Oregon Proposed Ballot Measure Would Ban Hunting and Fishing Statewide

Oregon has a proposed ballot measure in the works that could go straight at hunting and fishing statewide. If it qualifies and voters approve it, the measure would wipe out the regulated system Oregon hunters and anglers use now.

That means this is not just another argument over a season date or a bag limit. Oregon’s current system is built around ODFW rules, licenses, management units, season dates, harvest limits, species-specific regulations, and enforcement. A statewide ban would throw that structure aside and take legal opportunity away from hunters and anglers on public and private ground unless the final language carves something out.

The damage would not stop with people losing a deer tag or a salmon trip. License dollars help fund habitat work, population surveys, enforcement, and the daily grind of wildlife management. Take away hunters and anglers, and you do not magically create better wildlife management. You gut one of the main funding sources and remove the people who have the most skin in the game.

Supporters still have to meet Oregon’s signature requirements before the measure can appear on the November ballot. That is exactly why sportsmen need to pay attention early. Waiting until the campaign signs are already in the ditch is how bad policy gets momentum.

Legal hunting and fishing are not loopholes. They are regulated conservation tools, food traditions, family traditions, and a major part of how wildlife gets paid for in this country. Oregon hunters and anglers should be watching this one closely and making sure every voter understands what is actually at stake.