Most Americans are shocked to learn that each year thousands of coyotes, foxes, bobcats, prairie dogs, crows, and even wolves are targeted in “wildlife killing contests” where contestants win prizes and awards for killing the most or largest of a given species. These contests, largely unmonitored by state and federal wildlife agencies, are legal throughout the United States and often occur on our public lands.
In April of 2022, More than a dozen members of Congress introduced legislation that would prohibit organizing, sponsoring, conducting or participating in wildlife killing contests on more than 500 million acres of U.S. public lands.
Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) made the following statement:
“America’s wildlife all play a special role in the natural ecosystem and killing them for what some deem ‘sport’ is both cruel and unnecessary. These contests serve no legitimate wildlife-management purpose and ending them is the right thing to do.”
The Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests Act of 2022, which was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and other Congressional leaders, would require the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service to enact regulations banning wildlife killing contests within a year. Eight states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington — have already outlawed these events within their borders.
Wildlife killing contests are organized competitive events in which participants compete for cash or prizes by killing the most, the largest, or sometimes the smallest animals over a certain time period. Each year thousands of important native carnivores and other wildlife — including coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, prairie dogs and even wolves — are killed during these competitions.
“It’s time for us to end the mass slaughter contests of America’s wild carnivores once and for all,” said Stephanie Kurose, a senior policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The senseless killing of our most persecuted wildlife on public lands should have never been allowed. Congress should pass this legislation quickly so we can finally spare our native animals from these ruthless kill-fests.”
“Wildlife killing contests are cruel events that have no place in modern civil society,” said Johanna Hamburger, director and senior staff attorney for the Animal Welfare Institute’s terrestrial wildlife program. “Participants frequently violate fundamental hunting principles of fair chase by using bait and electronic calling devices to maximize the likelihood of winning, and the animal carcasses are usually dumped after the event.”
“Most people are shocked to learn that wildlife killing contests are legal on our public lands,” said Camilla Fox, executive director of Project Coyote. “Killing animals for prizes and entertainment is ethically indefensible, ecologically reckless and anathema to sound wildlife conservation and management.” “A closer look makes it pretty clear that these bloodbaths constitute neither wildlife management nor sport,” said Tracie Letterman, vice president, federal affairs, of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Killing contests aren’t merely retrograde cruelty, either. They destroy native carnivores like coyotes, who play a vital role in ensuring the health of forest and pastoral ecosystems. Now, thanks to Representative Steve Cohen’s leadership, we have a chance to do something about it.”
The bill gained initial traction and was sent through several subcommittees, ultimately garnering hearings by the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, but forward progress seems to have ended there. If you would like to see the bill move forward, you can contact your Congressional Representative, ask them for a status update, and tell them you support H.R. 7398.
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