Driving Ranchers and Hunters off the land

Michael E. Cook

I set here on the day we celebrate our independence and reflect on the things that people in this nation are doing because they have that freedom to destroy it. I just returned from a small vacation-hunting trip to eastern Oregon. While over there I met some real nice people who own and operate a cattle ranch. Upon talking with them I found that we are in deep trouble with predator protection here in Oregon as well as being hammered by our legislature in ways that will put many ranchers and farmers out of business. First it seems that a deal was struck many years ago with ranchers and farmers in that area I was in to build a dam and give them cheap power to run irrigation pumps. Well now, that will come to an end if a bill is passed this year. As example, one pump this man runs for irrigation, which cost him about $1500.00 for electricity to run last year, will cost him about $22,000.00 if the bill passes this year. This man feeds all that he grows back to the cattle he raises. What will the beef prices be now, to make up this cost of feed? How will he and others be able to make a living growing the cattle we rely on to feed this nation? I think we need to look down the road to the effect of all this before voting on who will represent us in the House and Senate. The other problem I will talk about is what predation is doing to our deer and elk herds. Now, these folks have about 3,000 acres on which they run this cattle ranch. The man and his son are hunters and conservationists because they are hunters. Their ranch is in the migration route used by the Mule Deer and in years past enjoyed watching large numbers of Mule Deer stay over for a while eating in their fields to build strength to continue the trip to the wintering grounds. Well, along came the cougar following the Mule Deer in the last few years and the deer no longer stop because of the danger. The Mule Deer that lived year around on their place are now so down in numbers, they don’t even hunt or allow hunting on the ranch any more. They are doing everything they can to help the deer herd, but see them declining more each and every month. They have taken advantage of the Wildlife Services Trapper in the area to try and limit the cougar population, which is having very little effect because of the large population of these animals that now are semi-protected because we can no longer hunt them with hounds. This was the most effective tool the Fish and Game had to control their population. It is now gone and they have no control over them. The sad thing is that we had a bill before the House and Senate this year that would have allowed local control over this very issue. However, the Democrats in the Senate voted it down and our Governor said he would veto it if it made his desk. This bill would have allowed each county to vote on allowing bears and cougars to be pursued by hounds and baiting of bears. This would have allowed us to control our own county at a local level instead of being dictated to by Portland and Salem areas. Well, the Democrats couldn’t allow that as we don’t know what is best for us and they do. I think it is time for our elected boards at the county level to take the bull by the horns and pass to the people of each county a bill just like this. I know the state would most likely fight it in courts and win, however it would put them on notice in Salem we are tired of being run by the few large cities in Oregon. Not only do they not know what is best for us, they are too stupid to understand common sense about what is going on, on the ground out here in rural Oregon. The message must be strong and show them once and for all we are tired of this kind of representation. Of course, the best way to do this will be at the next election when we vote in people who will look out for our interests. We must vote our governor out of office and get people into the Senate who will vote the right way on these and many other issues. I’m not saying they all have to be Republicans; however they seem to be the ones who are voting our way on these issues right now. You see, this bill passed in the House, which has a Republican majority, and failed in the Senate, that has a Democratic majority. Our Governor is an enviro-whacko and will never allow anything to pass that will help rural Oregon, so he must go. Oregon will fail until this happens. God Bless America and God bless our troops still in harms way. Michael E. Cook, Coos County Sheriff, Retired.

Source:  http://www.sierratimes.com/05/07/05/64_28_53_78_60183.htm