A proposed ballot initiative to ban most hunting and fishing in Oregon could ripple far beyond the woods and rivers, potentially affecting conservation funding and thousands of jobs.
A petition to ban hunting, fishing, and most animal slaughter in Oregon is gaining signatures ahead of a July deadline.
The proposed People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act would amend Oregon law to remove longstanding exemptions for hunting, fishing, trapping, animal husbandry, and slaughter.
Chief petitioner David Michelson told a television station that the goal is to “make Oregon the first state to vote on something like this,” acknowledging that “it’s unlikely 50% of Oregonians are ready right now to move away from killing animals,” according to KOIN 6.
Supporters reportedly say the measure includes a Humane Transition Fund to provide job retraining, food assistance, and conservation grants.
Opponents counter that the proposal could destabilize a conservation model that relies heavily on hunters and anglers.
“There are a handful of predators that do make a huge impact on our herbivore species, like deer, throughout the state,” Oregon Hunters Association Hoodview Chapter President Levi Barrera told the outlet. “If you take away hunting, there will be an out-of-control effect on the population.”
There could also be other fiscal effects on conservation.
In fiscal year 2023, Oregon received $28,513,417 under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service apportionment tables. The 1937 law directs federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment back to states for wildlife habitat, research, land acquisition, and hunter education programs.
Oregon also received $9,229,182 in fiscal year 2023 under the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act from federal excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel for sport fish restoration.
Both programs distribute funds based partly on land area and the number of paid license holders in each state, and require a 25% state match. A significant decline in license or other recreational material sales could alter future apportionments.
By some accounts, there are more white-tailed deer alive in the United States today than when Columbus discovered America, an estimated 35 million compared to around 30 million in 1492, and the Pittman-Robertson Act played a role, along with other pieces of legislation, in bringing that about.
Economic data also point to broader impacts.
A 2018 report from the American Sportfishing Association found that sportfishing in Oregon generated $871.8 million in spending, $1.5 billion in total economic output, and supported 13,120 jobs. Nationally, the firearms and ammunition industry generated $886 million in federal excise taxes in 2024, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
By comparison, Texas received $55,195,378 in Pittman-Robertson funds in fiscal year 2023 and more than $20 million in Dingell-Johnson funds in fiscal year 2025, according to federal tables.
Petitioners say they have gathered more than 100,000 signatures and need 117,173 verified signatures by July 2 to qualify for the November ballot, according to KOIN 6.
