Meanwhile a different coyote hunting contest, for the weekend of February 10 and 11, is being sponsored by the Green Mountain Houndsmen Club in Franklin County, according to Protect Our Wildlife, a Stowe-based nonprofit.
The Stowe organization is one of several animal rights groups pressing Vermont lawmakers and state Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter to ban coyote hunts on the grounds that they promote senseless killing of animals that no one wants to eat.
Green Mountain Animal Defenders circulated a petition to ban coyote hunting in Vermont and called the Series11 planned hunt a “killing spree.” The petition, on change.org, had attracted almost 8,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon, although many of those were from people who live outside Vermont.
Opponents of coyote hunting contests have also asked Vermont landowners to post their property to prohibit all hunting as a way to pressure the state to take action against the coyote contests.
Series11 sells guns and other goods in Londonderry. A message posted on the store’s Facebook page Wednesday said the hunt was canceled due to lack of participants. The decision had nothing to do with pressure from activists, according to the posts on the page.
A man who answered the phone at Series11 Thursday said only four people signed up. He declined to give his name and reemphasized that protests against the hunt played no role in the cancellation.
Supporters of the hunts say they reduce coyote attacks on Vermont’s deer herd and help keep the thriving coyote population from spilling into residential areas where the animals sometimes prey on cats and dogs or scare people.
Vermont has an open season on coyotes, meaning they can be hunted anytime.
Critics say that’s cruel and that coyotes are often killed in a particularly brutal fashion, including being clubbed. “I don’t think there is any animal that is treated more terribly than coyotes,” said Brenna Galdenzi, president of Protect Our Wildlife. “There is a deep hatred for these animals by hunters and they are just treated without mercy.”
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In October, Mrs. Galdenzi and her husband both took to Front Page Forum exhorting folks to post their land over deer hunting as well. Not only did they indicate that deer hunting was a terrible thing, they offered to supply posters. The simple fact of the matter is that Mrs. Galdenzi, a vegan, is opposed to any and all utilization of not only wildlife, but animals in general. That’s fine for her, but marginalizing and working to ostracize fellow community members in an attempt to force them into the same choices she makes is fundamentally wrong.
She has repeatedly and openly stated that sporting conservationists (hunters and trappers), are a minority and therefore their interests are insignificant. We don’t accept this treatment of our LGBT community, our developmentally delayed community, or any of our myriad ethnic communities. I challenge anyone to give me a single rational reason that we should accept her attempts at bullying the hunting and trapping community.
Hunters and trappers are multidimensional members of your communities. They are teachers, doctors, students, mothers; and they deserve the same consideration as every other lifestyle receives for their contributions. Perhaps instead of blindly judging based on the propaganda of an agenda driven organization, folks should go speak with outdoorspeople and learn about the heritage, camaraderie, and connection with the land that draws them outside.
GOOD! Predator killing contests serve no purpose! They are nothing but bloodsports. Science has shown again and again that mass killing coyotes only causes the remaining coyotes to reproduce even more, resulting in a larger coyote population the following spring. There are NO scientific articles or research studies showing killing contests help reduce coyote population.
The sheer level of disrespect hunters show towards these animals is appalling, and don’t let them fool you into thinking they eat these animals either. 9 times out of 10 they are thrown away like trash.
Coyotes are not harming the deer population as they also will have you believe, they are not harming any wild game species… granted they are keeping game species populations in check (where hunters will work to INFLATE game species so that they can kill more of them).
Hunters lie. They don’t listen to science. Hunting is NOT conservation. They only kill to kill, especially in these killing contests. I hope the cancellation of this contest encourages others to fight against wildlife abuse and brutality.
Since coyotes and foxes, prey on the RODENTS that carry the ‘deer ticks’, that spread Lyme disease and which are decimating Vermont’s moose population, these ‘Thrill-Kill’ thereby only promote the spread of Lyme disease among all Vermonters and tourists visiting our state. There’s no reason that the F&W Board needs to cater and enable a small subculture, that revels in these ‘blood-fests’, against the Will of the Majority of Vermonters. I’m very glad to see at least one of these sadistic ‘contests’ ended.
Coyote-killing contests have no place in Vermont’s hunting or conservation culture. I look forward to the time when they aren’t an option to begin with. True hunters and conservationists value these predators and embrace their vital role in Vermont’s fields and forests. I also look forward to the day when the myths living within some in Vermont’s hunting community (“coyote populations must be managed by thinning the population”, “coyotes reduce the deer population”–both patently false) are uprooted in favor of far more effective coexistence strategies. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board already has dispelled these two myths on their website, but policy needs to follow suit.
Coyote hunting is unnecessary and is only supported by those who dont understand coyote behavior and biology. When hunted heavily they reproduce more. Even Vermonts fish and wildlife dept says they have a negligible impact on the deer population. I only wish the keepers of our wildlife would respect coyotes for the value they bring to our ecosystem and educate our youth responsibly so they respect coyotes.
The comments made by those “hunters” who favor needless killing and wanton waste only reinforce the beliefs of many Vermonters who feel that open season on any animal, and killing contests, only serve the need of those that want to “target practice” all year long on our wildlife. Making a stew from an animal does not justify, to most well-educated animal advocates and moral Vermonters, the need to have a contest where hundreds of animals could be killed included young pups and mothers. As per the Fish and Wildlife Department, coyotes have little, if any, impact on the thriving deer herd. The excuses that keep surfacing to continue this needless, inhumane practice are becoming ridiculous.
The science does not support what those who are for the hunt are saying. Coyotes and predators keep the deer herds MORE healthy, they keep rodent populations in check, and they are a vital part of the ecosystem. It is horrid that our Fish and Wildlife board does not take a stand against these contests and the indiscriminate killing of coyotes.
Coyote contests are nothing short of barbaric and are ecologically dangerous. There are so many reasons to ban them! First of all, the typical rationale for these killing fests is that coyotes harm the deer herd. That is completely false. Even the VT Fish and Wildlife Department state emphatically on their website that coyotes have no impact on the VT deer herd. Livestock and pet predation is the other reason given for the desire to exterminate one of our top predators. But multiple studies have demonstrated, again and again, that hunting coyotes does not control their population or aggression toward livestock. In fact, and this is also supported by VT F&W, hunting tends to result in greater coyote numbers and greater aggression toward non-native prey. Coyotes have evolved to react to the stress of being hunted by adapting their reproductive cycles to protect pack survival. If the breeding/hunting alpha pair is killed, sub-adults in the pack will start to reproduce at a younger age and with larger litters. There is abundant evidence that killing coyotes has little impact on livestock predation and may in fact cause it to escalate. Coyotes are extremely important to our environment and play many roles in balancing ecosystems. It is past the time for co-existence, the proven effective means for controlling coyote numbers and behavior, to be the norm. They control the abundant rodent population, assist in tick control ( VT has the 2nd highest rate of Lyme disease in the country last year), clean carrion from our woods (most deer consumed by coyotes are already dead!), and disperse native seeds, among other benefits. There is no place in a civilized world for killing contests. They need to be banned.
As a real hunter I’m disgusted by those who kill animals they don’t intend to eat, out of ignorance, fear, and irrational hatred, leaving wanton waste. Coyotes wouldn’t even be here if the same psychopathic mindset of the coyote ‘hunters’ hadn’t already been used on our wonderful wolves. Both canids ensure a healthy deer herd, and both ‘manage’ their own populations in relation to prey availability. Wolves and coyotes are vital to curbing CWD when it hits VT, and keeping ungulate herds in top condition.
Modern human hunters take out the biggest, strongest, healthiest bucks instead of going for smaller, younger deer, and leaving the biggest to breed. This isn’t proper deer herd management. Modern humans also don’t seem to be regulating their out of control population, which is affecting every species on the planet with a 6th mass extinction…blaming coyotes or any species for ecosystem deficiencies is beyond the pot calling the kettle black. I’d like to hear what Fish & Wildlife is doing to restore our heritage top predator, the wolf, to VT’s ecosystems while there’s a ‘open season’ on their strange cousins from the west.
Humans are the ultimate wasteful killers. I am not against hunting if you eat the meat, but these brutal coyote hunting contests have got to end. It is absolutely barbaric to slaughter these coyotes (and wolves, and other predators)-some will say for management, but in truth its because they enjoy killing. The science is out there and easy to find-predator hunts like coyote contests are counterproductive in managing both predator and their prey populations.
Coyotes are one of the most persecuted predators-and these hunts are absolutely counter productive. Coyote populations when hunted respond with larger litters, more females breeding, and killing some members in a pack will cause them to scatter and colonize more areas to form new packs, and often are MORE likely to kill livestock when their numbers are managed with hunting (this happens in wolves too). Maybe its humans and their livestock that need actual management (especially with studies showing that non-lethal strategies actually work better at protecting livestock long-term, but that doesnt give hunters the instant gratification of killing wildlife does it?)
Its promising to see at least one killing contest end. Any steps taken towards ending this backwards-thinking idiotic practice is a step in the right direction!
Posting ones land is an individual land owners right. It always surprised me that the same people that exult the virtues of state rights, libertarian values, individualism and non interventionism, are all of a sudden up and arms about individual tax paying land owners posting their own land to prevent strangers from killing wildlife on their property. But hypocrisy is always on the menu when it comes to killing animals. Killing coyotes for fun is morally, ethically and mentally wrong. We are society of laws. And we have to have laws to prevent the worst of humanity from acting out their repressed carnal instincts. Until the Fish and Wildlife Dept can see past their profit motive, we have to take action by posting our land. There is no better motivator than a senseless thrill killing contest of coyotes for someone to POST YOUR LAND to prevent this from happening.
Great news that the first coyote killing contest noted has been canceled! Hopefully the one scheduled for February 10th and 11th will be as well. I can’t believe that Fish and Wildlife allows these barbaric contests to take place. Killing for fun is morally wrong and these contests should be banned . It is equally barbaric that F&W allows an open season on these animals.
Thank goodness that this contest hunt was cancelled and that it drew so few participants – these contests should not be considered hunts, and anyone who respects fair chase and other aspects of ethical hunting should oppose them. The fact that another contest is in the works is evidence that the F&W Department and the state legislature must act to prohibit these archaic excuses for entertainment (they’re certainly not wildlife management). They’re bad for wildlife and bad for the image of Vermont (and hunting). While they’re at it, they should show some respect – and understanding – for the wily coyote and create an actual season, closed while the animals are bearing and raising young.
Sadly, when the opposition feels under attack, they resort to misinformation and scare tactics. I have made it quite clear that if someone is to eat meat, that hunting a turkey, deer, duck or other game animal, is much less inhumane than eating factory farmed meat. Protect Our Wildlife does not oppose subsistence hunting if the animal is killed as humanely and quickly as possible, with the utmost respect for the life taken. That is not the case with coyotes.
POW has opposed Mike Covey on various issues related to trapping and we will continue to do so. As a trapper, he is desperate to garner support from the hunting community by convincing them if limits are placed on trapping, a ban on hunting will be next. That would be laughable, if people didn’t actually fall for it. {Warning: don’t fall for it.}
Wildlife advocates have urged landowners to post their land in protest of poor wildlife policy that allows such depraved activity. Landowners still have the right to allow hunting by permission only, but it keeps the likes of those who participate in killing contests off their land.
Coyote killing contests that offer cash and prizes for the biggest and smallest coyotes is something we should all be able to come together and oppose. It’s bad for wildlife and it’s bad for Vermont’s image.
A study on radio-collared coyotes showed they ate mostly groundhogs, mice, berries. While some showed no interest, some fed on fawns until they were a month old when fawns could outrun them. Every adult deer the coyotes killed was already severely injured (i.e., by car collisions and would have died anyway). Since coyotes and foxes tend to be competing species, foxes tend to live closer to humans and coyotes try to live further away. If people let their pets out without fences then predation is just one of many risks they may need to face. My parents never thought about fences and all of our cats were hit by cars, though we lived with dense wildlife populations. Providing security is a responsibility of every pet/livestock owner. Hunting coyotes is generally not ethical hunting. Most are killed after being run by packs of hounds; pitting one animal against 6 hounds. No animal can outrun a pack of hounds. It is cruel and inhumane. We have all seen pictures of panic-stricken coyotes in leg-hold traps being taunted and bullied with rocks. Not ethical hunting. Coyotes don’t have complex thoughts to know why we are treating them so, why we are using them as live bait to draw the rest of the pack members when they hear distress calls, so we can shoot them as they come out of the woods. Landowners have one option: Post. Sometimes this does not always work as hunters walked between our no hunting signs to shoot a coyote hounds were mauling on our front lawn, 30 feet from our house. So if you have ethics and morals post your land until Vermont says no to all blood sports. Fight for these animals against brutality until we have only ethical hunting in Vermont.
If genocide is deemed an unacceptable and barbaric act in today’s society, then so is any type of “contest” killing.
I grew up in a world where the norm is to coexist with my fellow humans, despite their differences with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, age, religious beliefs, sexual preference, etc. So it’s just natural for me to extend that same cooperative spirit toward our wild cohabitants. Including predatory organisms.
These killing contests are nothing more than a sanctioned lynch mob. Someone claims they eat coyote and it tastes like lamb. I’ll pass, thank you. But if so, good for you. At least you’re utilizing the animal; however, you are vastly outnumbered by those who simply like to get out there and pick off as many ‘yotes as possible. Just because it’s fun. It’s obvious that the objections to the whole concept of these “contests” have hit a nerve; because now the self-described “sporting conservationists” are comparing themselves to oppressed minorities. Wow. What’s next? #MeToo4Hunters?
I will never understand the mentality behind the senseless slaughter of any animal. It is beyond comprehension. There is simply no logical justification for for these contests. Period. Im a 6th generation Vermonter who vehemently opposes the wanton waste of our precious wildlife.
Coyote contests are unnecessary cruel bloodsports killing for thrill that serve no purpose in our society, these contests are Not hunting, Not management, Not Conservation, just ignorance and hatred wanton killing with no respect toward A Species,
Stop this sickness
Mike Covey obviously doesn’t understand what a victim is. Hint: it’s not the hunters.
Any heritage that embraces hate and victimization has no place in a modern evolved society.
in response to kerry edmonds i wish to point out that in the desert where i live it is the coyotes who live close to people and the foxes that stay further away. i’ll add that while i’m cool with hunting, i just don’t see any reason to hunt coyotes. i wouldn’t try to tell you vermonters (individually, or collectively) what to do, but i would ask that if you find yourself wanting to hunt coyotes that you ask yourself “why?” and then weigh that ‘why’ against the ‘why not’s. i can’t get them to balance, not even close.
The decision had everything to do with the response from people appalled by this barbaric practice. We note the article says among the thousands who signed the petition are many from out of state. Vermont welcomes tourists, and presents a very different side of life there when it does. But these contests are receiving much attention from int’l tourist groups via social media. Something local businesses that support ” killing contests” might want to consider. We are watching with interest what happens here.
Thanks for canceling the one coyote-killing contest. As other posters have pointed out, no ecological purpose is served by these contests. Quite the opposite.
Coyote killing contests are sick, barbaric and DISGUSTING! This should be illegal. Heartbreaking that ppl would participate in something so horrible.
Its funny how antis are okay with coyotes starving to death or dying from diseas like mange or rabies. This is the most gruesome way for an animal to die & they are okay with that. Coyotes just like every other animal needs to be managed. When the population grows beyond carrying capacity & food runs short the pack self manages itself by them starving to death. Hunting & trapping is the best way to keep them from overpopulating, spreading diseases & starvation. I dont mind if someone disagrees with something but to spread lies & misleading information to get your way doesnt sit well with me & this is the stuff antis are pushing.
The saddest part of this whole issue is that the leadership of the department of fish and game (aka Fish and Wildlife Dept) has not stood up to this sick practice in how we treat Vermont’s wildllife. If the agency won’t take a stance in this sickening practice, why do we have a department that purports to serve the citizens? This issue more thn any other demonstrates without any shadow of doubt that the fish and game dept has lost its way in the 21st century.
Thank you for canceling this coyote killing contest. Soon, these barbaric, anachronistic, and cruel practices will be banned. The fact that fish and game agencies support these contests tells you a lot about them. They have been stuck in the past when humans didn’t know any better and lashed out at all perceived threats to life and livestock. Our knowledge has come a long way, but our practices have not caught up. Well, it is time to catch up and not allow fear and hatred of predators to rule us. It is time to ban this bloodsport and persecution of animals that serve a definite and crucial role in the ecosystem.
I am so thankful the 1st coyote contest of 2018 has been cancelled, and hopefully the 2nd one scheduled for February will follow suit. These contests are obviously the senseless and barbaric killing of an important species in our environment. All studies have shown that coyotes play an important role in balancing our ecosystems. These contests give hunters and Vermont a bad image in that they are truly killing for fun…killing for the sake of killing. I also believe there should not be an open season on coyotes.
Mr. Covey talks about outdoorspeople and learning about their heritage, camaraderie, and connection with the land that draws them outside like hunting and trapping are the only ways to achieve these things. I beg to differ. First off heritage can be a good or bad thing. There is a heritage of slavery and society has determined that it has no place in a civililzed humane society. The same can be said about trapping. Trapping served a purpose in the past to provide for food and clothing in the wilderness. There is no reason to contiunue this barbaric practice when the majority of society does not desire products with fur anymore. Trappers can be seen on videos enjoying the pain they inflict on the animals and smiling while clubbing them to death while captured in the trap. Even trapping of so called “nuisance” animals is a slippery slope because there are so many other humane ways of dealing with these problems before they resort to using trapping as a last resort. As for hunting, I am not against ethical hunting. That means subsistence hunting period. Trophy or thrill killing is nothing more than feeding a sick need for the human ego and has nothing to do with what is best for wildlife or conservation. By hunting coyotes indiscriminatly you are only increasing their numbers and biologist will confirm this. Finally, there are many that have a heritage, comararderie, and connection with the land by hiking, kayaking, photographing, or just plain communing with nature. They do not have to kill anything to do that.
After reading the article and the comments, I must admit I did not know coyote hunting was a big problem in VT. Forget the opioid crisis and the numerous economic issues to be solved in this state. This whole issue sounds like a group of trust funders with a solution who need to find a problem.
Hunting only intrroduces more violence into our culture. It is not good for anything else. The way certain species like the coyote are treated are especially heinous. Eventually these primitive ways of relating to other species will disappear…it is too bad so many living creatures will suffer until we progress that far.
Coyote hunting is not really hunting and is an insult to true hunters. Hunters hunt for food and have respect for the woods and the wildlife in it, my family comes from a long line of hunters so I know this first hand. People that call themselves hunters that hunt coyote have no respect for wildlife, and sadly, Vermont Fish and Wildlife seem to turn their heads to this.
Coyote hunters use a variety of methods to kill and torment coyotes. Packs of radio-collared dogs will chase coyotes until they are exhausted while the hunter follows on an ATV, then they are either beaten with a stick or shot just for the sheer thrill of killing. Using leg hold traps is another method to get coyotes while the trapper takes a selfie with the trapped animal that is terrified for its life. Is this really a wholesome tradition that coyote hunters/trappers claim it to be?
I am thankful for groups like Protect Our Wildlife, for bringing awareness to the general public of these currently accepted practices that need to change. We need to put regulations on coyote hunting and stop killing contest which just enables this sadistic practice.
Hi, all: We here at Seven Days appreciate that people have strong feelings about this issue! But we do have a commenting policy that we enforce. We’ve removed several comments from this story, and we’re reminding commenters to focus on the topic at hand and to avoid personal attacks. Thanks for reading!
I find the ” myths” published by the Fish and Wildlife Dept and the majority of researchers way more credible than the “myths” promoted by the coyote contest supporters. I also am not impressed by the desire of the vegan/veggie/PETA/”Bambi” crowd to impose their concept of morality on the rest of us. Coyotes will remain at whatever level the habitat will support all by themselves. I do think they should be encouraged to fear humans through a controlled hunting season timed to not interfere with breeding, birthing, or initial stages of pup raising. Bag and wildlife management area limits should apply.
Speaking of population management, what are we doing about the most destructive predator on Earth, the human ANIMAL??
Enough already with the coyote rhetoric…they need to be managed. ..so get over yourselves and find something new to complain about..
actually what needs to be managed is mindless armed intoxicated parasites that hate Coyotes simply because the lesser wild canid’s are in fact smarter then the buffoon’s carrying the high powered rifles around! and more important towards preventing deceases like the Plague by Controlling Small Rodent Populations …
“Stowe based” organization should tell you all you need to know about pow.
Coyotes are an invasive species in the northeast. The first reported coyote sighting in NH was in Coos county in the mid 1940’s. They are here because we killed off the eastern timber wolf and the cougar. As with any invasive species, we try to contain, reduce or end that population. I don’t particularly care for contests like this, but the coyote is becoming a problem with the deer herd and turkey population. They exist in numbers the wolf and cougar never did.
I am the daughter of a hunter…I have experience eating deer meat and other game so please dont stereotype me so you dont have to listen to facts and reason here…I dont fit your stereotypes, slaughterers…My father hunted deer and duck and quail in central Texas where I grew up…Hunting is taking a few bagged game for FOOD only …..It is limited and controlled in numbers…Coyote slaughter of unlimited animals for the sake of ignorance and sport is NOT hunting..Learn the difference please…Im sick of having to point that out…..My father would be appalled and angered by the slaughter and call those slaughterers of coyotes cowards…They re ignorant as well…Coyote regulate their reproductive cycles by having less pups during lean years for food and space..there is no need for human intervention of killing them..In fact killing them just causes more of them to breed more coyotes!..the opposite of what these slaughterers want..That is a scientific fact stressed by every coyote expert Ive listened to..January thru March is mating and whelping season when females have their pups…So they are killing pregnant and lactating females, leaving orphaned pups to starve to death…that is cruel and inhumane and ignorant and emotionally immure on the apt of the slaughterers…Please stop the insanity of these hunts that do NOTHING to wipe out coyotes..And please keep your pets leashed if you dont want coyotes to eat your pets..States in New England have leash laws and your ignoring of them is a direct violation of the law…..Pet owners who let their dogs and cats run wild are at fault here..Not the coyotes, who prefer wild food, not domesticated animals..Coyotes prefer rats and mice and rabbits and if they were suddenly wiped out, YOUR property and town and yard and woods would be overrun with these pests…DUH..
Thank goodness this hunt was cancelled. Glad to see legislation progressing toward banning the dreadful contests once and for all. It boggles the mind to think predator-hater hunters are so upset because theyd only get 365 days a year to kill coyotes! Seriously?
Extended trapping seasons and killing them anytime is not enough for them, because getting rewarded with guns and money for killing the most or biggest coyote will be taken out of the equation?? Something VERY wrong here.