Hunting Bill Heads to Oregon Senate Floor!

Please Call Your State Senator Today!

On Thursday, June 7, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee passed House Bill 2971 as amended to the Senate Floor with no recommendation.  The bill allows the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish by rule a program whereby they can designate volunteers to act as “Agents of the State” for the purposes of hunting Cougar and Bear with dogs.   This bill has gone through many amendments but is still a step in the right direction towards better management of the Cougar and Bear resource.  The National Rifle Association’s position from the start has been that hunting license and tag fee dollars should not be spent to pay people to hunt Oregon’s big game animals when there are volunteers willing and able to do it.

The bill DOES not overturn Measure 18, but works within the framework of that law, and within the framework of the Bear and Cougar Management Plans.  Measure 18, was passed in 1994 by Oregon voters, which bans the hunting of bears with dogs or bait, and the hunting of cougars with dogs.

Please contact your Senators and ask them to support HB 2971-B when it comes to the Senate floor for a vote.  

 A list of Senators and their email address is below.   If you need help identifying your State Senator please click here.

Senator Jason Atkinson, [email protected]

Senator Brad Avakian,  [email protected]

Senator Alan Bates,  [email protected]

Senator Roger Beyer, [email protected]

Senator Kate Brown,  [email protected]

Senator Ginny Burdick,  [email protected]

Senator Margaret Carter,  [email protected]

Senator Peter Courtney,  [email protected]

Senator Ryan Deckert,  [email protected]

Senator Richard Devlin,  [email protected]

Senator Ted Ferrioli,  [email protected]

Senator Gary George,  [email protected]

Senator Larry George,  [email protected]

Senator Avel Gordly,  [email protected]

Senator Betsy Johnson,  [email protected]

Senator Jeff Kruse,  [email protected]

Senator Rick Metsger,  [email protected]

Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson,  [email protected]

Senator Rod Monroe,  [email protected]

Senator Bill Morrisette, [email protected]

Senator Frank Morse,  [email protected]

Senator David Nelson,  [email protected]

Senator Floyd Prozanski,  [email protected]

Senator Kurt Schader,  [email protected]

Senator Bruce Starr,  [email protected]

Senator Joanne Verger,  [email protected]

Senator Vicki Walker, [email protected]

Senator Ben Westland, [email protected]

Senator Doug Whitsett,  [email protected]

Senator Jackie Winters,  [email protected]

For updates on this hunting issue and other Second Amendment issues in Oregon and around the nation please visit www.NRAILA.org.