Commission prohibits Coyote killing contests that are no within their authority to regulate in Oregon. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted five to one abstention on the matter after over 40 people weighed in during the meeting in Bend last week.

You can also watch Part 1 and Part 2 of the recorded commission meeting.

Going forward, contests for taking coyotes and other unprotected mammals are prohibited based upon the newly approved rule that defines these contests, making it “unlawful to organize, sponsor, conduct, or participate in a contest that has the objective of killing unprotected mammals native to Oregon,” according to a news release.

While the Commission has the authority to regulate hunting and trapping of unprotected mammals, coyotes and other mammals classified as predatory do not fall under the same regulatory umbrella. In fact, the state statute says that “the Commission shall not prescribe limitations on the times, places or amounts for the taking of predatory animal” and “nothing in the wildlife laws is intended to deny the right of any person to control predatory animals.”

However, by establishing the new rule that makes killing contests illegal, Mary Wahl, Chair of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, said it is “a step we can take that is within our authority.”