New York considers ban on cash prize contests for hunting coyotes, squirrels, some other wildlife
New York considers ban on cash prize contests for hunting coyotes, squirrels, some other wildlife
The contests have names such as Predator Slam, Squirrel Scramble and Final Fling for Fox. And they sometimes challenge hunters to bag the heaviest coyote or the heftiest bunch of squirrels to win a cash prize.
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So, this isn't culling because it's necessary, it's just killing for sport. Why is this even legal?
The contests also have been defended as a way to keep wildlife populations in check -- especially for coyotes, which are viewed as livestock-killing nuisances in some areas.
I love how humans always try to justify their shitty acts. There are plenty of groups who have been working with local populations for years, mostly in asian and african countries, to help farmers with predator problems. In africa, they use "bee fences" to keep elephants from fields. India, they discovered that wearing a mask on the back of your head can keep tiger attacks down. There have also been certain dog breeds used to deter larger predators from livestock. Getting creative it the way to go, not pointless killing.
Also, if there are no coyotes to eat the local rabbits, squirrels, etc then they will be overrun with them, and they will make BIG problems for livestock (assuming they aren't factory farms).
Not sure about NY, by me at least the state environmental agency surveys populations and sets bag limits. For example there's an area near me where they're trying to encourage a specific rabbit population by maintaining a habitat so they encourage coyote hunting there. We don't have tournaments like this though, if anything they'll do a special season or allow hunting on a piece of public land they normally wouldn't.
Having said that landowners can do pretty much whatever they want. You're actually more restricted hunting for meat/pelts on your land than you are killing 'nuisance' animals; there's seasons, bag limits, and reporting requirements if you keep the meat/pelt but not if you kill it as a pest
@ezmack If it's a legit cull for the betterment of the surrounding environment, that's one thing, but that's not what the linked hunt is about.
No and it's really dubious whether it works at all. In addition to the spurring breeding thing in the article, I've heard you're really just shuffling them onto neighboring territory and making it your neighbors problem