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A controversial ballot initiative in Oregon is raising alarms across the country. Could it criminalize hunting, fishing, and ranching—and reshape how wildlife is managed in America? Click on the Voices of Montana podcast as “The Real Yellowstone” filmmaker Tom Opre and Jeff Crane and Marie Neumiller from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation break down Initiative Petition 28, the future of conservation and the growing divide between urban policy and rural reality.
So I was shocked that so many people here in Oregon support this initiative. I was born in Oregon and have lived here off and on during my 58 years. I have mostly lived in Montana, and I will live there again, Montana is my “home”. I was raised on venison, fish, crab, etc.., My Dad, Grandpa’s, Grandma, Aunties and Uncles are or were all hunters. At times three and four generations would go on hunting/camping trips. I am also a member of the Siletz Indian tribe where hunting is a huge part of our culture. Growing up my Dad was a logger and a fisherman. He worked two of the hardest and most dangerous jobs out there. We ate meat that he hunted or caught most days. He taught us kids to respect the animals we harvested, we didnt waste. we didnt leave meat and take horns. The people I know that hunt here hunt the same way. It will not be a pretty situation for many people if this actually gets voted in.
can you imagine how over populated our deer and elk would get, in two or three years it would be out of control. Blue tongue and other diseases would become an issue, we’d have sick and hurting animals. Seeing deer hurting, crazy, turning in circles and falling down is one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. The highways would become so much more dangerous, I dont think the ones voting for this understand just how fast these animals will double and triple, out of control. Also the farmers and ranchers, this law would absolutely ruin them, in every way, I am just flabbergasted that anyone would vote this in. The commercial fisherman, also ruined, and Oregon would lose around a billion dollars annually just from the fisherman. I dont know where these people plan on getting the money for the retraining they say they’ll offer anyone effected by this. The very first article I read on this subject made me laugh, I actually thought it was satire. Then it became real and now its just sad and pisses me off.
I was told that some of the people gathering signatures for this petition were insinuating to people that it was regarding the abuse of pets, and that a lot of people didnt actually read the petition, they just belived and signed. This thing is rotten from the ground up and we really need to spread the truth about this. Thank you for this discussion and getting the info out there. God Bless
Thanks for your comments, Bekki. And I agree with you, it’s sad, and an abuse of the public trust that those signature gathers and political messengers lie so easily and hide the truth of their agenda. Thanks for listening ~ Tom