Coyote Contests Equal to Manslaughter?

A recent piece of legislation in the Nevada Senate would treat participants in a coyote hunting contest the same as someone convicted of manslaughter. On March 25, the Nevada Senate Committee on Natural Resources introduced Senate Bill 487. This would ban coyote hunting competitions across the state.

The penalty for a violation would be a Class D Felony that carries a mandatory prison term of 1-4 years and a fine of up to $5,000. Also, violators would lose their right to own firearms and vote. But wait there is more – the language also criminalizes a person who “promotes” or “engage[s] in the furtherance” of a coyote contest or competition. While it is unlikely that it would go this far in theory, simply promoting the contest on social media could be construed as a violation.

Nevada is not the first state to propose bills of this sort; New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Montana, Oregon and Wisconsin all have similar legislation in the works. However, Nevada seems to be the most radical proposed, by making hunting a felony.

Key Points Under SB 487

• It would be illegal for a person to organize, sponsor, promote, conduct, participate in or engage in the furtherance of any contest, tournament or other competition in which coyotes are taken for prizes or entertainment.
• If a coyote is injured in such competition, the person organizing shall take the coyote to a veterinarian.
• A person who violates any of the provisions is guilty of a Class D felony for each injured or killed coyote.

From the Sportsmen’s Alliance

 

“According to the authors of SB 487, killing someone or burning down a house should carry the same penalty as posting on social media about a coyote competition,” said Bruce Tague, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “This is utterly ridiculous and unwarranted. Worse yet, this bill makes each coyote killed a separate violation of the new law, meaning a judge could sentence a violator to many years in prison for killing a species that the state of Nevada is already struggling to control!”

Just last year the Nevada Department of Wildlife documented over 1,000 calls regarding coyotes causing a nuisance in urban areas alone. In the most recent Nevada Department of Wildlife’s “Urban Wildlife Program Update,” coyote calls were the most common in 2018 with 80 percent of the calls coming from urban areas. The report reveals that coyote attacks on pets and livestock were common,but most concerning were the human attacks. The most recent report of a coyote attacking a human took place on Dec. 12, 2018.

“It’s well known that animal-rights groups view the life of an animal as equal to that of a human being. But it’s an outrage that Nevada legislators would go down the same path when they know that coyotes are public safety threat that is only increasing” said Tague. “Instead, legislators are contemplating a bill that would make commonplace hunting practices for an overpopulated species, which threaten pets, livestock and people, a felony and would imprison sportsmen,  strip away their Second Amendment and voting rights, and put wildlife management on the same plane as human murder – which, of course, is how animal-rights activists view it. We call on the Nevada Senate to use common sense, to protect their constituents and to reject SB 487.”