Does Oregon have too many predators? What are the impacts on Oregon’s deer and elk as a result of our overpopulation of predators? Does science support claims that predators impact hunting? These were the questions the wildlife experts from Alaska, Oregon, and Idaho addressed on June 14th at the Albany fairgrounds. If you were unable to attend – simply put – you missed an excellent day for sportsmen! With just shy of 125 sportsmen in attendance wildlife experts distributed a large volume of scientific information that supports sportsmen claims, every day hunters gave emotional testaments to the status of our game population and the current state of hunting in Oregon.
To top it off, a passionate debate broke out between an Oregon state legislator and a director of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife!
The REAL Experts
Our first speaker, Pat Valkenburg, worked as a Caribou Research Biologist, Research Coordinator, and Deputy Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game from 1977 to 2010. During this time he conducted research on caribou, wolves, bears, and moose. He has also designed and implemented experimental predator control programs and has been involved in developing policies on predator management for ADF&G. He has authored or coauthored over 50 technical papers on caribou, moose, wolves and bears. To say he is qualified on this topic is an understatement.
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