Category Archives: Contest Hunt

ALERT ~ COMMENTS ON CONTEST HUNTS DUE OCTOBER 16th ~ SPEAK OUT NOW!

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In response to an application submitted by Idaho for Wildlife to host a Predator Hunt Derby on public land, the BLM is accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment (EA) through October 16th.

Idaho for Wildlife is seeking to repeat their highly controversial killing contest targeting wolves, coyotes, bobcats, foxes and other predators  — offering prizes to those who kill the most and largest animals —   in a multi-year “predator derby” scheduled for the next five winters (with the next one scheduled for January 2-4, 2015).

The EA comment period comes following a scoping period that resulted in approximately 56,500 public comments of which a mere 10 were in support of the permit being issued. Thank you for making your voices heard during the scoping process! Your input is needed again!

Express your support for Alternative B- the “No Action Alternative” – which would deny Idaho for Wildlife’s request for a special recreation permit that would allow contestants to kill predators on over 3 million acres of public lands in Idaho for the next five years. This event would be damaging to the affected ecosystem, harmful to ecologically vital species, incompatible with scientific principles of wildlife management, and offensive to the concept of fair chase.

Please don’t miss this opportunity to voice your opposition (you do not have to be an Idaho resident to comment as this is federal BLM land- YOUR land!). 
You can read the EA here.

Please act now! Comments are due no later than October 16th and can be emailed to:

Liz Townley
Outdoor Recreation Planner
BLM Idaho Field Office
1206 S. Challis Street
Salmon, Idaho 83467
blm_id_predatorhuntderby@blm.gov

Please cc Project Coyote as we are tracking letters sent (info@projectcoyote.org) & remember to include your full contact info. in your signature block to ensure your comments are included in the official record.

Please include in your subject line Re: Predator Hunt Derby EA- Support for Alt. B

Talking Points:

Express your support for Alternative B – the “No Action Alternative” (please use your own words).

1.  Killing contests have nothing in common with fair chase, ethical hunting. Technology, baiting, and “calling” place wildlife at an even greater and unfair disadvantage. Hunting in winter, when species can be easily tracked in snow and when most animals are working hard to survive contravenes the notion of fair chase. Killing predators, or any wild animal, as part of a ‘contest’ or ‘derby’ is ethically indefensible and ecologically reckless.

2.  Bloodsport contests are conducted for profit, entertainment, prizes and, simply, for the “fun” of killing. No evidence exists showing that predator killing contests control problem animals or serve any beneficial management function. Coyote populations that are not exploited (that is hunted, trapped, or controlled by other means), form stable “extended family” social structures that naturally limit overall coyote populations through defense of territory and the suppression of breeding by subordinate female members of the family group.

3. The importance of wolves, coyotes and other predators in maintaining order, stability, and productivity in ecosystems has been well documented in peer- reviewed scientific literature. Coyotes provide myriad ecosystem services that benefit humans including their control of rodents and rabbits, which compete with domestic livestock for available forage. As apex predators wolves increase biodiversity and ecological integrity.

4.  With fewer than 700 wolves in Idaho and poaching a common problem, allowing a killing contest of a species just off the endangered species list is reckless, indefensible and counter to sound science.

5. Economically, a live wolf is worth far more than a dead one. Wolf watching has brought in millions of dollars into Idaho and tourism is a major economic revenue source. Furthermore, issuing the permit is likely to affect tourism in Idaho as those who value wildlife decide not to visit due to the state’s draconian predator management policies.

6.  Wildlife killing contests perpetuate a culture of violence and send the message to children that life has little value and that an entire species of animals is disposable.

7.  Wildlife killing contests put non-target animals, companion animals, and people at risk. Domestic dogs are sometimes mistaken for coyotes and wolves.

Idaho wolf/coyote killing derby wants double the area for hunt

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By Karen Graham
Sep 29, 2014
Salmon – Salmon, Idaho may be a small town by anyone’s standards, with a little over 3,000 people, but they have big ideas. Located in the middle of the state along the banks of the Salmon River, it is famous for fishing, rafting, and now, wolf hunting.

Last year, Salmon, Idaho held their first annual Predator Derby on December 28-29. The news of the derby was condemned by people all over the world. Threatening letters and emails poured in, many with threats of bodily harm. But one Salmon resident, Billijo Beck defended the hunt, saying it was just the way they lived. “If you look up the definition of murder, it’s defined in human terms. Not in animal terms,” said Beck.

After winning a court challenge allowing them to hold their hunt last year, the group is holding their 2nd Annual Predator Derby on Jan. 2-3. 2015. There is one difference though. They want to expand the killing zone to almost double the size it was last year. They have petitioned the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for approval.

Today the BLM said they would issue an environmental analysis on Thursday, and then take public comment for 15 days before issuing an answer. The contested area involves around 1,500 square miles. Environmental groups are saying they will protest the permit.

The group behind the killing derby, Idaho for Wildlife, is the same group that hosted the derby last year. At that derby, a number of activists and a journalist, Christopher Ketcham infiltrated the hunt. Ketcham wrote a scathing story, “How to kill a wolf,” for Vice. In the story, Ketcham describes a “good old boy” local who bought his group a round of drinks at a local bar. Cal Black then told the “supposed hunters” to “Gut-shoot every goddamn last one of them wolves.”

For those of you who wonder why a gut-shot is recommended, it’s the best way to kill a wolf, but the death is prolonged. Sick, yes. But that’s what these guys like to do. The only thing killed last year, besides a lot of hot air and liquor, was 21 coyotes, but no wolves. No one claimed the $1,000 prize.

Idaho for Wildlife is a supposedly patriotic organization, wrapped in the flag10171053_10152319527762440_4831074600876870909_n and espousing American ideals. Dedicated to the preservation of Idaho’s wildlife.The group also states they will “fight against all legal and legislative attempts by animal-rights and anti-gun organizations who are attempting to take away our rights and freedoms under the Constitution of the United States of America.” Interestingly, the group says they believe that wildlife management should be governed by science.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/op-ed-idaho-wolf-coyote-killing-derby-wants-double-the-area-for-hunt/article/405980#ixzz3F1CGPs87

Help Stop a Proposed Five-Year Wildlife Killing Contest!

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From defenders.org

A “hunters’ rights” organization wants to hold a multi-year wolf and predator-killing derby on national public lands, including those being studied for designation as wilderness!

If approved this will be the second wolf-killing competition held in Idaho – and no predator will be safe!

If you think it can’t get worse, consider this: The proposed event would take place every winter for five years when wolves and other wildlife are most vulnerable out foraging for food in the snow and extreme cold.

Events like these are the same kinds of barbaric extermination-era tactics that drove wolves to the brink of extinction in the Lower 48 in the first place! This is not modern wildlife management, and it has no place in our society.  

Please stand with us, and call on the BLM to immediately deny this permit! 

A “hunter’s rights” organization has formally requested a federal permit to hold a multi-year predator-killing derby in Idaho — on national public lands!

If approved this will be the second competitive wolf-killing competition held in Idaho – and no predator will be safe! 

 If you think it can’t get worse, consider this. The proposed event would take place every winter for five years, when wolves and other wildlife are most vulnerable out foraging for food in the snow and extreme cold.

 Please stand with us and call on the BLM to immediately deny this outrageous request! 

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2799

 

National Campaign to End Wildlife Killing Contests

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http://www.predatordefense.org/contests/index.htm

Sept. 22, 2014 – We are pleased to introduce our nationwide campaign to end wildlife killing contests. Our coordinators, Elisabeth and Guy Dicharry are based in Los Lunas, New Mexico, where they spearheaded a local “Stop Coyote Killing Contests” effort that has now expanded into an effort to end wildlife killing contests across the country. We will be updating this page as the campaign progresses.

How the Campaign Began in New Mexico

“Our involvement in opposing wildlife killing contests began as a response to the businesses and commercial organizations who used the federal and state public lands of New Mexico, and Valencia County in particular, as a killing ground. These contests were held to generate publicity for businesses, for entertainment, for winning prizes, and for making a profit. The contestants kill—without any meaningful limits— important and unprotected species such as coyotes and prairie dogs. We are working to bring an end to these events which have nothing in common with regulated, fair chase hunting of game.”

– Elisabeth Dicharry, Campaign Manager
– Guy Dicharry, Consulting Attorney

Idaho wolf hunting derby seeks 5-year permit

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http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2014/aug/15/idaho-wolf-hunting-derby-seeks-5-year-permit/

This Sept. 1, 2009 file photo provided by Robert Millage shows his rifle with a wolf he shot on the first day of wolf hunting season along the Lochsa River in Northern Idaho. A temporary court order in Oregon has barred wildlife authorities from killing wolves that attack livestock for the past year. While Oregon has seen wolf attacks on livestock remain static while wolf numbers has risen to 46, Idaho last year saw the numbers of livestock attacks rise dramatically as hunters and wildlife agents killed 422 wolves. Wolf advocates hope tha ccidental experiment will lead other states to reconsider lethal controls as wolves spread through the West. (Robert Millage)
This Sept. 1, 2009 file photo provided by Robert Millage shows his rifle with a wolf he shot on the first day of wolf hunting season along the Lochsa River in Northern Idaho. A temporary court order in Oregon has barred wildlife authorities from killing wolves that attack livestock for the past year. While Oregon has seen wolf attacks on livestock remain static while wolf numbers has risen to 46, Idaho last year saw the numbers of livestock attacks rise dramatically as hunters and wildlife agents killed 422 wolves. Wolf advocates hope tha ccidental experiment will lead other states to reconsider lethal controls as wolves spread through the West. (Robert Millage)

HUNTING — Organizers of a disputed predator derby aimed at killing wolves in central Idaho are asking for a five-year permit to hold the contest.

The Idaho Mountain Express reports the group called Idaho for Wildlife applied with the Bureau of Land Management for a special recreation permit.

The derby went ahead last year after a U.S. District Court ruled against an environmental group that filed a lawsuit to stop the event. Wolf hunting with the required license during the established seasons is Idaho is legal.

  • There was a lot of hysteria promoted by pro-wolf groups who predicted a wolf slaughter even though everyone with a clue knew that derby hunters had little chance of killing more than a few wolves.

Organizers say that last year more than 230 participants killed 21 coyotes but no wolves near Salmon.

Organizers have said they’re seeking to publicize wolves’ impact on local elk herds and potential disease risks.

The BLM is examining the application as part of a process that will include a public comment period.

Idaho Wants to Make Wildlife Killing Contests an Annual Event

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Idaho Wants to Make Wildlife Killing Contests an Annual Event

Last year a hunters’ rights group in Idaho sparked outrage when it decided to hold the first predator killing contest targeting coyotes and wolves in decades, but it appears the group learned nothing after turning the town of Salmon into a battleground and is back seeking a permit to hold the event annually over the next several years.

The contest last year, sponsored by Idaho for Wildlife, awarded trophies and prize money for killing the largest wolf and most coyotes, among other things, and offered special prizes for a youth category for children between the ages of 10 and 14.

More offensive is that the contest kicked off on the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and marked the first time wolves were targeted in a predator derby since their reintroduction. While the group tried to claim it was just good old family fun, wildlife advocates called it out for what it really is – a reckless waste of life – and fought unsuccessfully to shut it down.

No wolves were killed last year, but 21 coyotes weren’t so lucky. Now, the group is back and is asking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a Special Recreation Permit that would allow it to hold more of these contests on public lands for the next five years, with the first one scheduled for January 2-4, 2015.

This time around, the scope of the contest could be expanded to include even more species, including skunks and weasels.

Now organizations including Project Coyote and Defenders of Wildlife are urging the BLM to deny the permit because, among other reasons, hosting a predator derby is an offensive misuse of our public lands, they could impact a host of species at a time when food is scarce and they are exactly the type of thing that drove predators like wolves to the brink in the first place.

These contests are also incompatible with the scientific principles that are, in theory, supposed to guide wildlife management decisions and defy the principles of ethical hunting. These events aren’t about managing wildlife or controlling predator populations, they’re about killing for fun and for the profit and entertainment of a few who decide to participate and they completely ignore the important role predators play in healthy ecosystems.

Tell the BLM to Shut This Down

While the BLM doesn’t regulate hunting, it can make sure these contests don’t take place on federal public land, which belongs to all of us. The agency will be accepting public input on the scope of what it should consider in its Environmental Assessment for a few more days until August 18. The agency will be considering how this contest will impact economic and social values, the impact on existing recreational uses, and how they would affect wildlife habitat and threatened species in the targeted area.

You can send a comment, with all of your contact info so its counted for the official record, to Liz Townley, Outdoor Recreation Planner, at blm_id_predatorhuntderby@blm.gov with the subject line: Re: DOI-BLM-ID-I000-2014-0002-EA.

Project Coyote is also offering talking points and keeping track of the letters we send; you can cc them on your email at: info@projectcoyote.org

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/idaho-wants-to-make-wildlife-killing-contests-an-annual-event.html#ixzz3AUN4gRT1

Help stop the wolf and predator killing spree!

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From Defenders.org:

A multi-year competitive killing derby has just been proposed by a “hunters’ rights” group in Idaho. 

If approved, this will be the second wolf-killing competition held in Idaho – and no predator will be safe!

If you care about wolves and other predators, please take a moment to tell the BLM to deny this outrageous request to conduct an organized predator killing derby.

copyrighted Hayden wolf in lodgepoles

A “hunters’ rights” organization has formally requested a federal permit to hold a multi-year predator-killing derby in Idaho — on national public lands!

If approved, this will be the second competitive wolf-killing competition held in Idaho – and no predator will be safe!

If you care about wolves and other predators as much as I do, please help by telling the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the Department of the Interior to deny the request to conduct this organized killing spree.

As if the competitive targeting of wolves was not bad enough, this proposed derby would sweep all predators in Idaho into its gun sights, rewarding the killing of coyotes, skunks and even weasels.

Last year’s wolf and coyote-killing derby included prizes for killing the most coyotes and killing the largest wolf. This is not hunting; this is simply mass-killing for fun based upon hatred and fear.

Defenders is adamantly opposed to this sort of competitive killing derby and the dangerous and unethical precedent that it sets. Please stand with us and call on the BLM to immediately deny this outrageous request!

If you think it can’t get worse, consider this: The proposed event would take place every winter for five years when wolves and other wildlife are most vulnerable out foraging for food in the snow and extreme cold.

This proposal sets us back to the barbaric 19th century approach to predators when their value to the environment was not understood. These are exactly the kinds of extermination era tactics that drove wolves to the brink in the first place! This is not modern wildlife management, and it has no place in civil society.

Please demand that the BLM stop this unconscionable killing contest in its tracks!

Thank you for taking immediate action.

CALL TO ACTION: Oppose the Planned Killing of 16,000 Cormorants Along the Columbia River

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http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2014/07/07/call-to-action-oppose-the-planned-killing-of-16000-cormorants-along-the-columbia-river-1602

Cormorants are being targeted simply because they eat salmonCormorants are being targeted simply
because they eat salmon
Photo: Sea Shepherd The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced plans to shoot thousands of double-crested cormorants in the Columbia River Estuary beginning next year.

Much like California sea lions at the Columbia River, cormorants are being targeted simply because they eat salmon. Federal officials are claiming that these seabirds, protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, eat too many juvenile salmon, as well as steelhead, as the fish migrate through the river estuary to the Pacific Ocean. The proposed cull program would claim the lives of 16,000 cormorants over the course of four years, with killing taking place during the birds’ nesting seasons. Oil will also be spread over cormorant eggs to suffocate the eggs and ensure that they do not hatch. While the Army Corps emphasizes the increase in the East Sand Island double-crested cormorant population in recent years, populations of these birds in general have been declining and the sustainability of this large-scale cull is questionable at best.

Sea Shepherd’s Dam Guardians were on the frontlines along the Columbia River and at the Bonneville Dam in 2012 and 2013, documenting the hazing, trapping and cruel branding of sea lions by the Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish & Wildlife for the “crime” of eating salmon. If any of the branded sea lions are determined to be eating “too many” salmon, they are killed – and the federal government has allowed these states to kill up to 92 federally protected sea lions each year until June 2016. It is important to note that “too many salmon” might constitute just one salmonid. The sea lion cull continues, despite the fact that they consume only 1-4% of the salmon, while fisheries are typically allowed to take 10-12%.

USDA bird hazer sets off explosives at the Bonneville Dam, May 2013USDA bird hazer sets off explosives at the
Bonneville Dam, May 2013
Photo: Sea ShepherdThe Army Corps reports that non-lethal methods – including “hazing with lights, reducing nesting habitat, and using human presence to flush double-crested cormorants off potential nesting sites” – have been tested. Sea Shepherd has documented bird hazers from the USDA harassing cormorants along the river, frightening the birds with explosives.

Just as the taxpayer-funded culling of sea lions at the Bonneville Dam will not solve the problem of a declining salmon population, nor will the shooting and killing of cormorants – set to cost up to $1.5 million each year of the four-year cull. The scapegoating of these innocent animals redirects the public’s focus from the real problems at the Columbia – overfishing, a polluted river filled with toxins, and the dam itself.

CALL TO ACTION: Though Sea Shepherd does not currently have Dam Guardians on the ground, we remain dedicated to protecting the animals who call the Columbia River home and exposing the true threats to this endangered salmon population. Please join us in speaking out against the planned killing of 16,000 cormorants for the “crime” of eating salmon. Here are ways you can help:

1) Attend one or both of the upcoming public meetings scheduled by the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the proposed cull to show that you stand with the cormorants and the sea lions, as well as the salmon:

July 10 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm PT
Matt Dishman Community Center
77 N.E. Knott St.
Portland, Oregon

July 24 from 3pm to 6pm

Best Western Lincoln Inn
555 Hamburg Ave.
Astoria, Oregon

2) Submit public comments against the cull:

Email: Cormorant-EIS@usace.army.mil

Mail:

Sondra Ruckwardt
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
Attn: CENWP-PM-E / Double-creasted cormorant draft EIS
P.O. Box 2946
Portland, OR 97208-2946

The deadline for public comments is August 4, 2014.

First sea lions. Now cormorants. Where and when will it end?

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