Victory! Oregon Becomes The 9th State To Ban Wildlife Killing Contests Following Washington, Arizona & California

On Friday, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to prohibit wildlife killing contests of coyotes and other species classified as unprotected mammals in the state.

A coalition of 22 local and national wildlife and conservation organizations and hunters, wildlife management professionals, scientists, veterinarians, and advocates across Oregon submitted testimony at the hearing in support of the critical bill. Oregon is now the ninth state to end these gruesome competitions.

In wildlife killing contests, participants compete for cash and prizes to kill the most, the largest, and the smallest coyotes, as well as other vital wildlife within a specified time period.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has gone undercover at dozens of these contests across the United States, including a 2018 investigation at a Hines, Oregon contest.

More scientific studies find that these contests do not reduce coyote numbers or prevent conflicts with livestock, and may even increase them. Instead, more economical and effective methods are available to help Oregon farmers coexist with native wildlife.

“Wildlife killing contests are abhorred by the Oregon public and have no place in our state,” said Kelly Peterson, Oregon state director for HSUS. “Engaging in wanton waste of a native wildlife species as part of a contest for prizes is abhorrent and we are grateful that the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to end these cruel, gruesome competitions.”

Oregon follows many other states in banning wildlife killing contests, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington. In June, the New York state legislature passed a bill to end wildlife killing contests. The legislation now awaits the governor’s signature.

Organizations that supported the proposed rule included the Humane Society of the United States, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Welfare Institute, Bitterbrush Broads & Bros Leadership Team, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Central Oregon LandWatch, Endangered Species Coalition, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, Humane Voters Oregon, Lark Ranch Rescue and Rehabilitation, National Wolfwatcher Coalition, Northeast Oregon Ecosystems, Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Wild, Portland Audubon, Predator Defense, Project Coyote, Think Wild, Western Environmental Law Center, Western Watersheds Project and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust.