Oregon Could Vote to Ban Hunting and Fishing – Proposed Law Would Classify Both as Cruelty to Animals
A proposed ballot initiative that would ban hunting and ranching in Oregon is approaching the number of signatures required to appear before voters this fall.
David Michelson, organizer of Initiative Petition 28, said supporters have collected roughly 105,000 of the 117,713 verified signatures needed by the July 2 deadline, according to KPTV.
If the measure qualifies and is approved in November, legal protections that currently apply to pets such as dogs and cats would be extended to wild animals, livestock, and animals used in research. Backers refer to the proposal as the PEACE Act — short for People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions — and say it aims to protect animals from abuse, neglect, and killing.
The proposal includes exceptions for veterinarians and for people who kill animals in self-defense. Michelson told KOIN-TV that supporters hope Oregon becomes the first state to vote on such a measure.
“We are aware that it’s unlikely 50 percent of Oregonians are ready right now to move away from killing animals,” Michelson said. “But we want to get that conversation out there so that we can hopefully move in that direction.”
Opponents argue the initiative would harm Oregon’s rural economy and wildlife management. Amy Patrick of the Oregon Hunters Association told KPTV she hopes voters reject the measure, emphasizing the role hunting, farming, and ranching play in the state’s culture and economy.
“And part of that is our wildlife. And part of that is our economy that comes from our farming and ranching,” Patrick said, urging residents in both urban and rural areas to consider how the proposal could affect daily life.
A February 2025 report from Oregon State University found cattle ranching contributes more than $900 million annually to Oregon’s economy. The report noted about 15 million acres of rangeland and pasture are used for grazing, with most of the state’s roughly 11,000 cattle ranches located in southern and eastern Oregon.
Levi Barrera, president of the Oregon Hunters Association’s Hoodview Chapter, told KOIN that eliminating hunting could lead to unchecked wildlife population growth. He also argued that restricting hunting would undermine a traditional source of food for many families, particularly as grocery prices remain elevated.
Barrera said hunting and fishing support coastal and rural communities that depend on those industries for income and sustenance throughout the year.
Michelson said the PEACE Act would create a transition fund to provide financial assistance to people who currently rely on hunting for food. He also said the measure would require non-lethal wildlife management methods, such as introducing sterile males into animal populations to control numbers.
The debate comes as beef prices remain high for U.S. consumers. Earlier this month, the Trump administration released a fact sheet on efforts to reduce beef costs, noting the U.S. cattle herd fell to a record-low 86.2 million head as of January 2026, with beef cow inventory down 8.6 percent since 2020.
The White House said ground beef prices averaged $6.69 per pound in December 2025, the highest level since tracking began in the 1980s. President Donald Trump’s administration also noted that the United States is the world’s largest beef consumer by volume and second in per-capita consumption.
To help address supply and price pressures, President Donald Trump signed an order allowing an additional 80,000 tons of tariff-free beef imports from Argentina into the United States.
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