Oregon offers five types of deer tags. This section explains the differences between each deer tag and how to get them. It’s important to know that in any given year, you can only have one deer tag for each type of hunt. It’s possible to always have at least one deer tag in your pocket each season in Oregon. Getting more than one will require lots of luck or money. Learn more below.
The 100 Series tag is Oregon’s bread and butter deer tag. Generally, this series is for buck deer only, but there are select hunts where hunters can harvest an antlerless deer. Hunt descriptions in the Buck Deer Seasons section of the Oregon Big Game Regulations identify details about each hunt. In the 100 Series, there is a General Season offering over-the-counter tags and a variety of Controlled Hunts that require hunters to put in a random draw application.
The 600 Series tag is also called an “antlerless tag” as the vast majority of these tags allow hunters to take an antlerless deer only. 600 Series tags are all controlled hunts that you must apply for. There is no over-the-counter general season available. Some 600 Series tags allow harvest of “any deer.” Typically, tags in this series are very difficult to draw since wildlife managers don’t want to overharvest antlerless deer. Some require 2-3 years to draw, and others require 13+ year. Hunters should not bank on getting a 600 series tag very often.
Premium Hunts offer a chance for hunters to draw an additional deer, elk or pronghorn tag with a months-long season. This is a limited-entry tag run as a pure lottery where each hunter can purchase a single entry for that year’s draw. No preference points accumulate, and there are no party hunts as with controlled hunts. ODFW issues just one tag for every Premium Hunt. If you win, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime type of hunt. Odds are slim, but the payoff is huge. Check out the resource link below for a breakdown of what Premium Hunts are available around the state and how to apply.
RESOURCE ODFW Premium Hunts
Since 1995, ODFW’s Access & Habitat program has raffled exclusive tags that offer hunters another opportunity besides controlled and general season tags. Hunters who win a raffle tag are allowed to use any legal weapon for the entire allotted season, have extended season dates of August 1 – November 30, and can still purchase a controlled or general season tag for that species in that year. This is a traditional raffle where tickets are put into a pot and one winner per hunt is pulled based on a seed number. Buying a single ticket can win you the hunt of a lifetime. Of course, more tickets will increase your odds. For a breakdown of raffle hunt odds and instructions, see the resource link below. Proceeds from raffle tag sales fund wildlife conservation on habitat enhancement in Oregon.
RESOURCE ODFW Raffle Hunts
Big game auction tags are for big spenders. Major wildlife conservation groups support a handful of world class, once-in-a-lifetime hunts across the state each year. These hunts are truly for people with a lot of money to spend, but they end up benefitting all hunters because most of the money fuels key wildlife conservation and habitat enhancement work. At this time, Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) supports three big game auction tags. If you have the money, you can pay to play and support Oregon’s wildlife with these auction tags.
RESOURCE ODFW Auction Tags