Oregon???

[bigskybowhunter]

On my way to northern Cali for an archery tournament I had to spend 4 hours in the Portland airport. I started talking to the guy sitting next to me and his remark to me was " it's nice to talk to someone like myself for once". The airport was completely full of as he put it "hippie granola liberal b@$#+#*5". It got me thinking is all of Oregon like this or just because we were in the big city? If it is all like that I see why the voters keep passing initiatives against hunting. I hate to see the loss of hunting rights in any way shape or form anywhere in the U.S. I haven't spent much time in Oregon so that's why I am asking.

[mike martell]

bigskybowhunter

Let me introduce you to what your State and other States will look like in the near future, ours just happens to be among the first of things to come for America.


Oregon is comprised of 36 Counties and controlled by 5 of those Counties, the remaining 31 are all fairly conservative, the same applies for Washington and California....Oregon sport hunters take little interest in defending their hunting rights so the minority becomes the majority...Pretty sad when you have little support heading to our State Capitol in Salem to support those legislators who are fighting an uphill battle with the majority in the House, Senate and Governor being a byproduct of those liberal five Counties...

I put out an emergency call to action about three weeks ago and had about 25 total hound hunters rally the Capitol... Back in 1994 we lost bear, baiting and cougar with hounds by a margin of 1.8% with 50% of the active hound hunters that never bothered to register to vote! Same can be said for what is happening all across America....You will never convince me the dope smoking, anti Christian, anti second amendment crowd now defining the Democrat party are the real majority? I simply refuse to accept this trend as to who will dictate my entire life from every angle.

One thing I listened too and thought was inaccurate many years ago? America will be taken over by Socialist without a shot being fired....Look around at the all out assault on our personal liberties from our Christian religion, second amendment not to mention the total disassembling of our United States Constitution and help me understand how people can simply remain complacent and feel good about what is happening before our eyes or not defending our gun rights by depending on others to do the job in Salem or for that matter all across America for us without getting behind our interest our sport and fighting like hell?

One thing is very clear, the other side is never too busy to show up 100% of the time to represent their lacking morals and heartless core values so those lacking values become the law....Oregon just represents the first stage of the future of our America! Some of us know what life was like prior to all this crap we are experiencing and want better for our future generations but also understand we must unite and fight but we just don't have the will or desire!

[bigskybowhunter]

Mike,
I am beginning to understand what you say about people not showing up to vote or voice their opinion. I will admit I am guilty of this myself. I think the problem is most houndsmen I know are just not real outspoken people. They just want to be left alone to hunt and spend time in the woods. As I get older (not even 30 yet haha) I am starting to realize what is truly at stake. I have seen bills come up and thought to myself those will never pass hunters will have to be stupid to pass that iniative but they do. As you stated it is because of the larger counties that can swing the votes because of numbers. The rate of decay in our everyday society is alarming. We all need to think of a way to light a fire under some hunters to get them to show up. If we can't accomplish that how do we expect to stand against the very outspoken minority? Sorry for rambling!

Josh

[U.R.E.]

There is a voting group that out numbers the liberals and conservatives combined when it comes to hunting related topics and that is the "on the fencers". Voters who are swayed by either them or us. We have done a poor job of representing ourselves and they have done a great job representing us for us.
Some are doing amazing thing to reverse the way we are being portrayed and for that I thank you. Even if its one person at a time that is the only way Oregon can even think of saving what we have or possibly getting back what we lost.
Grass roots are not at the capital, they are in our neighborhoods.
One last thing to remember. There are folks out there making a very comfortable living defending us. Think they are going to bite off the hand that feeds them?

[BrandonCombe]

Good points made her. As bigSkybowhunter stated alot of Houndsmen would rather be left alone and in the woods and are not very outspoken but another issue here may be that most Houndsmen are working men and for me it is hard to get the time off work to show up for these important events unfortunately wile the liberals we are up against possibly do not need to work the hours most of us are working simply because a good number of them have a fairly less expensive way of life do to free housing and food. I may be way off here so correct me if I am ,but that is what I have seen from a few I've met.

[dhostetler]

No matter how much you bitch about it, there are people that just will not vote or get involved including some of my friends. They think there one vote will not make a difference or that all politicians are crooked so why vote for any of them. Some are to busy to take off to go to a bill hearing but seem to find the time to take off to go hunting. No matter how we piss and moan about it that is just a fact of life.

Last fall the U.S. voter turnout was 36%. In presidential elections the turnout is usually over 50%. A lot of people think the presidential elections are of utmost importance,which they are but poloticians on the state and county level have a greater effect on your life than the President.

[Bluetickhounddog]

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[Bluetickhounddog]

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[dhostetler]

You got 10% of people in Oregon at most that hunt anything, and at most 20% of people that fish. I do not believe you can out vote them, but I defiantly believe that everyone needs to show up and vote.

Data from 2013 show the figures down to 8.3 percent of Oregon’s 2.9 million residents age 12 to 69 had a hunting license and 17.4 percent of the state’s 2.8 million residents age 14 to 69 had fishing licenses

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/ ... g-decline#

That is completely irrelevant. I don't cross country bike. A smaller % of people cross country bike than hunt. They are a danger to themselves and motor vehicles on the road. Will I ever vote to outlaw bikes, no.