Base camp · Multnomah County
Portland, Oregon hunting guide
Under Portland lies the Willamette Unit; the GIS layers count no public hunting acres inside 10 miles, and BLM Cascades Field Office is the nearest open record.
Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)
Portland public hunting land by distance
The short list for Portland, inside 10 miles, holds 1 BLM field office, 1 BLM district and 1 BLM land (statewide); widening to 25 miles adds 8 more. Portland has no mapped public hunting acres within 10 miles; 32,621 lie inside 25.
Rows tagged in red need a check first; the first plain row, BLM Cascades Field Office, is 8.6 miles out. Push out to 24 mi and Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge comes into reach, the farthest of the 11 places within 25 miles.
| Hunting ground | Kind | Straight line | Ring | Units | Can you hunt? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cascades (BLM) | BLM field office | 8.6 mi | Under 10 mi | Willamette, Santiam | Open unless posted |
| BLM Northwest Oregon District | BLM district | 8.6 mi | Under 10 mi | Scappoose, Wilson + | Open unless posted |
| BLM lands statewide | BLM land (statewide) | 8.6 mi | Under 10 mi | Scappoose, Wilson + | Open unless posted |
| Sauvie Island WA | Wildlife area | 12 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Scappoose | Parking permit needed |
| Mt. Hood National Forest | National forest | 13 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Santiam, White River + | Open in season |
| Tualatin River refuge | Wildlife refuge | 13 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Willamette | Refuge rules apply |
| Tillamook (BLM) | BLM field office | 15 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Scappoose, Wilson + | Open unless posted |
| Reclamation lands | Reclamation land | 22 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Trask, Rogue + | Partner rules, check |
| Tillamook State Forest | State forest | 23 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Saddle Mtn, Scappoose + | Open in season |
| Zigzag district | Ranger district | 24 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Santiam, Hood | Open in season |
| Wapato Lake refuge | Wildlife refuge | 24 mi | 10 to 25 mi | Willamette | Refuge rules apply |
Rings and distances from places.json (lands.json boundaries to the Census point of Portland); access cells from each record’s own rule text (the 2026 ODFW wildlife area regulations and OAR 635-008 for wildlife areas, USFS, BLM and ODF pages, 50 CFR 32.56 for refuges, the ODFW Access and Habitat and Open Fields pages). GIS acres are not official acreage. Checked November 8, 2026.
Portland hunting units
The Willamette Unit (2,893 sq mi) is the home unit for Portland; 1 more unit comes within 10 miles. 9 counties share the Willamette Unit; Marion holds 18.6% of it.
| Unit | Sq mi | Counties | ODFW district | Cougar zone (quota) | Side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willamette Unit | 2,893 | Marion, Clackamas + | Mid Willamette | A (180) | West |
| Scappoose Unit | 771 | Columbia, Washington + | North Willamette – Coast Range Unit | A (180) | West |
The Willamette Unit sits in cougar Zone A, quota 180; dogs may not be used. Landowner damage relief: Willamette Valley, a general season antlerless elk area in this unit. Bird and predator hunters should leave the centerfire at home in the Willamette Unit during Coast Bull Elk 1st Season and Coast Bull Elk 2nd Season.
Units from the ODFW Wildlife Management Unit layer and places.json; cougar zones from the 2026 cougar regulations; herd ranges from the Eastern Oregon Deer Hunt Areas; travel management, damage areas and rifle limits from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations. Checked November 8, 2026.
Closest mapped ground to Portland, in detail
Statewide program records such as the BLM and Reclamation entries are set aside; these are the closest mapped places to Portland.
BLM Northwest Oregon District
BLM ground like this stays open to licensed hunters unless closed by order.
Sauvie Island WA
Area regulations (OAR 635-008-0147) can trim the unit season here, so read them first. Bring a wildlife area parking permit.
From lands.json (2026 ODFW big game and game bird regulations, OAR 635-008, USFS, BLM, ODF, USFWS and ODFW Access and Habitat pages). Checked November 8, 2026.
Which controlled hunts cover Portland
17 controlled or premium hunts in 5 series have 2026 hunt areas that reach the Willamette Unit and Scappoose Unit, with 5,713 tags between them. Leftover tags went on sale online July 1 at 10 a.m.; spring bear leftovers on March 15. Every row is a 2026 hunt (spring bear rows ran April and May 2026); the 2027 big game booklet is not out yet.
| Draw series | Hunt numbers | Tags offered | 1st choice apps | Earliest start | Latest end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600 antlerless deer | 3 | 3,487 | 10,391 | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| 200 elk | 9 | 792 | 1,673 | Aug 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 |
| 700 spring bear | 1 | 1,430 | 1,749 | Apr 1, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
| L premium deer | 2 | 2 | – | Aug 1, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 |
| M premium elk | 2 | 2 | – | Aug 1, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 |
Demand peaks at 215A in the 200 elk series, 367 first choices in 2025 for 83 tags. In the 600 antlerless deer series, hunt 615 (Willamette Unit) drew the most first choices: 9,571 in 2025 for 3,410 tags.
The Willamette Unit, home unit of Portland: up to 14 of its hunt numbers.
| Number | Name | Weapon | 2026 dates | Tags | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 615 | Willamette Unit | Any legal weapon | Sep 1-Feb 28 | 3,410 | 9,571 |
| 215A | Willamette Plus | Any legal weapon | Aug 1-Mar 31 | 83 | 367 |
| 200R | Oregon Youth Bow | Youth only | Aug 29-Sep 27 | 330 | 124 |
| 710A | NW Oregon | Any legal weapon | Apr 1-May 31 | 1,430 | 1,749 |
| L15 | Willamette | Premium | Aug 1-Nov 30 | 1 | – |
| M15 | Willamette | Premium | Aug 1-Nov 30 | 1 | – |
Hunt numbers, 2026 tags and 2025 first-choice applicants from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations; hunt areas from the ODFW 2026 controlled hunt boundary layers; draw rules from the controlled hunt application rules. Checked November 8, 2026.
Portland general hunts without the draw
Western Oregon general buck deer covers the Willamette Unit: any legal weapon, October 3 through November 6, 2026; the tag sale deadline was October 2. Tags for the general bear and cougar seasons had to be bought by October 2; additional tags have no deadline.
| Quarry | Season | Area | Opens | Closes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery, West | 4 units | Aug 29, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Deer | West buck, any weapon | 20 units | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| Deer | Youth extension, West buck | 20 units | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Elk | Antlerless damage | 12 units | Aug 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Elk | Archery, West | 5 units | Aug 29, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Elk | West Coast bull, 1st | 9 units | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 17, 2026 | |
| Elk | West Coast bull, 2nd | 6 units | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Fall, statewide | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Cougar | Year-round, quotas | Statewide | Jan 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 |
The Northwest Permit Zone covers Multnomah County; duck zone lines are printed only on the ODFW map.
General seasons from the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations (tag sale deadlines); bird zones from the 2026-27 Oregon Game Bird Hunting Regulations (goose zones, hours zones). Checked November 8, 2026.
2025 harvest in the Willamette Unit near Portland
The 2025 summaries give hunters and harvest by hunt within each unit; the rows below add those up for the Willamette Unit.
| 2025 report | Hunters | Kills |
|---|---|---|
| Buck deer, any weapon | 4,889 | 1,577 |
| Deer, archery | 811 | 122 |
| Elk, any weapon | 397 | 118 |
| Elk, archery | 175 | 19 |
| Elk damage tags | 546 | 243 |
| Black bear | 331 | 11 |
| Cougar | 335 | 5 |
2025 ODFW harvest summaries (unit totals computed from the hunt rows): buck deer, any weapon, deer, archery, elk, any weapon, elk, archery, elk damage tags, black bear, cougar. Checked November 8, 2026.
Portland hunters, who to call
Portland falls in the ODFW North Willamette – Cascade Unit biologist district, worked from the Clackamas office (971-673-6028). The closest ODFW door is ODFW Clackamas North Willamette Watershed District Office, about 9 miles away. Bear skulls and cougar hides must be shown at an ODFW office or collection site within 10 days, by appointment.
ODFW offices from the ODFW Contact Us page and the ODFW offices layer (services.json); districts from the ODFW wildlife biologist districts layer; ranger district and BLM office addresses from the USFS and BLM office layers (places.json); straight-line distances. Checked November 8, 2026.
Portland shops, mounts and meat care
For mounts, meat and ammunition, the 25-mile list around Portland carries 10, 3 and 53 businesses in turn. 56 outfitter guides registered with the Oregon State Marine Board work in Multnomah County, by their listed guide areas.
Listings from Yellow Pages, store locators, the ODFW Contact Us page and the Oregon State Marine Board guide roster (services.json); chain stores left out and not every listing was checked as open, so call first. Checked November 8, 2026.
Banquets and field days near Portland
Thirty crow-flight miles out there are 5 dates ahead as of November 7, 2026.
| When | Title | Miles | Location | Tickets or sign-up | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 2026 | Intro to Hunting in Oregon for Adults (Tualatin) adult intro to hunting, as listed | 13 | Cabela's (Tualatin) | Register | Source |
| Dec 17, 2026 | Intro to Hunting in Oregon for Adults (Tualatin) adult intro to hunting, as listed | 13 | Cabela's (Tualatin) | Register | Source |
| Feb 3, 2027 | Grand Council Dinner DU Grand Council dinner, as listed | 0 | Ringside Steakhouse | Tickets | Source |
| Feb 17–21, 2027 | Pacific Northwest Sportsmen's Show 2027 sportsmen’s show, as listed | 0 | Portland Expo Center | Event page | Source |
| Apr 23, 2027 | Portland Ducks Unlimited – Spring Conservation Event DU banquet, as listed | 0 | Rossi Farms | Tickets | Source |
Portland shooters: the three nearest ranges
Three Oregon ranges nearest Portland, ranked by straight-line miles.
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked November 8, 2026.
Sun and shooting hours for Portland
Deer, elk, bear and cougar hunters around Portland follow the mammal window; grouse, quail, chukar, pheasant, ducks and geese follow the bird table.
| Date | Opener | Rise | Set | Mammal hours | Bird table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:27 a.m. | 7:57 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 8:27 p.m. | Not in table |
| Oct 3, 2026 | General buck opener | 7:10 a.m. | 6:49 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 7:19 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Duck opener and upland opener | 7:19 a.m. | 6:36 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. to 7:06 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:31 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:47 a.m. | 4:29 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:27 a.m. | 7:55 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 8:25 p.m. | Not in table |
Hours rules from the ODFW general hunting regulations; game bird times from the 2026-27 game bird shooting hours table; mammal sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Pacific Time); checked November 8, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Questions Portland hunters bring up
Counting out to 25 miles, how many public places surround Portland?
11 records on this site, 3 of them inside 10 miles; BLM Cascades Field Office is the nearest open one at 8.6 mi.
Is Portland in duck Zone 1 or Zone 2?
ODFW publishes that line only as a map picture with no county list, so check the map near Portland.
How many deer hunts reach the units near Portland?
5 controlled and premium deer hunts in 2026, on top of the Western Oregon general buck season.
Is Portland in Western or Eastern Oregon for big game?
Western Oregon: the Willamette Unit is unit 15, and Units 10 to 30 make up Western Oregon.
What is the cougar quota for the Willamette area?
The Willamette Unit is in Zone A, quota 180.
Is there an elk damage area near Portland?
Yes: Willamette Valley, open August 1 to March 31 with a general season antlerless damage tag.
What time is sunrise at Portland on December 21?
7:47 a.m. by the NOAA solar formula, so mammal hunting may start at 7:17 a.m.
What ODFW region is Portland in?
The West Region, North Willamette – Cascade Unit district; the nearest office of any kind is ODFW Clackamas North Willamette Watershed District Office.
What hunting businesses does Portland have nearby?
Within 25 miles, 53 gear shops, 10 taxidermists and 3 processors; phone numbers are in the services band.
Do deer and elk around Portland carry chronic wasting disease?
Not as far as testing shows: ODFW’s October 15, 2026 results list no detection in Oregon, and out-of-state carcass parts are restricted.
From places.json, lands.json, regs.json (the 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations, 2026-27 game bird regulations, hunter orange, license fees, CWD), counties.json and services.json. Checked November 8, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Bonnie Moreland (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Katrina Br*?#*!@nd (CC BY-SA 2.0); Bonnie Moreland (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (Public Domain Mark 1.0).