Oregon hunting license

How much is an Oregon hunting license in 2026?

A resident Oregon hunting license costs $39.00 and a nonresident one costs $193.00, as listed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for the 2026 license year. Both prices already include the agent fee. The license lets you hunt, but it does not include any big game or turkey tags, and bird hunters need validations on top.

For residents, tags are where the real cost sits: deer $33, elk $56, black bear or cougar $16.50 each, and turkey $26.50. Upland bird hunters add the $11 upland bird stamp, and duck and goose hunters add the $15 waterfowl stamp. Because the tags are priced separately, two hunters holding the same license can spend very different amounts.

If you hunt several species and also fish, the resident Sports Pac at $253 bundles the hunting, angling and shellfish license, the combined angling tag, upland and waterfowl validations, and a deer, elk, cougar, bear and turkey tag. The hunting and angling combination license alone is $86. The table below compares the main options.

Who needs hunter safety for an Oregon hunting license?

In Oregon, hunter safety education is required for hunters 17 and younger, and adults are not required to take it. Youth must complete a course from any U.S. state, Canada or Mexico and carry the certificate or a department-issued document with their number. The one exception is youth hunting on land owned by their parent or legal guardian.

There are two routes. The conventional youth course is held in person over several sessions and ends with a written exam and a Field Day. The other route is an approved online course followed by an in-person Field Day, booked separately, that covers live fire, safe handling and a hands-on evaluation. Register early on the ODFW hunter safety page so the certificate is in hand before the season.

Adults are free to take the course anyway, and many new adult hunters find it a useful start before their first season in the field.

Where do you buy a hunting license in Oregon?

Most hunters buy online at MyODFW.com and choose electronic documents, which they then show from the MyODFW app on a phone or tablet. You can also buy online and print paper documents at home, or go to a license sales agent or ODFW office that sells licenses, where staff can print on regular paper or set you up electronically.

Watch the tag sale deadlines. Each general and controlled tag must be bought before its deadline, and the dates differ by species and hunt, so check them when you plan your season. Step-by-step help is on ODFW's how to buy a license or tag page.

1. Make sure any hunter 17 or younger has finished hunter safety and a Field Day.
2. Create or verify your account at MyODFW.com, or visit a license sales agent.
3. Buy the hunting license (or a Sports Pac) plus the bird stamps you need.
4. Buy your deer, elk, bear, cougar or turkey tags before each tag sale deadline.

Buy a Oregon hunting license on the official site

How do Oregon big game tags and controlled hunts work?

Oregon sells two kinds of big game tags: general season tags you buy over the counter, and controlled hunt tags awarded in a draw that uses preference points. Every deer, elk, bear, cougar and turkey hunter needs a tag for the species, and you cannot hold the tag without the license underneath it.

For 2026, applications for spring black bear controlled hunts were due Feb. 10, with results on Feb. 20. All other big game controlled hunts, including deer, elk and pronghorn, were due May 15, with results on June 12. Each application costs $10. The eRegulations fee and deadline page lists every tag sale deadline as well.

After the season, reporting is mandatory. Hunters must report on every deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, cougar and turkey tag they bought, whether they hunted or not. Reporting is done online through your account or at a license sales agent, so it takes only a few minutes once the season closes.

What does a youth hunting license cost in Oregon?

Youth 12 to 17 buy the $10 Combination License, which covers hunting, angling and shellfish, or the $75 Youth Sports Pac with tags included. One of those is also required to enter the controlled hunt drawing or buy preference points. Youth 11 and under need no license for game birds, small game or unprotected wildlife.

Big game is stricter. No youth 11 or younger may hunt big game except through the Mentored Youth Hunter Program, and any youth 13 or under must be with an adult 21 or older when hunting off land owned by a parent or guardian.

The Mentored Youth Hunter Program lets resident and nonresident kids 9 to 15 hunt before passing hunter safety. They need a free annual registration and a supervising hunter 21 or older who holds a valid license and tags for that area and species. At 16, a youth must pass the course.

What do nonresidents pay to hunt in Oregon?

Visitors pay $193 for the annual license in 2026, and big game tags cost much more than resident tags: deer $500, elk $660, pronghorn $443 and turkey $90. Bear and cougar tags are $16.50 for everyone. Nonresident bird hunters add the $50 bird-waterfowl stamp.

For a short bird hunt, the nonresident 3-day bird license is $36 in 2026. There is no short-term option for big game, so a deer or elk trip means the full annual license plus the tag. The Sports Pac and combination license are resident only. Nonresidents follow the same youth hunter safety and tag deadline rules as residents.

Hunting the border country? See the Idaho hunting license and Washington hunting license guides.

Other Oregon license rules to know

Oregon licenses follow the calendar: they are valid from January 1, or the purchase date if later, through December 31. A license bought in the fall therefore covers only the rest of that year. For other states, open our hunting license by state guide.

• Hunter orange: hunters younger than 18 using a firearm for game mammals or upland game birds (turkey excluded) must wear an orange hat or outer garment visible from all directions.
• Landowners: a resident needs no license to hunt land they live on that is owned by them or their immediate family, unless hunting a species that requires a tag or applying for big game tags. Owners of 40 or more acres may qualify for Landowner Preference tags.
• Seniors: residents 70 or older with 5 years of residency pay $25 for the senior hunting license. Pioneers (65 or older with 50 years in Oregon) pay $10 for a combination license.
• Military and veterans: the disabled veteran combination license is free, and the Uniformed Services hunting license is $19 for residents and $39 for nonresidents.
• Carrying documents: electronic documents shown in the MyODFW app count, as do paper copies printed at home or by an agent.