Previewing The 2015 Big Game Seasons

For this year’s big game hunting prospects, the operative word is “winter,” in that there hardly was one in most of the state. While a warm winter and low snowpack bring with it potential problems for farmers, fish, and increased wildfire danger, it also facilitates better overwinter survival for all age classes of big game animals. Wildfires have also been an important factor. The recent big range fires were very bad news for sage grouse but in many areas wildfires have also created a mosaic of early successional growth that deer, elk, and other animals are benefiting from and helping their populations along. These and other factors point to a potentially good 2015 big game hunting season, and in some parts of Oregon perhaps better than we have seen in some time. In fact, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is currently planning to increase controlled deer tags by about one percent statewide, and elk tags by three percent. Find out what a sampling of ODFW wildlife biologist are saying about the big game for 2015 here