SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill that would open the door for some sport hunting of cougars with hounds for the first time since voters banned the practice in 1994.
Modeled after a program in Washington state, House Bill 2337 would create a pilot program that would return dogs to the woods on cougar hunts, but only in counties whose governing bodies request it.
The Mail Tribune in Medford reports the bill was scheduled for a third reading and vote on Wednesday.
If approved, it would mark the first time a bill to restore public hound-hunting of cougars has passed either the House or the Senate in the Oregon Legislature.
