Counties could opt out of Oregon’s ban on cougar hunting with dogs under a bill that proponents claim is needed to protect livestock and wildlife.

Under Senate Bill 769, voters could exclude their counties from the 30-year-old prohibition through ballot initiatives, though they’d still be subject to cougar management decisions from state wildlife officials.

“This method is not about eliminating cougars. It is about using a proven, selective approach to keep predator numbers in harmony with the environment,” said Charles Whitwam, a proponent of the bill, during a recent legislative hearing.

The bill’s supporters testified that rural voices were “drowned out” by urban residents who passed a 1994 ballot initiative banning cougar hunting with dogs, even though they face the greatest risk from the predators.

“Please let us return this decision to the people it affects most,” said Lisa Collier, a Wallowa County commissioner.

Apart from preying on livestock, cougars have played a significant role in the decline of mule deer populations in the state, according to the bill’s supporters.

“Predators cannot be overlooked as a mortality factor,” as they’ve been found to be responsible for 55% of mule deer deaths, said Amy Patrick, policy director for the Oregon Hunters Association.

Passing SB 769 would recognize the importance of local control in rural areas that often feel neglected or shunned by lawmakers from urban regions, according to supporters.

“Different parts of the state have different values and needs,” said Kevin Harlander, a hunter who supports the bill.

Opponents counter that SB 769 is an “anti-democratic” attempt to subvert the will of Oregon voters, who wanted to prohibit cougar hunting with dogs statewide and not just in individual counties. A proposal to overturn the ban was also rejected by voters two years later.

“Undermining voters on this issue will set a dangerous precedent,” discouraging them from participating in elections, said Lindsay Vierheilig, legislative affairs manager for the Animal Legal Defense Fund nonprofit.

Wildlife regulators can already kill problem cougars with the help of dogs, so it’s unnecessary for counties to allow “vigilante” hunters to target the carnivores for sport, said Sheila Dooley, a bill opponent.

“This is not unlike allowing dog fighting or cock fighting on a county-by-county basis,” she said.

The rationale for allowing cougar hunting with dogs isn’t supported by science, as younger and less experienced cougars move into the territory of those killed, leading to more conflicts with humans, according to critics.

Predators often kill sick or injured animals that would’ve died later anyway, which can prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease and other infectious pathogens, the bill’s opponents claimed.

“Killing cougars does not help deer and elk populations,” said Story Warren, wildlife program manager for the Humane Society of the United States.

Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, said he’s been asked why the Senate Natural Resources Committee is considering the bill, since the matter of cougar hunting with dogs has been debated before.

To help bridge the urban-rural divide, however, it’s necessary to consider the opinions of those who continue to feel strongly about the issue, Golden said.

“I hear people pretty much agree that we need to talk and listen to people we don’t agree with, but I wonder how much of that we really do,” he said.