Oregon Ballot Measure Would Make Hunting, Fishing And Farming Illegal (Yes, Really)

A new Oregon ballot measure claims to stop animal cruelty. What it actually does, though, is defund the very programs that keep Oregon's wildlife alive.

Let's get one thing straight right out of the gate: nobody reading OutKick Outdoors is in favor of animal cruelty. Not you, not me. Oregon already has strong laws for prosecuting animal abusers.

But a proposed Oregon ballot initiative called Initiative Petition 28 — branded with the disarmingly gentle name "The PEACE Act" — isn't really about stopping cruelty. It's about outlawing hunting, fishing, trapping and farming entirely. 

I'm not even exaggerating. That's exactly what it does. And it's collected more than 100,000 signatures toward the roughly 117,000 it needs to land on the November 2026 ballot.

Let's get into it.

What Exactly Is The PEACE Act?

The full name is the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions Act. 

Oregon's animal abuse laws currently have exemptions that protect lawful hunting, fishing, trapping and farming from being classified as "cruelty." 

But IP28 removes those exemptions — all of them.

This law would criminalize any activity that injures or kills animals. So, under IP28, every licensed hunter in Oregon would be committing animal abuse. Every angler. Every rancher who harvests cattle. Every commercial fisherman on the Oregon coast. Even pest control operators would be looking at potential criminal charges.

The Oregon Farm Bureau put it plainly: IP28 is "an extreme, overly broad measure that criminalizes normal, humane and necessary activities."

"Not only is this effort misguided, but it would also criminalize many aspects of agriculture, from the production of animal-based foods and recreational activities to pest control," Oregon Farm Bureau's Lauren Kuenzi told Williamette Week. 

"This is nothing more than an attack on those who adhere to strict animal care standards designed to keep animals healthy and safe."

This Law Would Criminalize Around 1 Million Oregonians

According to the latest figures, Oregon has more than 330,000 licensed hunters and more than 500,000 licensed anglers. Add in the 37,000 farms and ranches employing more than 80,000 workers, wildlife biologists, tribal members, trappers and researchers — and you're looking at close to one million Oregonians whose livelihoods would be criminalized overnight.

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The economic hit alone would be staggering. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) estimates that hunting and fishing generate more than $1.9 billion annually in economic activity.

Restaurants serving locally-caught seafood? Farmers selling grass-fed beef at the Saturday market? These are all criminal enterprises under IP28.

And it doesn't just hurt the economy. IP28 would also defund Oregon's own wildlife conservation programs. ODFW's entire budget runs north of $180 million, and the overwhelming majority of it comes from hunting and fishing license fees and federal excise taxes on sporting gear.

"Historically, sportsmen contribute 45–55% of ODFW's budget, comprising the majority of dollars used for wildlife management and conservation," Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith said.

"The General Fund, or Oregon's taxpayer dollars, makes up only 10% of ODFW's budget — nowhere close to the amount needed to operate the agency and benefit Oregon's wildlife."

In other words, the people who want to save the animals would, in one fell swoop, eliminate the primary funding source keeping those same animals alive and healthy.

Wildlife Management Is Conservation, Not Cruelty

Any serious outdoorsperson knows this, but it's worth saying for the record. Regulated hunting is one of the most effective wildlife management tools we have. 

The Oregon Hunters Association's Levi Barrera explained what happens without it: "There are a handful of predators that do make a huge impact on our herbivore species, like deer, throughout the state. If you take away hunting, there will be an out-of-control effect on the population."

Overpopulation doesn't mean a peaceful wildlife utopia. It means habitat destruction, disease outbreaks, mass starvation and vastly more animals dying. It also means dramatically more deer-vehicle collisions, crop destruction and the spread of diseases.

Tribal Rights Are Also A Factor

Leftists love to talk about stolen land, so let's talk tribal rights, too.

Oregon is home to nine federally recognized Native American Tribes, all of which exercise hunting and fishing rights through a combination of historic treaties, federal law and state agreements. Some of these federal treaty obligations even predate Oregon's statehood.

IP28 includes no exemption for these tribes.

Casting a line would be illegal in Oregon if IP28 passes.

(Getty Images)

So the initiative would put Oregon on a collision course with federal law, and indigenous communities would find themselves potentially criminalized for practicing traditions older than the state itself.

It's Not Time To Panic Just Yet

The branding here is vital: "People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions." The PEACE Act. Who could be against peace or for animal cruelty?

That's exactly the strategy. Animal rights organizations know that ballot initiatives — where voters see a brief and purposely emotional summary rather than statutory language — are their most effective vehicle for advancing policies that couldn't survive legislative scrutiny.

This is also, notably, the third time this initiative has been attempted. It failed to qualify in 2022 and 2024. Proponents freely admit they don't expect to win in 2026, either. Their stated goal is to keep the conversation going, collect data on support levels and build toward a future where a majority might say yes.

"We really want to make Oregon the first state to vote on something like this," IP28's chief petitioner David Michelson said. "We are aware that it's unlikely 50% of Oregonians are ready right now to move away from killing animals. But we want to get that conversation out there."

IP28 still needs to clear the signature threshold by July 2 to make the ballot.

So even if it gets the required number of signatures to be on the ballot, is it likely IP28 will pass? No. But this is a long-game ideological project with Oregon as the test case.

You don't have to be from Oregon for this to matter. The groups backing IP28 are already eyeing other states. Colorado, for one, nearly dealt with an almost-identical measure.

So even if it's unlikely for IP28 to be signed into law this year, it's important that people understand it for exactly what it is — not just how it's packaged and presented by animal rights activists.

Because if it works in Oregon, it won't stop in Oregon.

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