[ODFW-News] Changes made to the Permanent Disability Permit Program

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Contact: 	Information and Education 503-947-6002
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  


For immediate release	Friday, October 15, 2004

Changes made to the Permanent Disability Permit Program

BEND - Modifications to the rules that govern how Permanent Disability
Permits (PDPs) are provided to hunters were adopted Friday by the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Commission. 

The PDP program provides certain accommodations to disabled hunters to
increase their access to big game hunting recreation. However, the
number of hunters holding PDPs has risen from approximately 600 in 1999,
when the program was substantially modified, to more than 16,000 today.
As a result of this increase, PDP holders now account for six percent of
approximately 272,000 licensed resident hunters. There has been a
corresponding increase in the harvest by PDP holders and an increase in
enforcement issues and complaints from hunters regarding perceived
abuses of the PDP system.  

In order to address these concerns, ODFW created a work group comprised
of PDP holders, hunting group representatives, representatives of
advocacy groups for the disabled, Oregon State Police Fish and Game
Enforcement officers, and ODFW staff. This group met once in August and
again in September to review the program's status and determine
whether any changes might be required. 

Group members were nearly unanimous in their agreement that any
proposed changes should consider the enforceability of existing rules,
the definitions of "disability" for the purpose of the program, and
the biological impacts of harvest under the current either-sex bag
limit. 

The Commission voted to change the Permanent Disability Permit Program
to:
* Modify the current "either-sex" bag limit for PDP holders unless
the unit has unit-wide doe or cow tags. This would reduce or eliminate
the harvest of antlerless animals in units where the Commission has not
authorized significant antlerless hunting opportunities.

* Form a committee to discuss and refine possible changes to the
current definition of "disabled," and to address enforcement and
social issues associated with the current wordage. Any change in
definition would require legislative action. 

* Clarify the definitions relating to the "hunting from a parked
motor vehicle" section of the current program. These issues are
complicated by the fact that most of the statutes and rules related to
roads and vehicles are not under the authority of or directly related to
the Commission or ODFW. Any changes would require close coordination
with other agencies, such as ODOT, and would require legislative action.


* Change the operations of the existing program. Possible changes
include making the application more comprehensive and detailed, and
collecting more information on applicants for enforcement and management
purposes. There currently is no expiration date or numbering system,
making it difficult to track down the original application for
enforcement purposes. An accurate database of permit holders and
tracking of PDP holders over time likely will be recommended. 


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