Who among us mere mortals knows for certain what the future will bring? Nobody, that’s who. But those of us who do a lot of it can see trends become habits, and habits become procedure.

Each year that passes I hear much collective grumbling about the mismanagement of predators. A lot of these same folks refuse to take part in the few predator management resources widely available to hunters and landowners. If you want to see greater deer and elk numbers, buy a cougar tag and a black bear tag, and hunt them and coyotes as much as possible. Fewer predators will decrease predatory impacts.

Broadening our horizons will lead to greater opportunities. I’ve traditionally been and will always primarily be a rifle hunter. Specialty hunts for archery, muzzleloader or a shotgun with slugs exist all across the U.S. but also right here in Oregon. The westside units of the state offer general season rifle deer hunts, and spring turkey hunters can now get up to three tags each. I just wish the state would allow us to use .22 rimfires and muzzleloading rifles for turkeys!

When someone has found or developed a winning combination with their rifle and a certain bullet/load, it is very difficult to want to change for ANY reason. Hypothetically, if Oregon were to adopt lead-free hunting ammunition requirements, would you buy or load the appropriate bullets or quit hunting altogether? While I’m not at all against lead-based projectiles, I have developed a couple of lead-free loads for a few of my rifles so that when this day comes, the hard work has already been done. Like it or not, it would not surprise this writer one bit to see lead-free hunting ammo become required by law in the near future.

Public land hunting opportunities nearly always pale in comparison to those offered on private lands. A couple of generations ago, most lands were owned by local, working-class ranch families who were largely hunters and shooters themselves. In those days, permission to hunt private lands was not difficult to secure. These days, a large number of private lands are controlled by corporations, absentee owners or non/anti-hunting transplants within the community. The patchwork of property lines and therefore hoops to jump through can be confusing and costly if mistakes are made, even in ignorance. Get OnX for your smartphone and save yourself the worry.

I believe the day will come that being able to punch even the most basic of tags will be very difficult if hunting public opportunities alone. If you are a landowner, please consider allowing a few hunters to utilize your land each season. If you are a hunter who is blessed with such an opportunity, remember always that you are a guest. Never do anything to put that opportunity in jeopardy either with the landowner or his bordering neighbors.

Eventually the state is going to have to address the laundry list of problems that threaten the future of hunting. Until then, if you want to enjoy any hunting opportunities, be ready to jump through hoops and bend over backwards. And one more thing, vote NO on any ballot measure that would lessen our hunting rights. Our children’s hunting experiences are in our hands right now. What legacy will you leave them?

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