Spring bear hunt tags selling fast – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

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Spring bear hunt tags selling fast Jan 29, 2014 12:00 AM A A Southwest Oregon bear hunters are gobbling up spring bear tags for the hunt that opens April. Already more than 3,000 tags have been sold on a first-come, first-served basis at point of sale license outlets throughout the state, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reports. This year's 4,400-tag allotment equals the same number as last year, when the entire hunt was sold out by mid-February, ODFW Wildlife Division spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy says. The Southwest Oregon spring season runs through May 31. It is considered a "limited" hunt but it still differs from the controlled hunts throughout the rest of Oregon that require hunters to apply for a tag meted out in a spring drawing. The deadline to buy permit applications for the controlled bear hunts is Feb. 10. Hunters can apply for spring bear tags online at https://or.outdoorcentral.us/or/license. — Mark Freeman