2016 Hunting & Fishing Licenses, Dec. 4

Oregon’s 2016 hunting and fishing licenses are on sale now and make great holiday gifts—especially a new youth license for kids that permits fishing, hunting and shellfishing all year for just $10! The new 2016 Sport Fishing and Big Game Regulations will also be in stores this week. Hunters and anglers will notice a new look to the regulations this year. “We’ve heard from sportsmen that the regulations can be confusing,” said Rick Hargrave, ODFW Information and Education Administrator. “We’ve made an effort to simplify them and hope they are easier to understand.” The effort included contracting with a different publisher, J.F. Griffin, to produce the regulations. A new searchable web version of the regulations will be available next week at ODFW’s regulations webpages. In the meantime, PDF copies of 2016 regulations are posted at the hunting and fishing regulations web page. Prices for adult licenses and tags increase for 2016 (see 2016 Recreational Fee List), the first fee increase since 2010. However, ODFW will continue to charge lower prices for youth to keep fishing and hunting affordable for families. The popular Juvenile Sports Pac is still just $55 in 2016 and prices will be lower than in 2015 for some youth sportsmen. A new combination youth license means all kids age 12-17 (non-residents, too) can fish, hunt, crab and clam all year long for just $10. This license includes the Columbia River Endorsement; add a Youth Combined Angling Tag for just $5. (Previously, costs for youth were: hunting license $14.50, fishing license $9 or $18.75 with Columbia River Endorsement for ages 14-17, combined angling tag $8.50 for ages 14-17, shellfish license $7 for ages 14 and over.) New license types are also available, including Premium Hunts. These are Oregon’s new two or three month any-weapon deer, elk and pronghorn hunts. Premium Hunts are similar to the auction and raffle tags people pay thousands for, but they cost the same as a regular tag and are an additional hunting opportunity (meaning hunters can still draw a 100, 200, 400 and 600 series tag). Most wildlife management units have one deer and one elk tag available; 29 areas also have a pronghorn tag. Also new this year, the Daily Angling and Shellfish License is ideal for visitors to the coast who want to fish, crab and clam for just one day. Cost is $27.50 for residents and non-residents. Pioneer license holders (age 65 and older, 50-year resident of Oregon) will now pay $6 for a combination license, which was previously free. The change allows ODFW to recoup an average of $20 per paid license holder in federal grants. These federal grants are generated from an excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment and are provided to states based on the number of paid license holders. These grants are important because they help fund fish and wildlife management projects that provide fishing and hunting opportunities. All 2016 licenses and tags can now be purchased online and at license sales agents and ODFW offices that sell licenses. To give a license or tag as a gift, you will need the hunter or angler’s full name and date of birth (day, month, year). If the person has had a license before, make sure you have their ODFW hunter/angler ID number which is found at the top of their license and stays the same every year. If you are purchasing a license for someone who has never had a license, you will have to provide his or her social security number in compliance with Federal and State laws.