General Deer Seasons

A General Season deer tag allows you to hunt a multi-unit area during a set period of time. There are two general deer seasons in Oregon, and both of them are 100 Series tags in the Western portion of the state. There are no longer general season tags available east of the cascades. Hunters can have one General Season tag per year, so you’ll need to pick one of these two:

• General Archery Season
• General Any Legal Weapon Season

RESOURCE The Buck Deer Season section of Oregon’s big game regulations shows general deer season dates, unit boundaries, and antler restrictions. These vary widely, so read the fine print to know the rules in the areas you plan to hunt if you choose a general season tag.

PRO TIP  Remember, you can only have one tag per game series in Oregon. This means that for the 100 Series deer tag, you have to pick either a general season tag or a controlled hunt tag in any given year. This rule only applies to what tag you purchase and hunt with for the year. You can apply for a controlled hunt, but ultimately decide to buy and hunt with a general tag if you don’t win the controlled hunt — or even if you when the controlled hunt, but decide not to purchase the tag. Of course, you will lose all preference points if you win a controlled hunt.

Some General Season Considerations

• Buying a general season tag requires no preference points or application fee, so it is a good option for the beginning hunter.
• Since general seasons are easy to get and there are virtually no limits, expect a lot of company in the deer woods compared to controlled hunts.
• General deer seasons are all in Western Oregon. There are no general seasons east of the Cascades.
• “Any legal weapon” means any weapon that is legal for that area. Typically, these are rifle hunts and the vast majority of people will use a rifle. But the phrasing was changed a few years ago from “Centerfire Season” since by Oregon rule you can choose to use a bow during firearm season. This is admittedly a confusing aspect of the big game regulations. The best advice is to read through the regulations and understand the hunt zone, bag limit, and weapon restriction for each hunt.
• There is no general season for the 600 Series deer tag. These are all controlled hunts.
• White-tailed deer are protected in all Western Oregon units except controlled hunts in Southwest Oregon that specifically list white-tailed deer in the bag limit.
• The best general season units have a lower harvest success rate than the best controlled hunt units. That said, some general units are better than some controlled units.

Extended Youth General Season

To increase youth hunting opportunity, the Western Oregon general buck deer Any Legal Weapon season is extended two days for youth 12-17 years of age. Youth hunters with an unfilled Western Oregon general season deer tag or an unfilled W. High Cascade (119A) controlled hunt tag may hunt the area of the Western Oregon general deer season Nov. 6-7, 2021. Unfortunately, this extended season does not apply if you were part of the ODFW Mentored Youth Hunt Program since a youth hunter must have their own tag to participate. Check the big game regulations for bag limit and tag sale deadline.

Big Game Harvest Statistics

When deciding on what unit to hunt during a general season, it’s a good idea to be familiar with the area you want to hunt and understand your odds of success in that unit. Big game harvest stats are available online and can help you compare units. It might be worth staying close to home if you have a good honey hole where you know deer live. But, it can also be worth a trip to another area of the state if you live somewhere with a scanty deer population.

RESOURCE Oregon Big Game Harvest Statistics