Category Archives: Contest Hunt

A Big Deal Out of Nothing?

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As most of you know, this blog, as a rule, does not allow comments from self-proclaimed wildlife killers or their apologists, for the same reason a victim’s rights group might have a policy not to approve comments from abusers of vulnerable human victims. However, once in a while I post a hunter’s comment if it gives us particular insight into how their minds work.

According to the following comment to the post “High School Class Sponsoring Crow Hunting Tournament,” crows, coyotes, deer, hogs and ducks are “nothing,” but domesticated chickens may have some value…

“I think you are all making a big deal of out of nothing. I grew up in Sasakwa, I graduated from Sasakwa, and I hunt deer, ducks, and hogs. I don’t see why crows or coyotes are any different. My family lives in the country and we have animals. Coyotes will come and kill our chickens if we don’t keep an eye out for them.

“And we are not ruthless killers. Many kids and adults in Sasakwa have taken Hunter Safety Courses and hunt. Just because our community puts a hunting event together doesn’t mean there will be a big school shooting.”

Well, that’s what the shooters from Columbine would have said. Granted, not every bully becomes a serial killer, but the shooting of crows or coyotes for the sake of a sporting event is abusive in its own right. The contest-killing of sentient beings may not qualify as mass murder according to the laws of the day, but it’s certainly not “nothing.”

Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, except where noted

Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, except where noted

Banning Wildlife Killing Contests

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Earlier this month in a remote northeastern corner of California, residents in Modoc County slaughtered at least 40 coyotes in an annual killing contest known as the Adin “Coyote Drive.” In Crane, Oregon last month, the “Eight Annual JMK Coyote Hunting Contest ” advertised no geographic restrictions for its killing contest that resulted in the death of close to 150 coyotes last year. (The number of animals killed were not disclosed this year.)  In Salmon, Idaho coyotes and wolves were targeted in the “1st Annual 2 Day Coyote & Wolf Derby” where 21 coyotes were gunned down on the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) – our nation’s safety net for wildlife that brought wolves back from the brink of extinction.
What do all of these killing contests have in common? They award prizes to those who kill the most individuals and the largest (and sometimes the most females) perpetuating a culture of violence that sends a message to children that life has little value and that an entire species of animals is disposable.   Despite the incomprehensible cruelty and predictable ecological destruction, hundreds of wildlife killing contests, many encouraging youth participation, take place throughout the country, resulting in countless deaths of vital predators.     Project Coyote brought international attention to this issue generating thousands of emails and letters to federal and state agencies and to killing contest sponsors. In addition to exposing the brutality, Project Coyote and allies challenged the legality of the contests in court and were instrumental in ensuring that some of the events did not take place on public lands.   Most significantly, at the request of Project Coyote, the California Fish & Game Commission voted unanimously to consider a statewide ban on wildlife killing contests. Project Coyote Executive Director Camilla Fox requested a ban at the February 5th Commission meeting. “We urge you to use your authority to regulate and restrict take by initiating a rule-making process to prohibit wildlife killing contests — thus modernizing predator management, conservation and stewardship statewide- and setting the trend for the rest of the nation — as we do so well here in California.” Watch Project Coyote in action here:

FHC Video Play Button Still
Newly elected Commission Vice President, Jack Baylis put forth the motion to move forward on the formal rule-making process to consider prohibiting wildlife-killing contests. Commission President, Michael Sutton showed his support for the motion stating, “I’ve been concerned about these killing contests for some time. They seem inconsistent both with ethical standards of hunting and our current understanding of the important role predators play in ecosystems.” Read more in Project Coyote’s press release here.   As a result of the Commission’s vote, a formal rule-making process will begin and the issue will be on the agenda at the April 16th Fish and Game Commission meeting in Ventura. Public testimony will be heard before the Commission votes on whether to permanently ban wildlife killing contests statewide. If you live in California, please join us in this effort.   Project Coyote and eight conservation organizations, led by the Southwest Environmental Center, urged New Mexico Governor Martinez to remove two members of the New Mexico Game Commission, Chairman Scott Bidegain and Commissioner Robert Espinosa, for competing in and organizing coyote-killing contests, respectively.   Conservationists in New Mexico have reason to be hopeful. Chairman Scott Bidegain, charged as an accessory to killing a cougar on his family’s ranch and facing pressure for his participation in the coyote-killing contest, recently resigned from the Commission. And in an unprecedented stand, the Las Cruces City Council voted unanimously in support of a resolution opposing wildlife killing events that “encourage the wanton and unnecessary killing of New Mexico’s wildlife. On February 18th, city councilors opposed the Predator Masters Hunt & Convention, which takes place in and around Las Cruces.   Banning barbaric killing contests is a part of Project Coyote’s vision to change the way predators are perceived and “managed.” We are hopeful that like dog and cock fighting, which are now banned nationwide, we can make wildlife killing contests a shameful relic of our past.

 

 

The Animals Support Gun Control

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On the way up to the mountains to ski some of the seven plus feet of snow which fell during the past week, I passed a car with a bumper sticker that read: “The Animals Support Gun Control.” That brings up an issue you almost never hear about, ironically enough, after someone brings a hunting rifle to school and tries to peck off every kid or teacher they can get a bead on.elk-000-home17300

Oh, you hear about gun control, that’s a given, but almost never in the context of how they’re used against non-human animals—for sport or savagery—in contest kills, often geared especially for young people, as if to tempt the next mass-murderer out of hiding and onto the playground for some real fun and games.

You can’t expect grade-schoolers to understand the subtle difference between a sacred human life and those of other animals they’ve been trained to kill—before they could even develop a conscience—by their proud parents, who use their kids’ eagerness to please and to play follow the leader against them, in hopes of recruiting a life-time hunting partner.

The disturbing trend among states to lower the legal hunting age, practically to infancy, suggests the word “Columbine” evokes only the image of a pretty flower to them. Meanwhile, hunters in states like Idaho are actively luring young children to try their luck in coyote or wolf killing derbies to further degrade the value of life that movies and video games have already taught them to disregard a thousand times over. The town of Holley, New York, just held another appalling example of state-sanctioned sadism in the form of an animal-kill contest they dubbed the “squirrel slam.” “Sporting” events like the so-called “squirrel slam” are an embarrassment that only adds to the global perception that this is an inherently violent country.

Not to be outdone, the Oklahoma “game” department just announced that the senior class of Sasakwa High is sponsoring a crow-killing contest, set for the end of this month—complete with prize money for whoever murders the most crows. It’s a spectacle sure to inspire the next killer-in-waiting to turn their semi-automatic on their fellow classmates.

These kinds of hunting events beg the obvious question: how can kids be expected to know the difference between officially sanctioned animal cruelty and acts of cruelty they come up with on their own?

So if you feel your Second Amendment rights are withering away at the mere mention of gun control, relax that death-grip on your rifle for a moment and consider what the animals would have to say about the issue, if only we allowed them a voice.

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Protestors of Squirrel Slam say hunting contest ‘is a crime against nature’

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By Tom Rivers, editor 19 February 2014

HOLLEY – Edita Birnkrant doesn’t want to take away anyone’s Second Amendment rights. But she does want to make shooting animals illegal when it’s part of a fund-raiser.

Birnkrant is director of Friends of Animals in New York. She will be in Holley on Saturday for the 8th annual Squirrel Slam. She may be joined by hundreds of FOA supporters from several states.

“We share the landscape with wildlife,” Birnkrant said by phone this afternoon from New York City. “I see this as a crime against nature.”

Friends of Animals plans a peaceful protest near the Holley Firehall from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Birnkrant was in Holley last year for the Squirrel Slam and she said some of the hunters taunted her with dead squirrels, holding them out towards her as they passed by for the weigh station at the firehall.

Police have told Birnkrant the Friends of Animals will be separated from the hunters on Saturday. Police don’t want the hunters walking through a pack of protestors.

This year’s event has the added dimension of the New York Revolution, a group that formed last year after the state passed the controversial gun control measure known as the SAFE Act. The group is expected to be in Holley on Saturday, showing its support for the Second Amendment.

Birnkrant said she doesn’t want to infringe on the Second Amendment.

“We’re not trying to take guns away,” she said. “We think wildlife killing contests should be unlawful. As a society we have to evolve from this.”

The Holley event isn’t the only fund-raiser where participants hunt wildlife. Other events target crows and coyotes. But Birnkrant said Holley’s Squirrel Slam is unusual because it has a fire department as its sponsor and
welcomes children as young as 12 to participate.

Participants bring up to five squirrels to the weigh station and prizes go to the heaviest cumulative entry. The event on Saturday, despite little advertising, quickly was a sellout and capped at 650 participants.

The Squirrel Slam generates about $6,500 in revenue for the Fire Department. After it pays out $1,500 for prizes, $500 for food and $440 to Holley for police overtime, Fire Department President Fran Gaylord said the event nets about $4,000.

Friends of Animals plans to present a petition to village and fire department officials, asking that the event be cancelled in the future. Friends has offered to make up the fund-raising loss for the fire department, Birnkrant said.

Bills in both the State Assembly and Senate call for banning wildlife hunting contests. That doesn’t include fishing derbies. Birnkrant said that her goal is to stop the contests that call for killing of land animals. She
doesn’t see the contests as hunting in the traditional sense.

“Most people would be horrified by a dog or cat killing contest because they are pets,” Birnkrant said. “I’m horrified by a squirrel killing contest. They feel pain.”

Friends of Animals is actually against all hunting, but the group’s immediate goal is to see state legislation approved to ban wildlife hunting contests.

Birnkrant said her group hopes to show its opposition to the Holley event on Saturday, and doesn’t want to get into any confrontations with supporters of the Squirrel Slam.

“I would hope it would be pretty uneventful,” she said.

Holley police expects to have at least five officers on duty Saturday afternoon with additional support from the Albion Police Department and New York State Police.

Photo copyright Jim Robertson

Photo copyright Jim Robertson

High School Class Sponsoring Crow Hunting Tournament…

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…and other weekly hunting news from Oklahoma.

The senior class of Sasakwa High is sponsoring a crow hunting tournament
on March 1st. [Watch for the next big school shooting to happen there, sometime after March 1st.]

[Crow] “hunters” can register for the tournament as individuals or
three
person teams.
The deadline to enter is Feb. 17th. The cost is $20 per person. The
first
place will pay 35 percent of the entry fees. The second place will be
awarded
15 percent.

The Okla. Station Chapter of the Safari Club International is holding its
29th
annual convention banquet and fundraiser on March 1st at the Okla.
Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
In 2010 and 2012, the chapter’s banquet program won best-in-class among
all the organization’s chapters across the world.
The 2014 banquet will feature much more. This includes more than
$500,000
worth of auction items such as big-game hunts around the world, bird hunts,
fishing trips, guns, gear, jewelry, sculptures and more.
Auction items can be viewed on line and the tickets are $75 in advance or
$95 at the door

Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

.

Okla. is now debating whether to hunt a young deer buck or shoot a trophy
deer. Now, deer associations and landowners work together to manage
deer and other wildlife on their properties, with a common goal, such as
protecting young bucks and increasing the buck age structure.
A bill has been introduced in the Okla. House of Representatives that
proposes a 6-point antler restriction on bucks for hunters ages 17 or
older.
This is an attempt to protect young bucks. They can’t grow into trophy
bucks if they keep getting killed as yearlings.
Other states have similar restrictions. However, some wildlife officials
don’t think it would work in Okla.
Because so many deer hunters voluntarily do not kill young deer, wildlife
officials believe that the trend in Okla. is that more hunters keep passing
on young bucks.
One official notes “Hunters are better educated, and they are more
selective about what they harvest.”
Four of the top five states that had the lowest percentage of yearling
bucks
harvested were states that did not have any antler regulation.
Depending on which side of the deer management debate often depends
on whether you primarily hunt for meat or hunt for horns.
The Okla. Wildlife Dept. tries to please both groups thru liberal hunting
seasons and Deer Management Assistance Programs for landowner
interested in managing for bigger bucks.

State May Ban Hunting Contests For Coyotes And Other Wildlife

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Jim Robertson-wolf-copyright

http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewild/hunting/state-may-ban-hunting-contests-for-coyotes-and-other-wildlife.html

by Chris Clarke on February 5, 2014

California’s Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to consider a ban on hunting contests such as this weekend’s secretive coyote drive in Modoc County, with one Commissioner suggesting such contests are unethical.

The 4-0 vote launches a formal rule-making process, during which public comment will be solicited as the Commission considers a ban on such contests in California.

“This is obviously not about sport or fair-chase,” said Camilla Fox, whose wildlife group Project Coyote proposed the ban to the Commission on Wednesday. “Wildlife killing contests are conducted for profit, entertainment, prizes and, simply, for the ‘fun’ of killing. No evidence exists showing that such indiscriminate killing contests control problem animals or serve any beneficial management function.”

Fish and Game Commission President Michael Sutton spoke in favor of the motion before the vote. “I’ve been concerned about these killing contests for some time,” said Sutton. They seem inconsistent both with ethical standards of hunting and our current understanding of the important role predators play in ecosystems.”

Though the focus of the discussion was on coyotes, given the looming Modoc County contest, a broad ban on wildlife hunting contests would conceivably bar events where other species are the targets as well.

Advocates contend that contests such as Modoc County’s or the others we described last month are important to keep predator populations under control.

But research into the dynamics of coyote reproduction and lifestyles over the last several decades undermines such claims. Though there will likely always be a role for direct culls in management of problem coyotes, the science indicates that more indiscriminate hunting serves only to disrupt coyote family groups in which only the “alpha” adults breed. Killing one or both of the alphas in a mid-sized family group may mean two or three times as many pairs of coyotes will be actively breeding shortly thereafter.

“Killing random predators is about as effective at protecting livestock as bailing harder is at saving a sinking boat,” said Sonoma County rancher Keli Hendricks, who testified in support of a ban before the Commission. “It might help for a short time, but the only real solution is to fix the hole in the boat. The way to fix that hole is to implement one or more of the many non-lethal livestock protection methods available to ranchers today.”

The possibility of banning wildlife hunting contests will now be placed on the agenda for a Fish and Game Commission meeting, at which public comment will be solicited. That won’t happen before Modoc County’s coyote drive this weekend, but it will almost certainly happen before next year’s.

on the Upcoming Coyote Conest Kill in Crane OR

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From Predator Defense.org:

We’re always working to stop atrocities like the one pictured below. To that end we alerted the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to a coyote-killing contest in Crane, Oregon this coming weekend, Jan. 17-19, that was expected to take place on both private and public lands. We let them know that the event was happening, and that we believed that the organizers, JMK Coyote Hunt, did not have the special use permit required for hunting on public land. JMK refused to get a permit, so their killing spree is now restricted to private land. We decry contests like this. Rewarding killing for the “fun” of it teaches children cruelty and brutality. It also increases predation on livestock and exacerbates conflicts between wildlife, ranchers and farmers. Please support our work to stop wildlife atrocities by donating today at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1443481.

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ACTION ALERT: Coyote Killing Contest ~ Jan. 18-19 Crane, OR

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“A society that condones unlimited killing of wildlife for fun and prizes is morally bankrupt.”  ~ Dave Parsons, Project Coyote Science Advisory Board

Please join Project Coyote to take immediate action to stop a brutal coyote killing contest scheduled for January 18-19th in Crane, Oregon.  There is no place for a wildlife killing contest in our civilized society.
Contest participants, in teams of two, with no geographical restrictions will slaughter coyotes for thrills and compete for cheap prizes (including cash). Awards will be given for the most coyotes killed, the largest coyote, and other categories including a calcutta. This is not hunting but a gratuitous massacre that is legal in Oregon and across the country. Children under the age of 16 are encouraged to participate with free entry on Saturday.
Specific details:
What: Eighth Annual Coyote Killing Contest Where: Crane, Oregon                          When: Saturday, January 17th through Sunday January 19th, 2014

JMK_2014

Pl. share this image from the recent Salmon, ID coyote/wolf “derby” (95,360 views & 1,749 shares to date) & help spread the messageCoyote Wolf Holiday Killing Contest Salmon Idaho_copyright Project Coyote

“The non-specific, indiscriminate killing methods used in this commercial and unrestricted coyote killing contest are not about hunting or sound land management. These contests are about personal profit, animal cruelty…It is time to outlaw this highly destructive activity.” ~ Ray Powell, New Mexico Land Commissioner

Talking Points (please personalize your letter and if you recreate in Oregon please mention this):
1.  Wildlife killing contests are ethically indefensible events allowing participants to kill wildlife to win prizes. They are biologically and ecologically reckless, not only harming individual animals, but also altering predator-prey dynamics, disrupting the social dynamics of predatory species, and increasing threats to public safety, all for fun and prizes. They have no beneficial management purpose but, rather, promote gratuitous violence against wildlife. They demean the immense ecological and economic value of predators in an ecosystem while teaching children to hate and trivialize the lives of predators.
2.  Killing contests have nothing in common with fair chase, ethical hunting. Technology, baiting, and “calling” place wildlife at an even greater and unfair disadvantage. Killing predators, or any wild animal, as part of a ‘contest’ is ethically indefensible and ecologically reckless.    3.  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.
4. The importance of 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 smaller predators, rodents, and jack rabbits, which compete with domestic livestock for available forage.    5.  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.   6.  Wildlife killing contests put non-target animals, companion animals, and people at risk. Domestic dogs are sometimes mistaken for coyotes and wolves.

Immediately contact the following to voice your firm but polite protest:

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 947-6000
odfw.comments@state.or.us

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber
900 Court Street NE, 160, Salem, OR 97301
(503) 378-3111

Harney County Chamber of Commerce
Chelsea Harrison, Executive Director
484 North Broadway, Burns, OR 97720
(541) 573-2636
director@harneycounty.com

Please post polite comments on the Facebook pages of Travel Oregon and the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association:

Travel Oregon/Oregon Tourism Commission
Judiaann Woo, Director, Global Communications
1(800) 547-7842
info@traveloregon.com
https://www.facebook.com/TravelOregon

Eastern Oregon Visitors Association
Phone: 1 (800) 332-1843
eova@eoni.com
https://www.facebook.com/VisitEasternOregon

Stop Second Coyote Hunting Contest – Dillon, Montana

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Stop Second Coyote Hunting Contest – Dillon, Montana Action Alert from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Ann Frances January 2014

ACTION

Help STOP Coyote Hunting Contest, Dillon, Montana, on January 10, 11 and 12, 2014…“Dog Days of Winter Coyote Derby”

coyote derby slaughter

And/or better yet, make direct contact:

Rocky Mountain Supply, Dillon Montana https://www.facebook.com/rmsdillon    Montana Outdoor Radio Show https://www.facebook.com/montanaoutdoor    Montana Tourism https://www.facebook.com/visitmontana

INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

Coyote Hunting Contest, Dillon, Montana, on January 10, 11 and 12, 2014. “Dog Days of Winter Coyote Derby”.

It is hosted by Rocky Mountain Supply who sells “Everything for the farmer, rancher, and traveler”. It is also being supported and advertised by The Montana Outdoor Radio Show, that also has a webpage with paragraph length articles by several writers, including by “Angela Montana”, who seems to take a special relish in the job of writing blurbs on killing coyotes, wolves and all other wildlife.

This is the 2nd Coyote Hunting Contest in Dillon, Montana. The first one was in February 2013. As described by Angela Montana, the contest was started by Tyler Linse, a college student working at Rocky Mountain Supply. “We thought it would be a fun way to spend a winter weekend and help manage the coyotes in the area”, said Linse. Ten coyotes were killed in the contest.

Dillon, Montana is in Southwest Montana. It is just 65 miles from Salmon, Idaho, who held a Wolf and Coyote Killing Contest on December 28 and 29, 2013. Both Salmon Idaho and Dillon Montana are surrounded by national forests including Yellowstone National Park. Salmon Idaho has a population of 3000, and Dillon, Montana, 4000. Of note, Great Harvest Bread Company has its headquarters in Dillon, Montana.

From an article on dogfighting in Montana [Spectating at dogfights: Still legal thanks to…rodeo?]: “Most people know by now that killing coyotes doesn’t “manage” their numbers, proving that these folks have some catching-up to do…or that it really IS all about bloodlust.”

Of note: Great Harvest Bread Company has its headquarters in Dillon, Montana thought they are not associated with this contest.

ACTION ALERT: Oregon Coyote Killing Contest

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Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

Photo Copyright Jim Robertson

We have learned of a Coyote Killing Contest in Central Oregon over a three day period from Friday, January 17 through Sunday, January 19, 2013.

The contest offers a special one-day free entry for children under 16. Cash, belt buckles and other prizes will be awarded to the two-man team killing the most coyotes by weight, the largest individual coyote, and more.

Please contact [see below*] the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service (USFS) to express your concerns, which may include the following:

• Commercial activities on public federal lands require special use permits and an environmental review to determine their impact on the ecosystem and the quality of the human environment.
• Are these agencies aware of this event?
• Participants are paying a one hundred dollar fee to join the event, making it a commercial endeavor.
• Have the promoters of this event applied for and received a permit?
• An undetermined number of hunters will be involved in the organized event, likely putting the public at risk over the weekend when many families recreate on public land.
• Like other top predators, coyotes play a critical role in keeping natural areas healthy. In fact, coyotes are a keystone species, meaning that their presence or absence has a significant impact on the surrounding biological community.
• Field research demonstrates that the indiscriminate killing of coyotes actually increases conflicts and predation on livestock by causing coyote populations to dramatically increase. In order to feed more robust litters, coyotes may change their hunting habits to include unnatural and larger prey, such as livestock. Thus, increased persecution leads to larger populations and increased predation.

See http://www.predatordefense.org/coyotes.htm

*Bureau of Land Management contact information:

http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/notesdirectory.php

Brendan Cain
District Manager
28910 Hwy 20 W
Hines OR 97738-9424
541-573-4422
bcain@blm.gov

*US Forest Service contact information:

Emigrant Creek Ranger District
265 Hwy 20 S
Hines OR 97738-9428
541-573-4300

Blue Mountain Ranger District
PO Box 909
John Day OR 97845-0909
541-575-3000

Prairie City Ranger District
PO Box 337
Prairie City OR 97869-0337
541-820-3800

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/malheur/about-forest/districts

Check out this link for contest details:

Shooters Services Unlimited – JMK Coyote Hunt

http://www.shootersservicesunlimited.com