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SB389 House Vote 8 Senate Vote 6 As it passed the House on June 6th, SB 389 allowed counties to permit the practice of using bait to lure bears and dogs to hunt cougars, methods that were outlawed by ballot measure in 1994 and re-affirmed by voters in 1996.

Threatens Bear and Cougar Populations

SB389
House Vote 8
Senate Vote 6

As it passed the House on June 6th, SB 389 allowed counties to permit the practice of using bait to lure bears and dogs to hunt cougars, methods that were outlawed by ballot measure in 1994 and re-affirmed by voters in 1996.

Oregon law already allows hound hunting of cougars when needed to protect livestock and public safety.

Recreational hunting with hounds, as SB 389 would legalize, exacerbates the risk of human-cougar conflict according to many cougar biologists.

By targeting trophy cougars (large dominant males) instead of focusing on those that cause problems, hound hunting increases the juvenile cougar population, the age that actually causes the most disturbances.

After the House passed this version, the Senate appropriately rejected in.

NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE IN THE HOUSE.

YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE IN THE SENATE.