Wildlife killing contests are barbaric. Will Arizona finally put an end to them?
Opinion: Arizona Game and Fish has drafted a rule to ban contests that kill hundreds of coyotes. But it needs tightening before it passes.
Arizona is known worldwide as a place of spectacular natural beauty. Our state’s wild places are home to a wonderful diversity of wildlife, including predators that play valuable roles in ecosystems from the Sonoran Desert to the ponderosa pines.
So it’s beyond disturbing that dozens of brutal wildlife killing contests are held every year in Arizona. Frequently these private contests are held on our public lands, where wildlife should find sanctuary ― not an all-out assault from shooters in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy.
Take the Santa Slay Coyote Tournament, for example. Held every December near Prescott, this contest gives participants belt buckles and other prizes for indiscriminately gunning down as many animals as possible.
This kind of so-called hunting is barbaric and unethical. It sickens most Arizonans, including hunters who believe in the principles of fair chase.
Game and Fish drafted a rule to ban them
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission can end these cruel contests and set an example for states across the country. The commission wisely drafted a rule to ban killing contests statewide and is set to vote on it June 21.
Arizona can become part of the growing national movement to end these contests, led by an outraged public and ethical hunters pushing to stop the slaughter of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions and other animals.
New Mexico just banned wildlife killing contests. Here in Arizona, Pima, Yavapai and Coconino counties recently passed resolutions opposing them. So did Tucson, Flagstaff and Dewey-Humboldt.
Beyond the fact that these contests shock the conscience, they abandon well-established conservation practices and throw sound science out the window. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which is foundational to the Game and Fish Commission’s work, rejects the illegitimate killing of wildlife with no intent to use the animal.
Science doesn't back proponents' claims
Wildlife are indiscriminately slaughtered during these contests. To lure them, some participants use devices that mimic the sounds of prey or young animals in distress.
Cash and prizes are given to those who kill the most, the largest or the smallest animal. Hundreds of animal carcasses pile up. After the points are tallied, the bodies are often dumped.
The harm from this blood sport is not limited to the animals that are shot. The piles of carcasses left behind expose bald eagles, condors and other scavengers to deadly lead poisoning when they feed on the bullet-riddled bodies. Lead poisoning is the number one killer of condors.
Proponents of killing contests claim they’re a valuable tool for managing predators, but all of the best science refutes this.
Study after study fails to connect “predator control” with improved deer, elk or pronghorn populations. Some studies show that killing off coyotes causes them to breed even more.
And beyond the science, making a game out of killing animals is repulsive.
Will Game and Fish plug these loopholes?
The Game and Fish Commission is poised to make an important policy change that aligns with smart conservation practices and who we are as Arizonans.
But first the commission should tighten the proposed rule to eliminate loopholes. Otherwise contest organizers could just shift to rabbits, crows, snakes or other animals, or change the way they award prizes.
And once they approve the rule, the commissioners will need help from another governor-appointed group.
In 1999 the commission approved a similar measure but the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council, the final step in the state’s rulemaking process, failed to act. That should not happen again.
We look forward to seeing the commission vote to support science-based management of our wildlife, safe and healthy public lands, and ethical hunting practices. Let’s end wildlife killing contests in Arizona.
Joe Trudeau is a conservation ecologist and the Southwest advocate for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. Sandy Bahr is director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter.