The integrity of Oregon's controlled-hunt system is crucial. Last year 182,613 hunters applied for nearly 375,000 tags to hunt deer, elk, antelope and other big game animals. Non-hunters may wonder what the fuss is about. Among hunters, there is fierce competition for the limited number of hunting tags in the best wildlife areas of Oregon. Some hunters may go years without being allowed to hunt in their favorite areas, sometimes places their families previously had hunted for generations.
Hunters also earn preference points when hunts they apply for are later canceled.
Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk reviewed an Oregon State Police investigation into the allegations and decided there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. If there is proof that agency staff members turned their insider knowledge into preference points, they should be fired. All this will provide real ammunition to the old codgers around the campfires this fall.