July 8, 2024 (Salem, Oregon) – The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is pleased to report that as of last Friday, Oregon Initiative Petition 3 (IP-3) officially did not qualify for the 2024 ballot. CSF has been and will continue to be a leading voice against this misguided effort to ban all hunting, fishing, trapping, and ranching in Oregon.
Initially introduced as Oregon Proposition 13 (IP-13) intended for the November 2022 ballot, this proposal would remove all animal cruelty exemptions: criminalizing hunting, fishing, trapping, animal husbandry, pest removal, and more. Thankfully the sportsmen’s and farming communities united in opposition to IP-13, which ultimately led to its demise, in much the same way as our community united to defeat IP-3 this year. While it may be easy to let our guard down after two successive victories, proponents of the now failed IP-3 are expected to take another run at a statewide hunting, fishing, trapping, and ranching ban through IP-28 for the 2026 ballot.
The Oregon Sportsmen’s Conservation Partnership – of which CSF is an active member, including serving on the Steering Committee – is now actively developing campaign strategies for the 2026 petition, including a current polling effort which includes a potential Right to Hunt and Fish (RTHF) constitutional amendment in 2026. If the polling on RTHF is favorable, the strategy will shift towards going on the offensive and getting a question on RTHF to the voters in 2026. In so doing, the RTHF question could potentially appear on the same ballot as the anti-sportsman IP-28. This will allow our community to simultaneously work to defeat IP-28 while also proactively enacting indelible protections for hunting, fishing, and trapping in the future.
This victory was made possible through the strong effort of the Oregon Sportsmen’s Conservation Partnership and its members like CSF, Oregon Hunters Association, Oregon Trappers, RMEF, SCI, DU, NWTF ASA, and many more.
“CSF will continue our efforts in Oregon and across the country as we take the fight to the antis on Capitol Hill, in state capitols, and at the ballot box,” said Jeff Crane, CSF President & CEO. “Together we can ensure a bright future for America’s sporting heritage and science-based fish and wildlife management.”
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