, I don't expect this will still be an option three years from now.

looks like you did your research. and I have noticed that less and less people are hunting. I personaly have seen the group of people I remember as a child completly get out of hunting and fishing. The group was 20-30 we would go with between hunting and fishing. I do miss the days when it was a big part of who everyone was, the connection you make with people are a one of a kind. Im not sure if they have just lost interest, became to costly, or if our society has changed there mind.