***UPDATE! The hearing has been pushed to June 5 at 10:30 a.m. ***
Senate Bill 723, sponsored by Sen. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) and Sen. Jeff Golden (D-Ashland), which would ban coyote hunting contests in the state, is expected to have full senate vote on June 3 June 4 June 5 at 10:30 a.m. (updated to reflect most current situation). Senate Bill 723 already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a vote of 5 to 2. A bill that once would have banned field trials and other hunting activities, was amended to specifically pertain to coyote hunting contests.
Take Action Today! Oregon sportsmen should call their state senator and ask them to vote NO on SB 723. Oregon members can find their state senator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Directory.
Even with the change, SB 723 is still so broadly written that it could apply to a friendly competition between hunters in which the first person who harvests a coyote wins a free dinner. Violations of the new law would be considered Class A violation resulting in a $2,000 fine.
SB 723 is part of a national trend to eliminate coyote contests by animal-rights groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The Sportsmen’s Alliance has also been fighting similar legislation in Arizona, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
Contests are a tool that help manage booming populations by incentivizing sportsmen to take coyotes in a certain area during a specific time of year. Oregon, and other states, are already struggling to control coyote numbers. Coyotes are highly adaptable and can be found in rural, suburban and even urban areas. In fact, two children were attacked by coyotes in the Portland suburbs just six short months ago. Banning contests makes no sense.
“How is a coyote contest any different than a bass fishing tournament or a fishing derby for kids?” asked Luke Houghton, associate director of state services for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “In the case of coyotes, a tournament actually provides a service by helping control an overpopulated species. Senate Bill 723 unfairly targets predator hunters and sets a precedent that can easily be applied in the future to field trials and even fishing.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
