ARCHERY HUNTING ALERT
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A recent and very unfortunate hunting accident took life of a 15-year-old elk hunter in Yamhill County. None of the party was wearing blaze orange! The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering adopting rules to make hunter orange clothing mandatory for hunters and has directed ODFW Staff to draft a proposal and present to the commission. If given the go-ahead by the commission, ODFW Staff will be directed to ask for public comments. After comments have been heard, ODFW Staff then return to the commission with their final recommendation. At the January business meeting, members of the TRADITIONAL ARCHERS OF OREGON were informed of the hunter orange plan of ODFW and voted that wearing hunter orange should not be mandated for archery hunters and that it be optional for other hunting seasons. For more information regarding HUNTER ORANGE check here. TAO members are urged to express their concerns with letters to the ODFW Commision and Information & Education Department. WHERE TO DIRECT YOUR COMMENTS:
Governor Kulongoski
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Staff
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4 February, 2010
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Commission Subject: Mandatory Hunter Orange Dear Commissioners, Traditional Archers of Oregon has been made aware of the commissions request that ODFW Staff investigate rule making potential for mandatory hunter orange. At our winter business meeting and banquet January 30, 2010, we briefed our membership on this topic and have posted a link to ODFW hunter orange research on our website. Please be advised that our membership feels very strongly that hunter orange would be a detriment to archery hunters and, as such, Traditional Archers of Oregon would not be in favor of any ruling requiring it to be worn during archery seasons. Because of our equipment choice, we must get extremely close and can not draw and hold our bows for extended seconds in advance of an animal approaching our position. As movement is quickly recognized by big game animals, we feel that hunter orange would unduly affect our ability to enjoy our already limited opportunity for success. Additionally, there does not appear to be any archery related hunting incidents listed in the research provided on the ODFW website Hunter Orange page. No one will argue that the death of a teenage elk hunter was not a tragic event for all concerned. However, the balance of hunters in Oregon should not be regulated because of one careless act. We also defer to firearms users as to their preferences but, lean to allowing hunter orange to be an individual choice in all firearms seasons as well. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this issue.
Rich Thompson cc: Chris Willard, Roy Elicker |