Protect Oregon's
Heritage
The Fundamental Right to Engage in Ethical Domestic and Outdoor Management Safeguarding our constitutional right to hunt, fish, trap, farm, ranch, and engage in responsible wildlife management and agriculture animal husbandry for generations to come.
In Oregon, hunting is a privilege. Not a right.
The Oregon Supreme Court has said so. In 1913, in State v. Pulos, the Court held that taking wild game and fish “is not a right, but is a privilege, which may be restricted, prohibited, or conditioned, as the law-making power may see fit.” The Court said it again in 2015, in State v. Dickerson. State law says the same thing: wildlife is the property of the state.
A privilege can be taken away. A right written into the Oregon Constitution cannot be repealed by the next Legislature, the next agency rule, or the next out-of-state petition.
That is what IP-25, the Freedom Amendment, does. It makes the right to hunt, fish, trap, farm, ranch, raise livestock, and manage wildlife a fundamental right of the people of Oregon.
IP-28 showed why that matters.
What it would have done is strip the legal exemptions that allow hunting, fishing, trapping, farming, ranching, and ordinary animal husbandry. Feeding your family could have been charged as animal abuse. Family ranches and dairies would have lost the practices they run on. Rural jobs, local food, and the conservation programs paid for by hunters and anglers would have gone with them.
IP-28 did not make the 2026 ballot. Organizers turned in more than 142,000 signatures. The state verified 104,262. They needed 117,173. It was their third attempt, and the closest yet. The chief petitioner has already said they are not giving up, and that a future election may still put this question to a vote. They have said they will be back with more time, more money, and another petition.
A failed petition is not a settled question. The next one does not have to look exactly like IP-28. Any Legislature, any agency, or any future campaign can narrow a privilege. They cannot override a constitutional right.
IP-25 is that right.
It protects:
- Hunting, fishing, and trapping
- Farming, ranching, and animal husbandry
- The lawful taking, processing, and use of fish, wildlife, livestock, and crops
- Science-based wildlife management, including the programs hunters and anglers fund
A statute can be repealed. A petition can be rewritten and refiled. A constitutional amendment is the shield. Future laws have to conform to it.
Oregonians who hunt, fish, farm, ranch, or simply want local food on the table are not asking for a special favor. They are asking to stop treating a way of life as something the state may cancel. About two dozen other states have already written a right to hunt and fish into their constitutions. Oregon has not.
The threat was never one petition. The threat is that these activities are still only privileges. IP-25 changes that.
Act now. Volunteer. Tell a neighbor. Help put the Freedom Amendment on the ballot before the next campaign does the opposite.
This is about our FREEDOM.
We must act NOW to protect our rights, to preserve our heritage, and to defend the state of Oregon.
Our Courageous Response
IP-25 is the defensive shield Oregon needs. By enshrining these rights in our Constitution, we will safeguard our very way of living and ability to be self sustainable.
The Rights We Defend
IP-25 is a constitutional shield ensuring our traditional practices remain protected from extremists.
Hunting
The right to hunt and sustain our families
Fishing
The right to fish our waters
Farming
The right to farm and grow food
Animal Husbandry
The right to raise and care for animals
Wildlife Management
The right to manage our wildlife
Ranching
The right to ranch and raise livestock