Multnomah County, Oregon · 11,643 acres
Sauvie Island Wildlife Area Hunting 2026: Species & Access
Sauvie Island Wildlife Area covers 11,643 acres near Portland in Multnomah County. 20 minutes from downtown Portland at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers — 8,153 acres owned outright by ODFW plus 3,490 acres under cooperative management, supporting over 275 bird species, 37 mammal species and a dozen reptile/amphibian species. The most accessible major wildlife area in the state, which shapes almost every rule below.
01 — What you can hunt here
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ducks and geese | The primary hunting draw, best September through March. |
| Swans | Present in season; check current species-specific legality before hunting. |
| Sandhill cranes | Present September through March alongside the main waterfowl push. |
02 — Access rules specific to this WMA
- A free annual parking permit comes bundled with any Oregon annual hunting license, combination license or Sports Pac — the Wildlife Area Parking Permit is required year-round regardless.
- A separate $10 daily Sauvie Island Beaches Parking Permit applies June 15–Labor Day at the Walton, Collins and North Unit beaches on weekends and holidays — unrelated to hunting access.
- The area is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
- Alcohol is banned May 1 through Sept. 30 anywhere on the property.
03 — Where this WMA differs from the statewide rules
- Westside, Oak Island and North units close Oct. 1–April 15.
- Eastside unit closes Oct. 1, reopening May 1 — a slightly different window than the other three closed units.
- Raccoon Point Overlook, the Eastside Wildlife Viewing Platform, Rentenaar Road, the Columbia River beaches and the Warrior Rock trail stay open year-round regardless of the unit closures above.
04 — Facilities
Camping: Not available on the wildlife area. No shooting range on-site.
Boat ramps at Willow Bar and Gilbert River, ADA-accessible facilities, a camp host program, restrooms, picnic areas and a trail network. Black-tailed deer, coyotes and a January–March bald eagle viewing season round out the non-hunted wildlife.
05 — Where to go next
Sauvie Island's proximity to Portland — 20 minutes from downtown — is both its selling point and the reason it runs tighter rules than most of ODFW's other wildlife areas: a reservation-hunt system spreads out pressure on the best waterfowl days, four of its units close for over half the year (Oct. 1 through mid-April or May 1) to protect nesting and wintering wildlife, and there's a whole separate summer beach-parking permit layered on top of the standard wildlife-area parking permit for the crowds that show up outside hunting season entirely.
Oregon hunting license costs and permits →
Verified · Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-09
Publisher's note. Read from ODFW, retrieved 2026-08-09. Review due 2027-08-01. WMA-specific rules and closures can change between seasons — confirm before you hunt.