A file photo of a coyote.
Flickr/Don McCullough
It’s now illegal to organize or participate in coyote hunting contests in Oregon.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday voted in new rules that prohibit contests aimed at killing coyotes — or other unprotected mammals native to Oregon. The vote of 6 in favor of prohibiting such killings and one abstention followed testimony from more than 40 people at the meeting in Bend on Friday, accordingf to ODFW.
In wildlife killing contests, participants compete for prizes to kill specific animals in a given time period. The goal of the contests is usually to decrease conflicts with livestock — though studies show that killing coyotes can actually increase livestock deaths, as it encourages coyotes to breed more.