General deer season opens this Saturday

Whoop, whoop!

The most popular hunt of the fall, general buck deer, opens this Saturday, Oct. 3. Hunters should check for any access restrictions where they want to hunt; consult this week’s Big Game Recreation Report for the most recent updates on conditions, be safe and have fun.

Hunting, fishing and wildfire danger

Get the latest updates on access, closures, impacts

With the extreme season in Oregon, hunters and anglers should check ahead about possible closures, restrictions and cancellations. We are updating access conditions as we can in the Recreation Report. However, conditions can change quickly, and in between updates.

To help you find the latest information regarding public access, closures and other wildfire-related issues, we’ve created this webpage on MyODFW.com. Here you’ll find the latest ODFW closures and cancellations, as well as links to land management agencies and their current notices.

Razor clamming on Clatsop beaches opens Oct. 1

Clamming and crabbing reopens to nonresidents Oct. 7

Two big openings for shellfish enthusiasts are happening this week. First, razor clamming on the popular Clatsop County beaches reopens tomorrow. And nonresidents will be able to crab and clam along the entire Oregon coast beginning Oct. 7.

Best bets for weekend fishing

This week anglers can choose among salmon, trout and even a little sturgeon. Or maybe all three with some careful planning.

• Bay fishing for fall Chinook has been fair to good on many parts of the coast. Look for them grouping up at the top of the bays and estuaries, waiting for more rain to send them upriver.
• The coho season on the Sandy and Clackamas rivers is underway. There are fish and anglers are catching them. You could be one.
• The Columbia River will be open Oct. 3 for sturgeon retention from the Wauna powerlines upstream to Bonneville Dam.
• Also on the Columbia, the daily bag limit has been increased to two Chinook a day.
• The Grande Ronde River opens for wild coho retention on Oct. 1. You heard that right. This is the first time in 40 years there has been a coho fishery on the Grande Ronde.
• Tenmile, Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes all open for wild coho on Oct. 1. It will be a while before coho arrive in significant numbers, but it’s not too soon to get these fisheries on your radar for later this month.
• Trout fishing should be “epic” on the Klamath River, with almost ideal flow conditions for the next week.
• Water temperatures are starting to get cooler and it’s putting trout on the bite. This week’s call outs include Ben Irving Reservoir, Fish Lake, Lost Creek Reservoir, Green Peter Reservoir and Wallowa Lake. Check the zone reports for more options.
• Steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes has been good when water clarity has been good.