This is a very serious threat. They played their hand very well by circumventing the ODFW and Game Commission and trying to get the ban passed through the legislature. It was presented to the Committee on Energy, Climate and the Environment where they enjoy a very receptive audience. The public hearing period was less than a week after the bill was announced leaving us no time to prepare a defense.

The crime in all this is there's not a shred of scientific evidence that any of the things they are stating are true. Oregon has a great beaver population anywhere the habitat supports one. The implication is that areas lacking proper habitat don't have beavers because they've been trapped out. What a crock! Beavers can't live in mature shaded riparian zones with steep stream bank gradients.

I'm afraid that this bill will likely pass....

Stupid libtards from California.....better research how oregon was founded

This is why I don’t understand how hunters/trappers vote for democrats,it bites you in the back side eventually.

Bunch on here .....

Time to start setting bear traps for stupid humans?

yep,ANTIs without even realizing .

You guys can't blame Ca them Willamette valley libs thought stupidity was a contest, and you guys are winning.

Feel sorry for my family and friends that didn't get out years ago, even mom and dad pulled out of that mess and they were born and raised up there.

Third reading: Monday, April 21st, passed the House floor, heads to Senate Committee

Digest: The Act prohibits a person from taking a beaver from certain waters. The Act prohibits a person from taking a beaver on public land within certain watersheds or near certain waters. The Act does not apply to agency staff. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.3).
[Instructs the State Fish and Wildlife Commission to adopt rules that prohibit] Prohibits a person from taking a beaver on waters or watersheds that are classified in a certain manner or on public land that is within the watersheds or within 200 feet of the ordinary high water mark of the waters. [Creates an] Provides exceptions, including an exception for employees of federal and state land management agencies

It also had something inserted to allow registered tribal members to harvest beaver where they want.

I’m sick and tired of the tribal members being able to come around here and kill whatever they want whenever they want. Nothing like calling in a bull elk only to have some jack wagon open fire from hundreds of yards away, then take the head and a couple legs and head back to the rez.

I tried to get a definition of the regulations of:
'City and municipal watersheds now in refuge'
by emailing ODFW around east county on areas of Johnson Creek. They said that there were no maps or published areas defined by them and I needed to contact the AHJ. I have no idea of what that means. This sounds just as vague of a statement.
We need input into the rule making committee.

When this bill passes it will be left to the game commission to interpret and draw up what is open and what is not. I don't envy them that.

What really sucks is the ODFW director is not allowing ODFW personnel to address the legislature to clarify beaver data that has been collected and would be very supportive to our claims that trapping is not a negative for beaver presence in critical areas. Oregon trappers are being treated like red-headed step kids by the dept.

Here's a link to send an e-mail directly to the Senate letting them know to reject this bill. It's super easy and quick to do.

https://www.votervoice.net/sportsmen/Campaigns/125639/Respond

The way I understood it was the DEQ will basically determine where we cannot harvest beavers anymore. They will decide if a stream or watershed is “in peril” and if so, they will put it on a list and beaver harvest will be banned in that watershed. But they are willing to drain wetlands that beavers occupy for new buildings everyday. It’s a crock is what it is.

Yes, I remember back in the 90s when Washington lost their hound hunting, and then later their trapping, the Washington director did the same thing, forbidding employees to speak or provide data.

Say goodbye to trapping in Oregon. Bearcats right. I grew up in Oregon and saw it happen in Washington state while stationed at Bangor NSB.

Spike,
Don't count us out in WA. We are still at it, just took a little reeducation on the how to.

NTA will save ya! Just keep voting for them liberal democrats out there, they are for the 'little guy'.

This is from Stan Steele, a retired OSP trooper who works tirelessly in support of our trapping rights in Oregon.

"Necessarily complicated"- sounds like a political confession?

This Dept., and every other State Dept, has been infiltrated and overtaken by this liberal anti freedom agenda. In fact, a lot of ODFW employees that are not CHDJ's have given up on the Dept, calling it a total loss, and are just waiting for time to pass so they can retire.

And some Oregon hunters, trappers, fishermen, etc., still parrot and support the ODFW propaganda/rhetoric about the necessity of Oregon's mandatory reporting on outdoor wildlife harvests, locations, gender, etc.

What is the purpose of gathering all this data if the State is unwilling to disclose the data {favorable or unfavorable} to our lawmakers in these situations? This ODFW political silent treatment has been going on since at least 1994 that I took notice of on ballot measure 118, which eliminated bear baiting, and hound hunting for bear and cougar.

As the protectionist left wingers have infiltrated ODFW our wildlife populations have suffered greatly. We are running out of some key species of fish and game.
Oregon mule deer, chinook salmon, coho salmon, and public land upland populations of blacktailed deer and Roosevelt elk are severely diminished. These populations have been declining for decades now. ODFW does not dispute these facts.

Ultimately, regardless of the cause of the decline, this is the responsibility of ODFW to manage these populations, they have grossly failed us.
All we get are excuses, pass the buck, etc., appears to be no accountability for ODFW.

I agree with much of what you say Wayne. Only thing we can do (or try to do) is keep holding their feet to the fire. The governor appoints the head of ODFW (via governor appointed game commission members) which in my opinion means that the office is having undue influence there. ODFW has to be independent of political influence just like they claim they are.