http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20150115/news-briefs/groups-denounce-eastern-oregon-coyote-killing-contest
The second annual Harney Coyote Classic is scheduled to kick off Jan. 16, and animal rights groups and conservation organizations are fighting to stop the coyote-killing contest that takes place in Eastern Oregon near Burns. “It’s horrific, blatantly slaughtering wildlife for no reason,” says Brooks Fahy of Predator Defense. “You don’t eat coyotes.”
The contest runs Jan. 16-18, and one- to three-person teams are given prizes for the most coyotes killed in that span of time and for “heavy dog,” “light dog” and average weight. Fahy says no location is given on the flyer for the contest because in the past, contests taking place on public lands have been protested and even stopped for lack of permit.
Scott Beckstead of the Humane Society of the United States says the contest is “terrible and these killing contests evoke an era where people were encouraged to go out and slaughter wild predators.” He calls the contests “out of touch with mainstream Oregon values” and says he is looking forward to the days they’re finally banned. The California Fish and Game Commission recently banned killing predators for prizes.
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Spokesperson Michelle Dennehy tells EW, “ODFW does not have the authority to cancel the event. Coyotes are classified as predatory animals in statutes set by the Oregon State Legislature.” She cites a statute that says the State Fish and Wildlife Commission “shall not prescribe limitations on the times, places or amounts for the taking of predatory animals.”
Beckstead says he contacted Les Schwab tires, which is listed on the contest’s flyer as a sponsor, and was told, “A customer asked us to make Harney County Coyote Classic registration forms available. Les Schwab is not sponsoring the event, is not distributing forms and does not plan to participate in the event in the future.” The tire center says, “Each store aims to sponsor organizations and events that reflect the community’s interests; this includes our Burns store.”
Both Beckstead and Fahy are concerned these contests, if left unchecked, could result in deaths of Oregon’s slowly recovering wolf population. They cite the instance of a wolf that was shot last month in the Grand Canyon by a Utah hunter who said he thought it was a coyote. While wolves are protected in Oregon, there is no limit on killing coyotes.
Fahy says that “The broader issue here is, should we be killing coyotes and other predators at all?” He says there is a “huge body of science that says ‘No, we shouldn’t be killing these animals,’” and that killing them actually upsets not only the pack structure, but also the equilibrium of the ecosystem and causes damage to prey and even other predators.
The bloody contests are a “glaring example” of how out of control the killing of coyotes is, Fahy says.
Exposing the Big Game 
I recently complained to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) about the coyote killing contest.
ODFW’s response was: “Coyotes are classified as predatory animals in statutes set by the Oregon State Legislature. Statute ORS 496-162 says: “The [fish and wildlife] commission shall not prescribe limitations on the times, places, or amounts for the taking of predatory animals.” ODFW does not have the authority to cancel the event.”
ODFW is shirking their responsibilities. They need to advise and work with the state legislature to change such cruel and archaic laws that are unfounded in science. I have heard from various legislators that the fish and wildlife guys come around all the time lobbying and asking for favors. The bottom line is that ODFW supports the killing contests and does not want to do anything to stop them.
It’s the same in Idaho. The state “game” departments are all for this kind of perversion, and my opinion is that these agencies and the “game” commissions are staffed with the kind of people who participate in these “contests.” It’s a corrupt, deranged system from top to bottom. Only massive public outcry like you see in California will reign in these perverted so-called public servants.
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20150115/news-briefs/groups-denounce-eastern-oregon-coyote-killing-contest#comment-1794714858
Agencies are great at shirking duties when they approve of actions (“We can’t, it’s the law”), and they’re great at asking legislatures to change laws when they can’t do what they want (“We need this management tool to keep people safe.”). Until we totally refund wildlife agencies with general funds, our wildlife will continue to suffer exploitation.
Such bizarre logic – what are they doing to keep people safe from other people, esp. the ones with guns, nevermind coyotes. They need to get the authority to get rid of these contests, update their statutes to reflect the right predators who are dangerous to people.
Two Popes have stated that animals have souls! Pope John Paul II and now Pope Francis. All animal life must be respected. God did not make animals to be used for your sport or contests.
Coyote and Wolf Jihad, Trophy Hunting, Trapping, Game Farming, Animal Farming (AKA Ranching)
Utah has hired professional shooters to kill coyotes and have killed over 7000. And coyote killing and wolf killing contests have occurred in ID and are proposed for Montana and elsewhere. It seems like a violation of public trust for state and wildlife agencies and BLM and national forests to be allowing, condoning, mass killing of wildlife for entertainment or to drive down populations which is probably counter productive. Idaho and New Mexico and other states have had killing contests of wolves and coyotes. It seems that the federal agencies and state agencies are out of control and out of sync with the general public and are just working for ranchers, farmers, hunters and trappers. What do contests like this say about the human race? Major elements of us are as barbaric as ever. It does show that major elements of the human population are, my opinion, subhuman. Looking at what humans are doing to animals around the world and to the environment points to the Anthropocine Extinction. Half the world’s mammals have disappeared in the past 40 years animal farming, aka ranching, continues encroachment at an alarming rate eating up more and more wilderness. It is an absurd concept that man has “created God” in his own image and elevates himself above the rest of the animals on earth and puts himself at the center of the universe. Mankind is a disease of the Earth.
Add Washington to the list of states that allow coyote killing contests. Supposedly to protect wolves from being killed accidently, WDFW passes out a diagram which shows the differences between wolves and coyotes. I am sure that the scumbags that participate in these events would shoot the wolves anyway, even if they could tell the difference. Shame and bad karma to everyone associated with these bloody events.