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SUNNY Temp: 73 °F Wind: N at 3 mph Wednesday, May 21, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2003 Cougar hunting issue goes to Senate The House votes 35-23 in favor of lifting the voter-approved ban on using dogs to pursue the big cats By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — After nearly an hour of spirited debate, the House on Wednesday approved a bill that would lift a voter-approved ban on hunting cougars with hounds. The vote was 35-23. Six Democrats voted with the Republican majority in approving the legislation, while four GOP House members sided with Democrats in voting no. House Bill 2436 now goes to the Senate. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said it probably will be assigned to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. "What will happen to it here? I just don’t know," said Courtney. The proposal overturns an initiative approved by voters in 1994 and reaffirmed two years later to outlaw hunting of cougars and bears with dogs. Also banned was the practice of baiting bears to lure them within rifle range. Rep. Jeff Kropf, R-Sublimity, said repeatedly during Wednesday’s debate that the issue was public safety. Opponents said supporters want a repeal to allow sport-hunting using dogs. "This does not deal with safety," said Rep. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene. "It is all about trophy hunting." Prozanski said hunters will pursue cougars looking for a trophy animal. If the cougar is small, they move on without killing it. If the true aim is safety, Prozanski argued, "Then House Bill 2436 should have contained two provisions — all cougars successfully tracked must be shot, and hunts must be limited to overpopulated areas. "Those are the animals we should be looking for, not trophy cats," he said. He then held up two signs, after asking the chair for permission to use visual aids. One read "veto" and the other "referendum." "I suspect this measure will face one or the other," he predicted. Rep. Terry Beyer, D-Springfield, who supported the bill, said the number of cougars in Oregon has increased five-fold since passage of the initiative. "This puts the management of the cougar population back in the hands of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife," she said. Because the cougar was declared a game animal by the 1967 Legislature, ODFW sets seasons and bag limits for it. Other opponents argued there has never been a death from a cougar attack in Oregon and that ODFW now has the authority to use dogs to destroy problem cougars. That includes animals, mostly young males looking for a territory, that wander into populated areas and potentially pose a threat to livestock, pets and humans. Three cougars were shot near Blachly in rural Lane County this week after they were spotted near the high school. In his closing arguments, and with his voice rising, Kropf cited testimony from a youngster from Washington state who was attacked by a cougar. "Do you suppose anyone who voted for this (initiative) twice wanted this to happen? I don’t think so," he said. "The safety of my children and my grandchildren is more important than the will of the voters," he said. "Why does it matter that the attack occurred in Washington? Because they have the same stinking law that we have, that says animals are more important than kids." Gov. Ted Kulongoski had promised to veto the bill when it lumped bears in with cougars. A spokeswoman for Kulongoski stopped short of saying the governor would still veto the new version. "He hasn’t seen it yet," said press aide Marion Hammond. "But he is certainly opposed to the approach." Three of the four Jackson County legislators voted to lift the ban — Republicans Rob Patridge of Medford, Dennis Richardson of Central Point and George Gilman of Medford, who represents a predominately rural district stretching all the way to Prineville. Rep. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, voted no after wondering why the House was dealing with the issue in the first place. "We have more important problems to solve this session," he said. Don Jepsen is a longtime journalist and free-lance writer living in Salem. 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