The Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife voted on Wednesday to prohibit controversial coyote killing contests, such as one that took place yearly in Granby.
MassWildlife began reassessing its position on coyote killing contests over the summer after animal rights activists, including members of MSPCA-Angell, criticized the contests, which offer prizes to hunters who kill the highest number of coyotes.
Proponents of the contests argued that the competitions control coyote populations and prevent attacks on humans and pets, but critics say that the contests are cruel and ineffective at controlling coyote populations.
The recently approved regulations ban hunting contests for certain predators and furbearers, including coyotes, and “wanton waste” of all wildlife, in addition to changing harvest reporting requirements.
When taking a vote, the department considered that the contests “specifically incentivize going out and killing as many (coyotes) as you can,” said Dave Wattles, a black bear and furbearer biologist for MassWildlife, “and that calls into question whether these animals are taken for legitimate purposes to be utilized, or simply to win a contest.”
The Fairview Sportsman’s Club in Granby held one of these contests, which MassWildlife has also noted took place in Pittsfield and Hyannis.
Coyote populations are at saturation level in Massachusetts due to an abundance of resources, Wattles said, including human-associated food from garbage, compost piles, bird feeders and pet food. The contests are not effective in impacting this coyote population, Wattles said — at least 70 percent of coyotes would need to be removed in order to impact the statewide population, and even at this threshold, their numbers would quickly bounce back. Hunting in Massachusetts kills less than 5 percent of the coyote population.
In addition to coyotes, the regulations also ban contests targeting bobcats, red and gray foxes, raccoons, opossums, weasels, mink, skunks, river otters, muskrats, beavers and fishers.
MassWildlife came to the decision after a public comment period that included four listening sessions in Shelburne Falls, Barnstable, Westford and Bourne, in addition to inviting residents to write or call the department to express their opinions. Sportsman’s groups were the main opponents of the new regulations, according to Wattles.
The regulations do not decrease opportunities for hunting, trapping or other sporting activities, Wattles said, nor does MassWildlife oppose these actions when carried out within regulations.
“We’ve always had an expectation that animals taken during our season were utilized,” Wattles said, “but we’re simply codifying it and making it a requirement that the animals that were taken are utilized.”
Penalties for violating these new regulations would be the same as penalties for any other hunting violations, Wattles said, which generally range from $50-$100 fines.
The regulations must go through administrative sign-off procedures before going into effect, and will likely be in place “well before the 2020 fall hunting season,” according to MassWildlife.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.