AzG&F commission restricts killing contests
BISBEE — Though not a total win for wildlife conservation leaders, they are happy with the decision of the Arizona Game and Fish (AzG&F) Commission to ban fees and awards for wildlife killing contests.
Killing Coyotes Is Not As Effective As Once Thought, Researchers Say
In a rugged canyon in southern Wyoming, a helicopter drops nets over a pair of coyotes. They’re bound, blindfolded and flown to a landing station. There, University of Wyoming researchers place them on a mat. The animals stay calm and still while technicians figure out their weight, age, sex and other measurements. Graduate student Katey Huggler fits the coyotes with tracking collars.
Meet the coyote, one of nature’s great tricksters
The conversations were as old as the South Texas brush country in which they occurred, although they could have happened in just about any wild or even marginally feral corner of the state. One side opened with a long, moaning howl. The immediate answer — a sharp series of yips — came from what sounded close to the original howl. Maybe even the same spot. Then it quickly became a free-for-all. Warbling, barking, shrieks, screeches, yapping, howling, yips, whines and what sounded for all the world like a high-pitched laugh.
The Arizona Game And Fish Commission Debates Banning ‘Coyote Killing Contests’
Some people call it barbaric. Others say it’s their right. Coyote killing contests, as they’re called, are a hot topic of debate in Arizona. The contests reward hunters who can kill the most, or the largest or, sometimes, the smallest animals in a set amount of time. Sometimes it’s coyotes, other times, bobcats, foxes or mountain lions.
Killing wolves was supposed to solve a problem but created one that will last forever
On a cold, miserable morning in May, Stan Gehrt trod across an open field as wind and rain blew in his face. He was leading a team of wildlife biologists on a mission to find an animal with a gift for not being seen. The team didn’t have to travel far from its headquarters for the search. A female coyote had made a den within sight of Chicago’s skyline. They were only “about five kilometers” from America’s busiest airport, O’Hare International, Gehrt said as he advanced toward the den, wind howling through his cellphone microphone during an interview.
Rule being considered to eliminate animal killing contests in Arizona
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will consider a rule to ban animal killing contests in June. A 30-day public comment period ended May 12 on a move to end contests where cash and prizes are awarded to those who kill the most or largest or smallest animal. At least 40 such contests have been held in the state over the past two years. We’ll hear more from Joe Trudeau, Southwest advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity and Matt Francis, who is with Project Coyote.