Oregon Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Oregon hunting license costs $39 for a resident adult and $193 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
Oregon raised its hunting license fees in 2026 for the first time since 2020, the start of a phased increase running through 2030. The base license itself still doesn't include a single tag: deer, elk, bear, turkey and antelope are all separate purchases layered on top once you're licensed.
- Combination hunting + angling license, resident $86
The base license does not cover deer, elk, bear, turkey or antelope; each requires its own tag purchased separately once licensed (resident deer tag $33, elk $56, antelope $58; non-resident deer $500, elk $660, antelope $443). Hunter education is required for anyone born on or after Jan 1, 1960. A resident Combination license (hunting + angling) is $86; the resident Sports Pac at $253 bundles hunting, angling, shellfish and several tags together. ODFW's own fee-schedule PDF blocks automated fetching; figures here are cross-verified against eRegulations.com and match the $39/$193 figures reported across multiple current sources.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for Oregon hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What an Oregon hunting license costs
Residents pay $39 for the annual hunting license; non-residents pay $193. Big game tags are separate: a resident deer tag is $33, elk $56 and antelope $58, while a non-resident deer tag runs $500, elk $660 and antelope $443. A resident Combination license (hunting plus angling) is $86, and the resident Sports Pac at $253 bundles hunting, angling, shellfish and several validations into one purchase.
Hunter education requirements
Oregon requires hunter education for anyone born on or after January 1, 1960, before a standard hunting license will be issued. Hunters under 18 must complete the course regardless of birth year exemptions that apply to some older adults. The Hunter Education Certificate is good for life once earned, even though the license itself needs annual renewal.
License year and deadlines
Oregon hunting licenses expire December 31 every year regardless of purchase date, so a license bought late in the year covers only the remaining weeks before a new one is needed.
How to buy your Oregon hunting license
ODFW's online licensing system at odfw.huntfishoregon.com sells the license and tags together, and licenses are also available at ODFW offices and authorized license sales agents across the state.
Hunting in Oregon: what to expect
Eastern Oregon's high desert and Blue Mountains country holds the state's best mule deer and elk hunting, with vast BLM and national forest tracts giving hunters genuine public-land access uncommon west of the Cascades. The Coast Range and western Cascades support Oregon's Roosevelt elk herds in dense timber country that demands a different hunting style than the open eastern rangeland. Waterfowl hunters concentrate around the Klamath Basin and the Willamette Valley's wildlife refuges, both key stops on the Pacific Flyway.
The draw system and public land access
Most of Oregon's best deer and elk hunts, particularly for eastern Oregon mule deer and the state's limited-entry elk units, run through a competitive draw rather than over-the-counter tag sales, so hunters should apply well ahead of the season and expect to build preference points over multiple years for premium units. Oregon's BLM and Forest Service land, concentrated heavily east of the Cascades, gives non-resident hunters without a lease or outfitter relationship a realistic way into quality hunting despite the state's otherwise steep non-resident tag prices.
How to renew a Oregon hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Oregon. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. Hunting licenses expire December 31 regardless of purchase date. 2026 fees reflect ODFW's first increase since 2020, part of a phased schedule running through 2030.
The fastest route is the official Oregon online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Oregon fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.