Title 41, Wildlife

Except as provided in ORS 497.006, as used in this chapter: (1)(a) “Resident” means a person who has physically resided in this state for not less than six consecutive months immediately prior to the date of making application for a license, tag or permit issued by the State Fish…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Dependent children” includes any children of an active member of the Armed Forces of the United States who: (A) Are under 18 years of age and not married, otherwise emancipated or self-supporting; or (B) Are under 23 years of age, unmarried, enro…

(1) Angling, hunting or trapping in the waters of the Snake River or on the islands of the Snake River, where the river forms the boundary line between the State of Oregon and the State of Idaho, by a holder of either a valid Oregon or Idaho license therefor in accordance with th…

(1) A person may take fish or shellfish in the waters of the Pacific Ocean within three miles of the coast of the State of Oregon or the State of Washington, between the Oregon-Washington boundary and Cape Falcon, or in the waters of the Columbia River where it forms the Oregon-W…

Unless otherwise provided by law, all licenses, tags and permits issued by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission shall be valid for such period of time as the commission prescribes. [1973 c.723 §44; 1981 c.445 §1]

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may appoint agents to issue any of the licenses, tags or permits the commission is authorized by law to issue. The commission shall prescribe the procedure for the issuance of the licenses, tags and permits. Agents of the commission shal…

(1) No agent appointed by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission to issue licenses, tags or permits shall fail to remit to the commission moneys received from the issuance of licenses, tags and permits in the manner required by this section. (2) The commission shall, by rule, pre…

If one or more licenses, tags or permits issued by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission are lost, destroyed or stolen, the commission may require the holder of the licenses, tags or permits to attest to an agent of the commission that the licenses, tags or permits have been los…

The holder of any license, tag or permit to angle, take, hunt or trap must consent to the inspection of any such license, tag or permit and any wildlife taken pursuant to such license, tag or permit: (1) By any employee of the State Fish and Wildlife Commission or any person auth…

(1) As used in this section, “hunt” and “wildlife” have the meanings given those terms in ORS 496.004. (2) Each application for the issuance of a license, tag or permit to hunt wildlife with firearms under the wildlife laws shall include the following statement to which the appli…

(1) Except as otherwise provided by law, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission shall charge the fees listed in the fee schedule under this section for the issuance of the specified licenses, tags and permits. (2) Fee Schedule: ____________________________________________________…

The Legislative Assembly finds it imperative that the wildlife resources of the State of Oregon be augmented to a level sufficient to provide Oregonians the recreational benefits of hunting and angling, an abundance of wildlife, and the reasonable expectation that their efforts w…

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3) and (4) of this section, no person shall angle for, take, hunt or trap, or assist another in angling for, taking, hunting or trapping, any wildlife unless the person has in possession such valid licenses, tags and permits therefor as…

Notwithstanding ORS 497.075, 497.121 and 497.132, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission may issue, up to four times each year, an order that authorizes individuals to angle for fish or take shellfish in the waters of this state without the licenses or tags, or without the licens…

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue, upon application, to persons desiring to hunt wildlife the following licenses and permits and shall charge the applicable fees under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061: (a) Resident annual hunting license to hunt wil…

Notwithstanding any other provision of the wildlife laws, of the moneys received from the sale of the following licenses, the following amounts shall be deposited as provided for in ORS 496.242: (1) Resident annual combination license issued under ORS 497.132, $4. (2) Resident an…

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may issue to applicants desiring to hunt wildlife the following tags and shall charge the applicable fees under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061: (a) Resident annual elk tag to hunt elk. (b) Nonresident annual elk tag to hunt elk. (c) Spe…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Disabled veteran” and “veteran” have the meanings given those terms in ORS 408.225. (b) “Organization” means a nonprofit organization that is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and has the principal purpose …

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may, upon application and payment of the applicable fees established by the fee schedule under ORS 497.061, issue the following licenses and tags to persons desiring to angle for fish or take shellfish: (a) Resident annual angling licens…

The State Fish and Wildlife Commission shall adopt rules for the issuance of hatchery harvest tags to persons holding an annual angling license and an annual tag to angle for salmon and steelhead. The rules shall allow persons holding a hatchery harvest tag to angle for 10 fin cl…

Notwithstanding any other provision of the wildlife laws, of the moneys received from the sale of the following licenses, 75 cents from the sale of each license shall be credited to the Fish Screening Subaccount under ORS 496.303: (1) Resident annual combination license issued un…

Notwithstanding any other provision of the wildlife laws, of the moneys received from the sale of the following licenses, the following amounts shall be deposited as provided for in ORS 496.283: (1) Resident annual combination license issued under ORS 497.132, $4. (2) Resident an…

The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue, upon application, youth licenses for resident and nonresident persons at least 12 years of age and under 18 years of age and shall charge the applicable fee under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061. The youth license sha…

(1)(a) In lieu of issuing to resident persons separate licenses for hunting and angling, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue resident annual combination hunting and angling licenses, and charge the applicable fee under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061. (b…

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may provide a means for persons to make voluntary contributions to be used for special fish and wildlife management programs, including programs to improve access for recreational angling. The commission may seek voluntary contributions …

The moneys received from the fee increases prescribed in the amendments to ORS 497.121, 497.124, 497.126 and 497.132 by sections 1 to 4, chapter 619, Oregon Laws 1993, shall be used by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife for recreational fishing activities, including fish h…

Notwithstanding any other provision of the wildlife laws, of the moneys received from the sale of the following licenses, 25 cents from the sale of each license shall be credited to the Fish Passage Fund established under ORS 497.139: (1) Resident annual combination hunting and a…

The Fish Passage Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Fish Passage Fund shall be credited to the fund. Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the State Department of Fish and Wildlife for purpo…

(1) There is created a Fish Passage Restoration Subaccount within the Fish Passage Fund established under ORS 497.139. Fees described in ORS 543.765 (15) shall be paid into the subaccount. The State Department of Fish and Wildlife may solicit and accept additional moneys for cred…

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue, upon application, to persons desiring to take fur-bearing mammals the following licenses and shall charge the applicable fee under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061: (a) Resident annual license to trap or hunt fur-b…

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission, by rule, shall prescribe and administer a trapper education program to provide instruction in the proper use of trapping equipment. The program may also include instruction on wildlife and natural resource conservation, firearms safety,…

(1)(a) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue, upon application, to resident persons desiring to hunt migratory waterfowl an annual migratory waterfowl stamp and shall charge the applicable fee under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061. (b) The commission is au…

(1)(a) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue, upon application, to resident persons desiring to hunt upland birds an annual upland bird stamp and shall charge the applicable fee under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061. (b) The commission is authorized to iss…

(1) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission is authorized to issue, upon application, to nonresident persons 18 years of age or older desiring to hunt either migratory waterfowl or upland birds an annual bird-waterfowl stamp and shall charge the applicable fee under the fee schedu…

The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may adopt a system for renewing licenses issued under ORS 497.102, 497.121, 497.127 and 497.132 through the mail or the World Wide Web. [2001 c.559 §2; 2015 c.779 §49; 2019 c.102 §4] Note: 497.158 was added to and made a part of the wildlife…

(1) Upon application of the Oregon Youth Authority, the Oregon Health Authority or the Department of Human Services, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission shall issue, without fee, a license to angle for the temporary use of any person in a state institution as described in ORS …

The State Fish and Wildlife Commission shall furnish a permanent hunting and angling license, without payment of fee, to all Columbia River Indians who are eligible to hunt and angle under the terms of the Treaty of 1855 between the Columbia River Indians and the United States of…

(1) No person shall engage in the business of buying the skins or pelts of any fur-bearing mammal unless the person has first obtained from the State Fish and Wildlife Commission a fur dealer license. (2) Every fur dealer shall maintain a record of transactions involving the skin…

(1) No person shall engage in the business of propagating game birds or game mammals for sale unless a wildlife propagation license is first obtained from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may refuse to issue a license to an app…

(1) No person shall engage in the business of taxidermy unless the person first obtains from the State Fish and Wildlife Commission a taxidermist license. (2) Every licensed taxidermist shall maintain a record of the taxidermy work the person performs. The record shall be in such…

(1) No person shall engage in the business of operating a private hunting preserve for the hunting of privately owned or propagated game birds unless the person first obtains from the State Fish and Wildlife Commission a private hunting preserve license. (2) The commission shall …

(1) In addition to the penalties provided in ORS 496.992, the State Department of Fish and Wildlife may revoke or refuse to renew a license issued under ORS 497.248 if the operator fails to comply with any provision of ORS 497.248 or any rule adopted by the State Fish and Wildlif…

(1) Except as provided in ORS 508.700 to 508.745 and 622.220, no person shall engage in the business of propagating game fish or food fish for sale unless a fish propagation license is first obtained from the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2) The State Fish and Wildlife …

The State Department of Fish and Wildlife is authorized to issue, upon application, to persons desiring to engage in the following occupations the following licenses and shall charge the applicable fees under the fee schedule in ORS 497.061: (1) Resident annual fur dealer license…

The holder of any license issued pursuant to ORS 497.218 to 497.248 shall consent to the inspection by any person authorized to enforce the wildlife laws of any such license and any records the holder is required to keep by the wildlife laws or any rule promulgated pursuant there…

(1) Any person desiring to take wildlife for scientific purposes shall first obtain from the State Fish and Wildlife Commission a scientific taking permit. The commission, by rule, shall prescribe a procedure for applying for permits and the form thereof, and shall prescribe the …

(1) No person shall remove from its natural habitat or acquire and hold in captivity any live wildlife in violation of the wildlife laws or any rule adopted thereunder. (2) The State Fish and Wildlife Commission may adopt rules to carry out the provisions of subsection (1) of thi…

(1) Any rules promulgated by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission pursuant to ORS 497.308 that authorize the acquisition and holding in captivity of a coyote must require, among other matters: (a) That the holder of the permit obtain for the animal rabies inoculations; (b) That…

In accordance with any applicable provision of ORS chapter 183, the State Fish and Wildlife Commission may revoke a permit issued pursuant to ORS 497.298 or 497.308 if the commission determines that the holder of the permit has violated any of the terms or conditions thereof. Rev…

(1) A person may not operate a fish hatchery for those members of the family Acipenseridae, commonly known as green sturgeon or white sturgeon, without holding a permit therefor from the State Fish and Wildlife Commission. (2) Any permit issued pursuant to this section shall be s…