Eastern Oregon Hunters Must Report Late-Season Tags by April 15

The tags expired today. The clock to report them started ticking.

Hunters across Eastern Oregon, including those who worked the Wenaha, Starkey and Catherine Creek units near La Grande, have until April 15 to file hunt reports for any tag with an effective date ending March 31, 2026. That covers late-season tags for deer, elk, cougar, bear, pronghorn and turkey, and the obligation to report holds whether the hunter filled the tag, came home empty, or never made it into the field at all.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife sets April 15 specifically for late-season tag holders, a two-week window that carries weight well beyond the $25 penalty for missing it. ODFW biologists use incoming harvest reports to assess hunter success rates, hunting pressure by unit, and how many tag-holders chose not to hunt, three data points that feed directly into controlled hunt tag numbers and season structures set for the following year. With Eastern Oregon deer hunts transitioning in 2026 from Wildlife Management Units to new Deer Hunt Areas built around GPS-verified herd ranges, accurate harvest data by unit is more critical than ever for the population models driving those allocations.

ODFW's own guidance is explicit about what is at stake: "Biologists look at harvest, hunting pressure, and the number of people who got a tag but didn't hunt when they set regulations." Incomplete returns distort all three, and for hunters who spent years accumulating preference points to draw a Wenaha or Starkey elk tag, underreporting today means weaker data informing whether that tag number shrinks or holds in the next draw cycle.

Report in five minutes: Log into your ODFW account through the department's online reporting portal, select the tag, and complete the short survey using your Hunter/Angler ID number, printed on any ODFW license, tag or application. Hunters who no longer have that paperwork can call ODFW Licensing at 503-947-6101 to retrieve their ID; the number never changes, so an old license from any previous year also works. Reports can also be filed in person at any ODFW license agent or local ODFW office. Have the two-digit Wildlife Management Unit code from the tag ready. The single most common mistake is assuming an unsuccessful hunt does not require a survey. It does. Only SportsPac buyers who never redeemed voucher tags are exempt.

One nuance worth knowing: the $25 penalty applies specifically to unreported deer and elk tags, not automatically to all species. It is not collected at the time of the missed deadline but folded into the cost of a hunting license purchased two years later, with only one penalty assessed regardless of how many tags went unreported.

April 15 is two weeks out. Filing now keeps Union County's harvest data intact and ensures the region's hunting community has a real voice in the tag numbers that will shape seasons for years ahead.