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> Cougar hunting
Wildlife:
Cougar hunting
Our Position: oppose
Bill Number: SB 389
Sponsor: Safari Club International - a trophy hunting organization
Legislative Session: 2005
Overturns the ban on using packs of hounds to hunt cougars in Oregon, originally approved by citizen initiative in 1994.
Status
Originally, SB 389 had nothing to do with cougar hunting when it passed the Senate, focusing instead on rulemaking around trophy hunting over the internet in Oregon. Then, with no public notice, the House of Representatives added language to overturn Oregon's 11 year ban on the use of hounds to hunt cougars and bears as well as the use of bait and garbage to hunt bears for 'sport.'
This measure passed the House in early June and was sent to a House/Senate conference committee to work out the differences with a very real possibility of bringing back hound hunting of cougars. Discussions have included establishing new cougar hunting authorities for the purposes of population research.
The conference committee met to discuss the bill late in the day on Thursday, June 23. The Sierra Club and several other groups provided testimony, but the concern remains that cougars could either become a legislative 'trading card' or fall victim to the annual media driven hype over cougar sitings.
More information
Sally Mackler, Oregon Chapter Wildlife Issues Chair
wildlife@oregon.sierraclub.org
Background
In 1994, the Sierra Club and many other conservation organizations endorsed the successful citizen initiative, Measure 18, banning the unfair and unsporting practices of bear baiting and hound hunting of bears and cougars. In 1996, voters easily defeated an attempted repeal of Measure 18. Bait and hounds are extreme trophy hunting tactics that many ethical hunters oppose. They are practiced by a small minority of hunters.
Bear baiting is the practice of luring bears into close range with piles of donnuts, garbage, carcasses and shooting them from behind a tree. Hounding is the practrce of setting a pack of radio collared hounds on the scent of a bear or cougar, chasing it up a tree to which the hunter tracks the radio signal and shoots the animal at point blank range off a tree limb.
Today, SB 389 threatens to bring baiting and hounding back. An amendment was added to Senate Bill 389 by the House that would allow counties to exempt themselves from Measure 18 by a county vote. This would bring bear baiting and hounding cougars and bears back.
Now a House/Senate conference committee is considering SB 389 and either brining back hounding of cougars and baiting of bears, or authorizing hound hunting of cougars to research population numbers - a backdoor way to undermine voter intent.
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