Illinois Residents: Help Ban Wildlife Killing Contests in Illinois!

Speak up to let the IDNR know you support prohibiting WKCs in Illinois

Every year, Illinois is home to over a dozen cruel and senseless Wildlife Killing Contests (WKCs) throughout the state. WKCs generally involve a day- or weekend-long contest promoting the indiscriminate killing of coyotes, foxes and raccoons, with prizes awarded to the individuals who kill the most, or largest individuals. Many folks are not aware that these contests exist and are pervasive in The Prairie State. 

On August 15th, Project Coyote and The Rewilding Institute petitioned the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to prohibit contests through agency rulemaking, which has been done by five other states. IDNR should ban WKCs given the cruelty and disrespect these contests display towards wildlife, the latest scientific evidence on indiscriminate killing’s negative ecological impacts and the lack of evidence for such contests serving any conservation or management purpose. 

We need your help. First, learn more by checking out our campaign website, petition letter, maps of WKCs in Illinois and our letter signed by more than 50 scientists. Then… 

Let legislators and IDNR officials know you support agency rule-making to prohibit killing contests!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Contact your local and state legislators to let them know you support our petition to prohibit WKCs in Illinois through agency rule-making. Many have probably never heard of WKCs and may not realize they occur in the state or their district. Use the talking points below to craft your comments, and provide links to our petition letter and resources.
   • Contact Gov. Pritzker’s office online.
   • Contact the IDNR online or call 217-782-6302.
   • Contact your state legislators. You can look up your legislators on the State Assembly website or contact the State of Illinois at 217-782-2000 or 312-814-3500 to get specific contact information. Generally, each legislator will have a public contact form on their official website you can submit comments through.
2. Write a Letter to the Editor (LTE) and submit it to your local newspaper. 
   • Inform your fellow Illinoians and encourage them to support our petition.
   • Use the talking points below and our petition letter. See tips on LTEs here.
3. Host a screening of Project Coyote’s Killing Games: Wildlife In The Crosshairs and Comfort Theory’s Wildlife Killing Contests, two award winning films, and invite lawmakers and activists to attend. Contact us for assistance with hosting a screening. 
4. Spread the word by sharing this alert with other Illinois residents and encourage them to take action.

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Talking Points ~ Please personalize!

• No scientific evidence exists to support the outdated notion that indiscriminately killing coyotes and other wildlife reduces their populations, increases populations of game animals like deer or protects livestock. Randomly killing coyotes disrupts their pack structure, which can increase their populations and increase conflicts between coyotes, humans, and domestic animals. Preventing conflicts by working with the species’ own self regulating population dynamics is more effective, genuinely supports coexistence and is more humane.
• Wildlife targeted by contests play an important ecological role in healthy ecosystems. For example, coyotes reduce rabbit and rodent populations, scavenge animal carcasses and increase biodiversity. These contests are counterproductive to sound management.
• Eight states have prohibited wildlife killing contests, five of them by rule-making. As awareness of these barbaric events spreads, Americans are increasingly demanding an end to this bloodsport.
• Killing contests damage the reputation of responsible hunters by violating traditional hunting ethics. Countless animals are injured or orphaned during killing contests. The events also put non-target species at risk. 
• Killing contests are a bloodsport. Killing coyotes for thrills and prizes—with no respect for their intrinsic or ecological value—is senseless violence and waste.
• The petitioned rule-making is not a ban on hunting and does not impact other laws. Individuals will still be allowed to hunt coyotes and other wildlife according to state laws. 
• Illinois’ wildlife is managed in trust for all Illinoians. Allowing individuals to wantonly kill wildlife as part of a cruel bloodsport is a grave violation of the state’s obligations to hold wildlife as a public trust for all citizens.

Thank you for helping protect Illinois’ wildlife!

Jane McBride, JD
Illinois Representative

Please share this action alert with other Illinois residents!