Oregon bear reg questions

HuckleberryHound · Jul 14, 2022

Im kicking around the idea of heading down to the oregon blues for bear next month. In the regs it says you have to present the skull to be marked within 10 days. Im wondering, what kind of mark do they make on the skull, and where on the skull do they put the mark? Is it something that would require me to have the skull cleaned up / defleshed? If i go down there and get a bear id be in a hurry to jam home to keep the meat good. Also, it says you have to check them in at a fish and game office. Is that really how it works, or are they flexible and allow f& game officers to meet up with a hunter in areas where an office isnt nearby? In washington, wardens and bios will meet you to seal a lion or bobcat (no mandatory bear check) wherever its convenient for both parties. In idaho there are lots of civilian check stations scattered about at sporting goods stores etc that you can go to get bears and lions checked in. Just trying to figure out if killing a bear down there would end up being a big hassle to meet the check in requirements, and be time consuming when im trying to hustle home to take care of the meat

ORPhotoGuy · Jul 14, 2022

HuckleberryHound said:
Im kicking around the idea of heading down to the oregon blues for bear next month. In the regs it says you have to present the skull to be marked within 10 days. Im wondering, what kind of mark do they make on the skull, and where on the skull do they put the mark? Is it something that would require me to have the skull cleaned up / defleshed? If i go down there and get a bear id be in a hurry to jam home to keep the meat good. Also, it says you have to check them in at a fish and game office. Is that really how it works, or are they flexible and allow f& game officers to meet up with a hunter in areas where an office isnt nearby? In washington, wardens and bios will meet you to seal a lion or bobcat (no mandatory bear check) wherever its convenient for both parties. In idaho there are lots of civilian check stations scattered about at sporting goods stores etc that you can go to get bears and lions checked in. Just trying to figure out if killing a bear down there would end up being a big hassle to meet the check in requirements, and be time consuming when im trying to hustle home to take care of the meat

Please come and harvest a bear or two and bring a friend to do the same.

It's really quick and easy to get the head checked in. They just remove a small tooth and the skull doesn't need cleaned up at all. They just request that if you freeze the head to prop the mouth open so they can easily get to it. they put a plastic band thru the skull kind of like what they do for bobcats. No damage to the bone. You can just call the district office and make an appointment to stop by. They typically are closed on weekends though. Here's a map of the offices and a link to their contact info.

ODFW Remote District Offices

ODFW Local Offices

HuckleberryHound · Jul 14, 2022

So i dont have to get the meat off the skull, do i need to skin it or can i just leave the skull in the hide?

HuckleberryHound · Jul 14, 2022

Thanks for the links, looks like theres multiple offices in the northeast corner. If i do head down there to hunt, it will be mid to late august. Need to fill my washington bear tags first and take care of a few things around the house. Ill be coming from northeast washington, and in the mountains here, all of august is huckleberry time. Can i assume mid to late august will be prime berry season in the oregon blues too? Not familiar with the region at all but from everything i hear, the blue mtns are a target rich environment for a bear hunter.

Scrillznac · Jul 15, 2022

You don't need to remove any skin or flesh off of the head. They'll pull a tooth and give you a "seal" which is a little zip-tie sort of thing to keep with the skull. During Covid they we were actually checking in our bears over the phone which was nice. My advice would be to call a local ODFW ahead of time and make sure they're even doing it in person or if they could do the phone option also. Some are pretty short staffed so it might be best to call and know your options. Good luck!