Legislation banning coyote contests, which already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 5 to 2, has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee and is expected to receive a hearing on Monday, May 20. The hearing on Senate Bill 723 will take place at 1 p.m. in room HR C of the capitol building.
Take Action Today! Oregon sportsmen should contact their state senator and ask them to vote NO on SB 723. Oregon members can find their state senator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
Originally SB 723 was written so broadly that it would have applied to any hunting competition, including bird dog field trials. After intense opposition from the Sportsmen’s Alliance, other sportsmen’s groups, gamebird businesses and field trial clubs, the Judiciary Committee amended the language to only pertain to coyote hunting contests. Even with the change, SB 723 is still so badly written that it could apply to a friendly competition between two hunters in which the first person who harvests a coyote is owed a free dinner from the other. A violation of this new law is Class A violation and carries a fine of up to $2,000.
“The animal-rights activists and anti-hunting legislators want you to think they are watering this bill down to make it reasonable, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.” said Bruce Tague, vice president of government affairs for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “The state of Oregon is struggling to control coyote numbers as it is now, and targeting law abiding hunters will only accelerate this problem. Just six short months ago, two children were attacked by coyotes in the Portland suburbs.”
SB 723 is part of a national trend to eliminate coyote contests by animal-rights groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States. The Sportsmen’s Alliance has also been fighting similar legislation in Nevada, Arizona, Montana, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Wisconsin.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.