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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend March 2, 2007 Hunters want role in cougar kill study By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune A sport hunting group is pushing a bill that would allow selected houndsmen more opportunities to kill some damage-causing cougars and others targeted by state employees as part of a continuing study here. Set to be introduced as early as next week, House Bill 2971 would designate some pre-qualified sport-hunters as "agents" of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, giving them greater flexibility in hunting cougars and bears under Measure 18's hound-hunting ban. Under current law, landowners or volunteer houndsmen designated as their agents can pursue a cougar or bear causing damage only to that landowner's property line. If deemed an agent of the state, that same houndsman could cross the property line and pursue the animal on adjacent public land and even adjacent private lands, should those landowners grant permission. Volunteers once did that, but a 1999 state Attorney General's Office review determined that ODFW did not specifically have the authority to appoint agents with those powers. Advertisement "Measure 18 says we can use agents," said Al Elkins, lobbyist for the 11,000-member Oregon Hunters Association, which has fought Measure 18's hound-hunting restrictions since it appeared on the ballot in 1994. "This would create that clear statute for hiring agents," Elkins said. Animal-rights activists immediately panned the bill as a blatant attempt to overrule the will of Oregonians who twice voted to ban what once was the most common form of hunting bears and cougars in Oregon woods. "This is back-door erosion of Measure 18, letting sport hunters chase cougars with hounds by dressing it up as management," said Brian Vincent, communications director for the Williams-based group Big Wildlife, one of many vocal critics of the ODFW's cougar-management programs. "To rub salt in the wound, they are throwing a bone to sport hunters," Vincent said. If adopted, the ODFW or its overseer — the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission — would set the criteria for which houndsmen would qualify as agents, where they would work and what animals they would target. "This would not be indiscriminate," ODFW Wildlife Division Administrator Ron Anglin said. "We just wouldn't go out and say, 'Go hunt cougars in this (management) unit.' " Anglin said Thursday his agency had no hand in drafting the bill and stood neutral on it. "We view it as we could appoint anyone we want as an agent, but we are working on an analysis of it now," he said. "Because an agent would be an official representative of the department, we'd have to have some criteria and standards be developed to have someone qualify," Anglin said. Other than damage complaints, another option would be for specific agents to replace an ODFW technician who now is killing cougars in Jackson County as part of a study on whether reducing the cougar population will curb public-safety concerns and loss of pets, livestock and elk in Oregon. So far, that technician has killed two of the 24-cougar quota for the 973-mile "Jackson County Target Area" in the study, which is outlined in Oregon's year-old Cougar Management Plan. Once all 24 animals are killed, the agency will then measure the program's effectiveness using criteria laid out in its cougar plan, mainly by tracking the numbers of cougars killed other than by sport hunters in the ensuing year, and other statistics. Two other areas in Eastern Oregon also are part of the overall study, with 42 cougars slated for so-called "administrative removal" there. So far, nine of those cougars have been killed, ODFW statistics indicate. The bill will go to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee for a hearing. A hearing originally was set for Thursday, but it was dropped so a similar bill planned by Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, could reach the committee, said committee Chairman Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay. "We'll look to see which bill is better and get a good hearing for both," Roblan said. A hearing was expected sometime this month. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary