New Year, New Ewe

2025 is here! Chances are your new year’s resolutions include one of the following: having more fun, spending more time with loved ones, getting outdoors more often or eating healthier food. Pick up a fishing or hunting license, wildlife area parking permit or other product and be off to a great start on your goals this year.

Free Show Entry for Pioneers

The Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, in partnership with ODFW and in celebration of our 50th anniversary, is offering free admission to any Oregon Pioneer Combination License holder. Upon arrival at the show, a current Pioneer License must be shown at the Portland Expo Center box office to receive one complimentary pass for free admittance. (One complimentary pass per license.) We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to long-time Oregonians and look forward to seeing you at the show on February 12-16, 2025.

Wintertime Trout Fishing

Trout fishing looks different this time of year. Anglers willing to brave the cold might not catch as many trout since the fish aren’t as active, but the lack of crowds, solitude and beautiful landscape make up for that. Plus, you can sleep in.

Warmwater Winter Tackle

We went looking for tackle recommendations for chasing bass, crappie and bluegill during Oregon’s winter season. Watch this quick explainer of some of the best types of tackle to use and tips on how to use them (psst: the main takeaway is to slow way down in winter).

Learn a New Skill This Year

ODFW offers workshops on how to fish, hunt, shoot or cast at various locations across the state and at different times throughout the year. Learn more and sign up to be notified when classes are added to the calendar—and tell your friends who want to learn to hunt and fish about them too!

Report on Time, Win a Tag

Reporting your deer or elk hunt on time (by Jan. 31 for most hunts) not only saves you from the $25 penalty fee, but you’re automatically entered to win a deer or elk tag for a four-month season in the unit of your choice. Three hunters are selected each year.

Late Season Duck Hunting

You don’t have to be an expert hunter to get ducks in January. Instead, focus on patience, concealment and flexibility to help you bag your limit. Read this article to help fine-tune your strategy even during this time of frigid temperatures, frozen water and wary birds.

Waterfowl Wonderland

Some of the most spectacular wildlife viewing of the year happens from now through March as hundreds of thousands of migratory birds like tundra swans, snow geese and sandhill cranes make a stop at ODFW’s wildlife areas like Sauvie Island, Summer Lake, Klamath, Coquille Valley and others. Wildlife viewers willing to brave the weather are in for a sight. All you need is a parking permit to visit any wildlife area. Reminder that bird hunting is open thru late January on wildlife areas and viewing will be best after hunting seasons close.

Saving Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie

Most people think of conifers when they think of Oregon forests, but the oak and prairie habitat of Oregon’s interior valleys like the Willamette are actually some of the most iconic, and threatened, habitat in the state. New efforts are conserving what’s left.

70% of all salmon and steelhead caught by anglers in Oregon are hatchery origin.

Catch of the Month Photo Showcase 

Steve J. with an Oak Springs hatchery brood rainbow trout he caught in Haystack Reservoir in mid-December. When they can, hatcheries release large 3- and 4-year-old broodstock trout that are no longer suitable for spawning into local fishing holes. Keep an eye on the weekly recreation report or the trout stocking schedule to find out when you have a chance to catch one of these lunkers!

Want a chance to showcase your awesome catch to other anglers? Excited about your latest fishing trip? Snap a great photo while wildlife viewing? Proud picture of your recent harvest? Share your best photos and videos with us. Chosen photographs and videos will be displayed in the Catch of the Month spotlight in an upcoming issue of the ODFW Monthly Messenger, ODFW Photo Gallery and may be used in promotional materials.

ODFW Messenger: Monthly Edition | January 2025

The ODFW Messenger is a monthly email which highlights some of the best seasonal opportunity available, and we’ll cover content for fishing, hunting, clamming, crabbing, wildlife viewing, and everything in between. Consider the Messenger your short list for the best adventures in the current season. Lastly, we want to thank you for your continued readership and hope you’ll share it with your friends.