Overwhelming opposition by the Sportsmen’s Alliance, other sportsmen’s groups and individuals has forced an Oregon Senate Committee to narrow the focus of Senate Bill 723 to specifically coyote contests. SB 723 originally sought to ban hunting contests of any kind, which would have included field trials and other events.
Take Action Today! Oregon sportsmen should contact 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 Center.
Additionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee reduced the penalties in the bill from a Class A misdemeanor with the potential for one year of jail and a fine up to $6,250, to a Class A violation, which carries a maximum fine of $2,000. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the amended bill, and it is now in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting a hearing. The current language is still so broadly written though, that it could easily apply to many friendly competitions, such as a father and son who decide that the first person to harvest a coyote owes the other breakfast.
Animal-rights groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, are pushing legislation like SB 723 as part of a national effort to eliminate all forms of hunting. In many cases, they’ve started with broad language and severe penalties, and then when faced with opposition, pared it down to something they can get passed. The Sportsmen’s Alliance has been fighting legislation similar to Oregon’s in Nevada, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Wisconsin.
“It is beyond sound reason that any legislator would vote for a bill that would ban any proactive effort to control these prolific predators who not only spread diseases like rabies, but also attack pets and people,” said Bruce Tague, vice president of government affairs for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Just last year two children were attacked by coyotes in the Portland suburbs.”
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.