PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon hunters who were selected for spring bear hunting in controlled areas have until midnight on Friday, March 31 to purchase and claim their tags. 

In Oregon, from April 1 through May 31, hunters can participate in bear hunts in controlled areas. In order to be selected for these hunts, people must apply for the tags by February 10. If they’re selected in the drawing, they must purchase and pick up their tags no later than 11:59 p.m. on March 31. 

Hunters can buy their tags online or at a license sale agent. 

Anyone who harvests a bear must check in the unfrozen bear skull with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife within 10 days of the kill. Hunters can call and make an appointment at their nearest ODFW field office. 

When presenting the skull, hunters are asked to prop open the bear’s mouth to improve access to the teeth. 

“Inserting a stick or dowel between the molars prior to freezing/ drying out will help keep the jaw open,” ODFW wrote in a press release. 

During check-in, ODFW takes a small tooth with an intact root and examines it to determine the age of the bear. The rest of the skull is returned to the hunter. 

The tooth information is used for modeling efforts for the state’s bear population. ODFW will send the hunter the bear’s age information. 

Hunters who kill a female bear are also asked to bring in the reproductive tract with them to the check-in. 

At the check-in, hunters should be ready to present their license and tag and to explain the unit and general location where they killed the bear. 

The general statewide fall hunting season is Aug. 1 - Dec. 31