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DOUGLAS COUNTY (Dixon, S. Indigo, NW Evans Creek, Melrose, SW Siuslaw, E. Tioga and NE Powers Units)

Archery deer and elk: With good over-winter survival of both deer and elk, hunter should expect deer hunting to be good in the Cascades and Umpqua Valley. Elk hunting in the Cascade Units should be about the same as the past few years.

Some of the better wildlife openings are created by clear-cuts, thinnings, or a few years after wildfires. Recent fire activity in the Dixon and Evans Creek units are already producing great forage and cover for deer populations.

Fall black bear: There was enough rain this spring that berry crops are good. Locating these berry crops and looking for bear sign should be productive.

Cougar: Look in areas adjacent to agriculture and within areas of higher concentrations of deer. When fresh tracks are found, set up and call with either mouth or electronic predator calls.

Cougars are abundant throughout with indicators pointing to stable or increasing numbers. Hunting cougar is a challenge because these animals are very secretive, but harvest success is greatest adjacent to private land with high deer populations using a predator call.

Coyote: Numbers are strong throughout Douglas County. Using predator calls to lure them in can be an effective method for harvesting coyotes. Try calling in early morning and late afternoon. Be sure to ask permission before hunting on private land.

COOS COUNTY (west Tioga, west Powers, north Sixes, southwest Siuslaw)

The Coos Mountain Access Area has been extended through December 2023, providing year-round access to about 63,000 acres in the heart of the Tioga Unit. Learn more about the Coos Mountain Access Area on MyODFW.com or call the Charleston Field Office at (541)888-5515. Maps are available.

Deer: Deer populations in the district appear to have increased over the past several years. Survey and research work by ODFW and partners indicates deer populations in many parts of the Tioga, Sixes and Powers Units are fairly high in comparison to population levels of the early 2000s.

Most of us have noticed this was a dry summer and spring before that. Deer need to have access to water daily so with the dry conditions on the Oregon coast this year, look for them near water. Deer generally feed most heavily on browse. So look for early season deer in brushy and grassy clear-cuts and meadows.

As the Any Legal Weapon season wears on and fall rains continue, vegetation will green up. This will have an impact on where deer will spend their time. As grass becomes a more important part of their diet, clear-cuts with lots of grass will be the places to look for bucks.  They will be most active in early morning and late afternoon.

Fall black bear: Fall season will continue through the end of December with increasing opportunity as forage becomes more available.

Bear numbers appear to be healthy and the animals are well distributed across the district. Generally, populations appear to be more concentrated closer to the coast. Bear hunters should concentrate on areas with wild berry production. In normal years bears will concentrate on blackberries in the summer and early fall. Soon after the blackberries ripen and fall off the plants, evergreen huckleberries ripen and bears should turn their attention to them.

Cougar: Cougars are difficult to locate in Coos County. The majority of cougars are taken incidentally during deer and elk seasons by hunters who have also purchased a cougar tag.

The most productive way to hunt cougar is to use a predator call.

Coyote: Numbers are strong throughout Coos County. Using predator calls to lure them in can be an effective method for harvesting coyotes. Try calling in early morning and late afternoon. Be sure to ask permission before hunting on private land.

Mourning dove: The season reopens Nov. 15.

Grouse: Grouse populations are relatively abundant in Coos County presently.  Over the past few years conditions have been good for grouse to survive the winter and pull off successful nests.  Brood surveys done by OLDFW staff indicate grouse nesting was successful so birds will be available for good hunting.  Grouse hunters on the coast are often frustrated by the fact that birds don’t seem to concentrate in specific habitats like they do in dryer parts of the state.  Generally Western Oregon hunters find their best success hunting along roads where clover and other green forage grows.  For legal and safety reasons, hunting roads that are closed to motor vehicle access are best. 

Quail: Quail populations Coastal Oregon are faring quite well these days, as are grouse.  There are two species of quail available in Oregon for harvest, California quail and mountain quail.  Both are available for harvest in Coos County. California Quail are usually found in lower elevation and near agricultural fields while mountain quail are generally found above 1000 ft. elevation.  Mountain quail generally prefer young clear cuts, particularly those with rocky outcroppings nearby.  Hunters find both of these species are enjoyable to hunt.  Mountain quail in particular are often found on public land or timber company land open to public access.  Hunting these birds will beat a hunter and dog up as much as any chukar hunt, if you’re into that.

Turkey, fall season: Turkey numbers have been increasing in Coos County for the past several years.  Birds are now well distributed around most agricultural lands in the county and due to their increasing numbers they seem to be increasing their range.  Occasionally they can now be found near clear cuts some distance from agricultural lands.  Hunters should walk roads looking for tracks and feathers to locate flocks of birds.  When birds are located using techniques like busting up flocks with a bird dog then sitting and calling them back in for a shot works well in the fall.

Waterfowl: Duck and goose abundance in Coos County is relatively low at this writing but migrants are beginning to arrive.  As is normally the case, early arriving migratory ducks and geese are generally found in the lower portions of bays and estuaries.  These birds tend to congregate in October and early November in the saltwater portion of bays and estuaries to feed on eel grass and other saltwater vegetation prior to the arrival of fall rains.  Once rain begins and inundation of inland valleys occurs later in the fall these birds will redistribute inland.  Often some of the best hunting takes place in this early part of the fall because many coastal bays and estuaries offer areas to hunt that are publicly accessible.