Washington Hunter
Well-known member
BY NIKI SULLIVAN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALEM, Ore. -- The long- running debate over cougar hunting was reignited when the Oregon House approved a bill Monday allowing counties to ignore a statewide ban on hunting cougars with packs of dogs.
Voters twice have outlawed using dogs and bait to hunt cougars and bears -- in 1994 and 1996 -- but proponents of the bill say the cougar population has exploded, threatening people and livestock.
Backers of the bill to allow individual counties to reinstate dog hunting of cougars also said that current hunting restrictions make it difficult to control cougar numbers.
Opponents said using dogs to chase cougars up a tree is unsportsmanlike and that there have been no recent incidents of people being hurt by cougars in Oregon.
The bill passed 37-21, with Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed. It now goes to the Senate for a vote.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates there are about 5,500 cougars in Oregon, nearly twice the amount they estimate were here 10 years ago before the hunting restrictions went into effect.
"The fact is, we have an escalating wildlife problem in Eastern Oregon," said Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.
Smith gestured toward Democratic lawmakers in the House -- who opposed the bill -- and said they didn't understand Eastern Oregon's problems and culture.
"It's not your livestock being taken," he said.
Rep. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, opposed the bill and said counties should not be allowed to opt out of state law when they feel like it.
"We are one state and one that stands stronger together than as 36 counties working separately," Hass said.
Hass also said patchwork county laws didn't make sense for controlling wildlife.
"Animals do not carry maps," Hass said.
Hass also criticized the House Agriculture Committee for adding the cougar hunting provision to an unrelated hunting bill without public hearing or prior notice.
Rep. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, said the committee heard hours of testimony on cougar bills and felt that adding the provision was an appropriate thing to do.
The bill faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, and a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski said the bill would face a veto even if it did win Senate approval.
Kulongoski has opposed similar bills in past years, saying that voters have twice made it clear they oppose the practice.
The measure also includes provisions to ban Internet hunting. It comes in response to a Texas man who has developed a rifle equipped with a camera that can be controlled via the Internet. For a fee, hunters can monitor the man's property over the web and shoot an animal with a few clicks of a mouse.
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On the Net:
Senate Bill 389
www.leg.state.or.us
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALEM, Ore. -- The long- running debate over cougar hunting was reignited when the Oregon House approved a bill Monday allowing counties to ignore a statewide ban on hunting cougars with packs of dogs.
Voters twice have outlawed using dogs and bait to hunt cougars and bears -- in 1994 and 1996 -- but proponents of the bill say the cougar population has exploded, threatening people and livestock.
Backers of the bill to allow individual counties to reinstate dog hunting of cougars also said that current hunting restrictions make it difficult to control cougar numbers.
Opponents said using dogs to chase cougars up a tree is unsportsmanlike and that there have been no recent incidents of people being hurt by cougars in Oregon.
The bill passed 37-21, with Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed. It now goes to the Senate for a vote.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates there are about 5,500 cougars in Oregon, nearly twice the amount they estimate were here 10 years ago before the hunting restrictions went into effect.
"The fact is, we have an escalating wildlife problem in Eastern Oregon," said Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.
Smith gestured toward Democratic lawmakers in the House -- who opposed the bill -- and said they didn't understand Eastern Oregon's problems and culture.
"It's not your livestock being taken," he said.
Rep. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, opposed the bill and said counties should not be allowed to opt out of state law when they feel like it.
"We are one state and one that stands stronger together than as 36 counties working separately," Hass said.
Hass also said patchwork county laws didn't make sense for controlling wildlife.
"Animals do not carry maps," Hass said.
Hass also criticized the House Agriculture Committee for adding the cougar hunting provision to an unrelated hunting bill without public hearing or prior notice.
Rep. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, said the committee heard hours of testimony on cougar bills and felt that adding the provision was an appropriate thing to do.
The bill faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, and a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski said the bill would face a veto even if it did win Senate approval.
Kulongoski has opposed similar bills in past years, saying that voters have twice made it clear they oppose the practice.
The measure also includes provisions to ban Internet hunting. It comes in response to a Texas man who has developed a rifle equipped with a camera that can be controlled via the Internet. For a fee, hunters can monitor the man's property over the web and shoot an animal with a few clicks of a mouse.
------
On the Net:
Senate Bill 389
www.leg.state.or.us
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