Below is one of a series of articles examining Initiative Petition 28, a potential citizen ballot measure proposed by radical anti-hunting and animal rights extremists that would make it a crime in Oregon to hunt, fish, raise livestock and poultry for food and/or dairy products, and even carry out pest control. It would also severely affect and change private property rights, recreational activity on public lands, restaurants and small business owners, coastal communities, working animal industries, agricultural-related youth organizations and programs, and the state’s economy on multiple fronts. Also, it would lessen the ability of Oregonians to acquire food. This piece focuses on the impacts of outlawing hunting and fishing. 

Oregon is home to black-tailed and mule deer, elk, black bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, small mammals, nongame, birds, fish and other wildlife. One key factor that plays a critical supportive role in the sustainable and successful management and conservation of all wildlife species is hunting.  

Hunting is a highly regulated tool used by professional game managers and biologists to maintain sustainable populations for the benefit of healthy and balanced animal populations and ecosystems. It is the main mechanism utilized within the North American Wildlife Conservation Model and its two main principles that fish and wildlife belong to all Americans and they need to be managed in a way that their populations will be sustained forever. 

The mission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)is to protect and enhance Oregon's fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. To do so, it relies on hunters and anglers who combine to generate roughly 50 percent of ODFW’s $488.9 million annual budget to carry out wildlife management, land conservation and access projects, habitat stewardship work, wildlife research and disease mitigation, law enforcement, human-wildlife reduction and other responsibilities. Breaking down ODFW’s numbers, $198.9 million is generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses while $44.3 million is allocated to the state via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from excise taxes on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing gear.  

A 2019 study shows the statewide economic impact of hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing in Oregon was $19.1 billion. Hunting generated $227,820,317 in spending or the equivalent of about 2,219 jobs, which translates to nearly $294 million in 2024 dollars.  

Initiative Petition 28 calls for a ban on hunting, fishing and trapping. If those traditional activities are criminalized and eliminated, ramifications would include: 

• The gutting of ODFW’s budget 

• Hunters and anglers would not be allowed to acquire meat for their families 

• Removal of recreational activities to connect people with nature, wildlife and sustenance that began before our nation’s founding  

• Would end successful wildlife management practices with no proven means for biologists and professional game managers to sustainably manage big game and non-game species alike 

• The elimination of Oregon’s commercial fishing industry, which generated $642 million in income for the statewide economy in 2021 or the equivalent of about 9,200 jobs with a total output (total quantity of goods and services produced) of $1.2 billion  

• Significant impacts to global seafood markets – the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division reports Oregon exported nearly $50 million in 2024 

• An uptick in vehicle-wildlife collisions on roadways and highways – national data shows1 in 219 Oregon drivers hit an animal in 2025, with deer the most likely species  

• Would cancel or greatly diminish the five-day Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, which reportedly generates a $105 million economic impact annually 

• Major impacts on small businesses including restaurants, motels, gas stations, etc., used by hunters and anglers, and greatly increased everyday costs for consumers and business owners alike 

• Utilizing the ballot measure process and/or other means to expand this ideology to every nation across the country 

“It would be devastating for our business. I would still be serving seafood, but we would have to import everything from another state,” Michelle  Wachsmuth, owner of Dan & Louis Oyster Bar in Portland, told KATU-TV. “It would just devastate not just restaurants, not just grocery stores, but it hits the farmers. It hits everybody. It would devastate this entire state to shut down hunting, fishing and animal farming." 

Hunt 2 Conserve strongly opposes IP 28 and urges Oregonians to reject it. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.